College Interviews

Hi Irka

Nice to learn that your interview was quite positive.

Like you I try to wait until the written confirmation comes before celebration, but use the time until then in the knowledge that you did ok and said the right things.

I think as people who are autistic, we do tend to worry too much about what others will think and that they will make negative judgements.  However, my experience of disclosing is quite the opposite of this.

And don't forget that a lot of academics understand entiirely what autism is about.  Many of them have difficulties themselves in social understanding, they have one track minds and want to learn as much as possible about their specialist subject. 

If i didn't know better I would say a lot of them were autistic too!

Thank you for your response. It really was appreciated and you are right - I do have strengths in that my thought process does tend to skew to unusual angles. I achieved a degree with very bad depression & anxiety! I did a lot when I was barely functional. And now with support and antidepressants - I feel like I can do this life thing. I can achieve a lot on my own, and now that I've found my voice a little, I don't need to do it all by myself. 

I thought I'd let you know how I got on :)

The interview went well. I disclosed it and made clear that I am only in the process of being assessed, and that my past problems are related to depression & anxiety which may be the consequence of being autistic.  But he was very kind and understanding. He told me that it doesn't matter about a bit of paper, and fired off an email to the 'Disability/Learning Support services'  of the college, to get me in touch with a point of contact. 

He wanted to offer me an unconditional for the higher level of study, but accepted my explanation that I wanted a firm foundation to rebuild my academic confidence. He didn't make me feel awkward, which was a first. He was very kind and went through everything with me - as well as, reassuring me that I'd have a heads up on much of the course.

I believe that I was successful from the way he went into detail on what support was available. He wasn't permitted to actually say so - but he did make appear quite clear to me that he was going to offer me an unconditional place. Of course, I don't want to fully relax until I get the full confirmation. 

Hi Irka

I think you have answered your question in your post.

You say you have had a few unsuccessful work interviews.  You say you don't interiew well.  Does anything suggest to you that these things will actually get better.

(Before I go any further I'd better start by saying that I am a strong candidate for being in the Guiness Book of Records as the person who has failed the most job interviews. You may take this as me having an awful lot of experience in the way to fail job interviews ......!)

If you don't disclose your possible autism now, if this is autism, things possibly will not improve.  You can act some things, but deep down the problems will be there.  And you could keep thinking that next time you will get the job (or whatever the interview is about. 

And you might.  But if you don't you will be thinking 'next time'.  And the result might always be the same.  And you will be thinking, much later on, how either not disclosing your interview has held you back, or how things might have been if you had disclosed.

I was diagnosed in what I will euphemistically call 'my more senior years'.  And I constantly think what might have been.

I would think from the 'other side'.  What if you did not disclose your autism and then got the job.  I guarantee that sometime you will feel that others think you are 'strange'.  That you are doing things 'different'.  Managers especially will wonder why you are doing things in a way they do not agree with, you will be pulled aside for a 'quiet word' and wonder why you are being picked on.  By disclosing at least you will know that your autism is accepted as a normal part of human existance.  And that the equality act will apply and that someone then making remarks about you is guilty of harrassment.

I do know how you feell about the diagnosis aspect though.  Before I had my diagnosis I declared to my manager that there was a 'strong possiblity' that I was autistic.  This met with the same reaction as someone who had watched a medical programme and had thought they had the disease of this week's episode.  But then, my employer has not got a good record over health issues (or is it just the management, I think the actual employer is far more enlightened but the managers haven't got a clue).

However, I don't think the employer (or whoever is interviewing you) would ask to see the 'proof' of a diagnosis especially at this stage, and it would just be down to a report from your doctor, who is well aware of your situation, should you get the job.  A diagnosis is not necessary to get reasonable adjustments at work either.  And my Occupational Health doctor said when I was referred to him that anyone could see I was autistic after talking to me for a few minutes!

I would disclose my autism as early as possible, preferably on being offered the interview.  I would explain the difficulties I have (bright lights, eye contact, being 'hesitant' and not understanding social cues and needing time to think, misunderstanding non-leading questions) and say thiese in no way affected the way I would do a job, just the way I am in an interview.  If the company is a 'disability confident employer' which many employers think improves their reputation, they should provide adjustments to the interview process to accommodate your difficulties. 

And also, try to think of your achievements, not what you perceve as your failures.  You have achieved a lot and  you should be proud of this. What you have achieved is very valuable and do not dismiss this by thinking you have not yet achieved all you want to achieve.  Learning is a life long process and it is the foundations that are the building blocks. There will be setbacks, but use the strengths from your autism to overcome these.  My autism has been an immense strength for me, it is motivation that is the difficult thing.  Once motivated, the world is my lobster!

And would you really want to work for an employer who had a discriminatory attitude to your autism?