Stressing over first job interview

I find it helps to understand the process the hiring team are going through so you can see how you fit into the situation - knowledge being power and all that.

The team are trying to find the best candidate for the job - this will be something they are instructed to do by the Human Resources team and there are a bunch of details they have to gather to be able to prove they have done this without bias of favouratism.

There will be competition but don't let that make you nervous as most lower level jobs will be offered to the person the team see as the best fit for the role AND for later on as you grow within the company. What this means in reality is that if you "feel right" as a fit into the existing team then they can easily overlook lesser qualifications or even disabilities so long as it won't prevent you from doing the job.

For practical advice I would think about questions that will probably be asked such as "tell us about you" - this floored loads of poeple I have interviewed in the past but this wasn't an issue - it was how they recovered, asked questions about what it meant and then built an answer with this additional info.

If you have a familiy member of adult friend who has any experience with interviewing, ask them if they can help you role play the interview so you can build up an understanding of what it will be like. Styles vary considerably depending on the person interviewing you or the type of role so I would expect it to me more of a chat than an interrogation for your role.

Think about what you have achieved - if you have volunteered or done charity work then these are great to talk about (they show initiative and compassion), think of any projects you have done at home (redesigning the garden layout for a more efficient veg crop for example - scour your last few years for situations that can show any of the sorts of skills you will need in the role and be ready to talk about them.

Another thing you may get asked is how you see your autism affecting your work. If this is asked, think about the positives - your ability to hyperfocus, organisational skills, your meticulous nature or whatever - make it a selling point if you can and don't bring up the negatives.

Pru said:

The interview is Friday and it’s meant to be 31 degrees here then and I’m worried in case I get too hot.

Get to the place at least half an hour in advance to give yourself a chance to cool down. Consider what you can do to stay cool getting there (can someone with an air conditioned car take you for example, if you have to walk then take an umbrella to stay in the shade, take a spray of water to keep you cool, wear breathable clothes and if practical a light cardigan in case there is fierce air conditioning inside.

Take a smallish bottle of watter and sip it so you don't need to go to the bathroom but if you get there 30 mins early then use their bathroom to go and freshen yourself up, check your appearance (take tissues in case you need to dry any sweat) and psyche yourself up before going back.

I always found the wait for the interview the worst part so I would go through all my positives while waiting and remind myself again and again why I deserve the role - this typically got me into the zone for a positive interview.

Tyr to be yourself as much as you can, smile and be upbeat as this positivity will leave an impression that you are someone they want to have around in the team.

These are just my thought from someone with 2 decades of hiring experience (only one part of my job though) and plenty as interview candidate myself.

Good luck on Friday

I find it helps to understand the process the hiring team are going through so you can see how you fit into the situation - knowledge being power and all that.

The team are trying to find the best candidate for the job - this will be something they are instructed to do by the Human Resources team and there are a bunch of details they have to gather to be able to prove they have done this without bias of favouratism.

There will be competition but don't let that make you nervous as most lower level jobs will be offered to the person the team see as the best fit for the role AND for later on as you grow within the company. What this means in reality is that if you "feel right" as a fit into the existing team then they can easily overlook lesser qualifications or even disabilities so long as it won't prevent you from doing the job.

For practical advice I would think about questions that will probably be asked such as "tell us about you" - this floored loads of poeple I have interviewed in the past but this wasn't an issue - it was how they recovered, asked questions about what it meant and then built an answer with this additional info.

If you have a familiy member of adult friend who has any experience with interviewing, ask them if they can help you role play the interview so you can build up an understanding of what it will be like. Styles vary considerably depending on the person interviewing you or the type of role so I would expect it to me more of a chat than an interrogation for your role.

Think about what you have achieved - if you have volunteered or done charity work then these are great to talk about (they show initiative and compassion), think of any projects you have done at home (redesigning the garden layout for a more efficient veg crop for example - scour your last few years for situations that can show any of the sorts of skills you will need in the role and be ready to talk about them.

Another thing you may get asked is how you see your autism affecting your work. If this is asked, think about the positives - your ability to hyperfocus, organisational skills, your meticulous nature or whatever - make it a selling point if you can and don't bring up the negatives.

Pru said:

The interview is Friday and it’s meant to be 31 degrees here then and I’m worried in case I get too hot.

Get to the place at least half an hour in advance to give yourself a chance to cool down. Consider what you can do to stay cool getting there (can someone with an air conditioned car take you for example, if you have to walk then take an umbrella to stay in the shade, take a spray of water to keep you cool, wear breathable clothes and if practical a light cardigan in case there is fierce air conditioning inside.

Take a smallish bottle of watter and sip it so you don't need to go to the bathroom but if you get there 30 mins early then use their bathroom to go and freshen yourself up, check your appearance (take tissues in case you need to dry any sweat) and psyche yourself up before going back.

I always found the wait for the interview the worst part so I would go through all my positives while waiting and remind myself again and again why I deserve the role - this typically got me into the zone for a positive interview.

Tyr to be yourself as much as you can, smile and be upbeat as this positivity will leave an impression that you are someone they want to have around in the team.

These are just my thought from someone with 2 decades of hiring experience (only one part of my job though) and plenty as interview candidate myself.

Good luck on Friday

Hi Iain. A big thank you for all your helpful tips you've given me. Sorry I couldn't reply sooner. I'm really grateful to you for all your help with this, it's greatly appreciated, especially the tips for keeping cool. This has always been a major problem for me all my life so your tips on staying cool have helped to reduce my anxiety.

Though I'm genuinely grateful for all of your help with this. 

I'm keeping everything crossed that I'll be ok tomorrow and the anxiety won't be too bad and the interview will go well.

I'll try to be myself and I will try to remember all of yours and profdanger 's helpful tips.

Thank you both so much. It means a lot to me.

Pru x.

Iain said:

Another thing you may get asked is how you see your autism affecting your work. If this is asked, think about the positives - your ability to hyperfocus, organisational skills, your meticulous nature or whatever - make it a selling point if you can and don't bring up the negatives.

Oh, great advice! Yes, if they ask you anything remotely similar to this or “What are your weaknesses?” always try to put a positive spin on it.