#Job Interviews

[hometoursandotherstuff]

[askanautistic]

Hey, i'm currently applying for jobs in the UK and some places have "equal opportunity" forms to fill in with your gender and disability etc. As i am not professionally diagnosed yet, can i put that i am autistic on those forms, without actually having any paper diagnosis? I am worried they will think i am lying just to get an interview when i can't come up with any proof. tl;dr - does the Equal Opportunities Act 2010 accept self diagnosis?

Section 6 of the Equality Act 2010 says you’re disabled if:

you have a physical or mental impairment

your impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to do normal day-to-day activities

An impairment doesn’t have to be a diagnosed medical condition. [...] If you don't have a diagnosis, you still need medical evidence to show your impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to do day-to-day activities. [CitizensAdvice.org.uk]

I'm not sure how necessary it is to be able to evidence a disability in the workplace, but if you know that you would be unable to if it was or became necessary, you need to weigh up how necessary or safe it is to disclose. This might depend on your employer, or on circumstances. So:

Do you feel confident that you fit the legal definition for disability, and therefore believe strongly enough that you'd be covered by the Equality Act 2010? Or, if you're not sure, is there anyone you could consult about this who could give an informed opinion specific to yourself?

Do you think you need to be considered under Equal Opportunities (do you feel you are disadvantaged, and need it in order to get an interview)? Is being autistic something that impacts you in ways that you will require reasonable adjustments in order to be able to do your job, or are you able to cope well without needing reasonable adjustments?

Could you contact the company/companies to ask them? Knowing how open or closed they are to it might inform whether you feel it's safe and appropriate to declare it (and also, depending on the level of support you would need once employed, whether they're someone you are likely to be able to comfortably work for).

Would you be open about being self-diagnosed, or leave them to assume that you are formally diagnosed? (If in a situation where you are asked outright and have to either disclose that you aren't diagnosed, or lie about it, I'm not sure how protected you'd be if your employer found out you lied and sacked you based on dishonesty - not that this is something you'd do, but it might be relevant to someone else to either think about or look up to see if they can find out the answer). If you would not be open about being self-diagnosed...

What is the possibility that you might end up in a situation where you are potentially referred to Occupational Health for an assessment, or put in another situation where your employer might find out you aren't diagnosed/don't have any evidence to back you up? This could happen if you ask for reasonable adjustments, are off sick too many days or have too many absences within a certain period of time, or if you have any difficulties with things (but don't ask for reasonable adjustments) that might result in them deciding to refer you to see what kind of support you need.

Are you likely to want to use Access To Work? They'll do a workplace assessment, and part of the report will probably include whether you are formally diagnosed. Again, this might not be an issue if you are 'legally disabled' according to the Equality Act 2010, and if the workplace assessor is still providing evidence of your needs, but would this cause any embarrassment or awkwardness for you if your employer wasn't aware you're self-diagnosed?

Are you likely to seek a formal assessment in the near future, and could that have an impact? Would it cause problems if your assessment was during work hours and you had to book time off for a medical appointment? Would it be difficult not being able to be open about it if you haven't told them you're self-diagnosed? Sometimes assessors might include information about what kind of employment support someone might need, so would that make it awkward for you if you felt you couldn't share that part with your employer, or did share it but knowing that your employer would realise you weren't previously diagnosed?

Because, despite legal protections, realistically employers (and colleagues) can still discriminate, and this can cause problems in the workplace (whether it's just discomfort due to well-meaning but inappropriate comments, or outright bullying or discrimination), and it's not always easy to go through the grievance process. Often organisations can have a closed culture, which makes it harder to seek justice or to get fair treatment. However, it's also often difficult to take legal action against an employer, and whilst there might be situations where a diagnosis/medical evidence wouldn't be necessary to prove discrimination, there might be situations where it is.

For example, if you took legal action because you overheard a manager say, 'Oh, apparently they're autistic, that explains why they're so annoying and useless,' they're clearly making a derogatory comment about the fact you're autistic. In fact, if they made a comment like that and you weren't autistic, it wouldn't matter - their belief that you are and the fact they said something openly derogatory would be enough to be considered discrimination or possibly harassment (so you wouldn't need to prove that you're autistic - in the same way that if an employer said homophobic things to a straight employee because they thought they were gay, it would still be considered discrimination / harassment). However, in a less obvious situation, like if you faced disciplinary proceedings because you failed to stick to the dress code, or were demoted or passed over for promotion because you don't stick to the dress code, you might then end up in a position where you need to be able to evidence that you have sensory issues or some other reason for not being able to abide by the dress code, to defend yourself against the action and to prove that their actions were discriminatory.

And the fact people can and do still discriminate also means that, despite the fact an Equal Opportunities form might be used (which would suggest a willingness to hire people with protected characteristics), declaring any form of protected characteristic could still ultimately result in discrimination! If the person selecting interview candidates has prejudiced ideas of how capable autistic people are, they might be less inclined to give you an interview. Even if they are otherwise willing to put forward candidates who have other protected characteristic including other disabilities.

So, unfortunately, it's always a risk. Even with a formal diagnosis. So it's something you need to carefully weigh up.

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[sweaterkittensahoy]

As Long as I'm Thinking about Job Interview Stuff

Here's my general pattern for answering the "Tell us about time you failed / dealt with a bad co-worker / had to struggle to complete something /etc."

These questions are asked to suss out if you're an asshole. The reason there's more than one of them is to see if you have a shit talking problem that can take a little time to show itself. Basically, interviewers are trying to get a sense of if you're gonna be a fucking problem once you're comfortable at a new workplace.

I literally once watched myself lose a job because the managers asked, "How do you deal with people who might be temperamental at times?" It was a software company, so I figured they meant "At least one of our engineers is a huge asshole, but we think he's worth keeping around even if he yells at people." And so I said, "Look, we all have our moments, and I do my best to be understanding if someone's having a tough time. I think it's important to remember we're all working together and trying to make something succeed. That being said, if the problem is I'm getting yelled at because someone else is being unprofessional, I'm not going to stand there and allow that abuse. I will be talking to HR, at a minimum, and if that doesn't resolve it, I will take care of it myself."

And, let me be clear, the moment any positive vibes left the room was when I said, "I'm not gonna stand there and allow that abuse." Which told me EXACTLY how they were handling the situation currently.

Anyway, sorry for the recipe blog wander. Back to the point. Here's how I handle the questions where they want you to discuss something negative.

I take a moment to think. Yes, I know the question is coming and already have a few options picked for an answer, but taking a moment to think before answering means I'm not gonna stumble over my words when I start.

Start with the negative. If the question is, "Tell us about dealing with a difficult co-worker," Start at the problem. "Well, I remember once I worked with someone who really didn't like answering questions via email."

Explain why it made the job difficult. "Given that what I do is focused on getting things written down, I prefer sending questions via email whenever possible so I always have a clear starting point on the information I use, even if the information changes a lot through conversation."

Restate the problem as the beginning of the solution. "But, this person didn't like to answer questions in writing, so I started going over to his desk and asking him the questions."

Say something nice about the problem. "He was great face-to-face. Always happy to help."

Explain the solution. "And it turned out he was happy to read anything I would print out and hand him. So, I'd go ask him the questions, go back to my desk and do a first draft based on what he'd said, and then give him a physical copy to mark up."

Stamp a positive final remark on it. "Once I realized how to best communicate with him, he was very open to helping. If I walked over with a first draft, he'd just look at it right then so I could make updates as quickly as possible. And he started letting me know if there were any major design changes on the way and explaining it to me earlier in the process, which made it easier to make updates."

That's my technique. The biggest thing of it, I think, is to make sure your answer is sincere. Don't use a situation where you still want to shove someone into traffic. Pick a situation where you feel like it actually turned out well in the end.

[socialjusticefail]

Monster has a list of what questions are illegal in a job interview in the US. This article also tells you how to handle these type of questions.

[cheeseanonioncrisps]

Honestly hate the web of social conventions and competition and capitalistic career-worship that prevents me from answering the question “so, why do you want this job?” by simply texting the interviewer this image:

[bitchesgetriches]

Ask the Bitches: “I Took a Career Break to Care For Someone. How Do I Explain My Caregiving Resume Gap?”

[crazy-minded-girl]

As if job interviews weren't stressful enough already What happened to normal job interviews?

[martylove3435]

Join our team today unlock the opportunities We're hiring New USA Job service.

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[idontmatter2you]

[autistichrlady]

A Common Interview Question that I Ask, and Why I Ask It

This is one of my favorite questions; I've used variations on it with high school students interviewing for their very first job, and with experienced professionals with advanced degrees.

"Tell me about a time when you made a mistake at work, and how did you resolve it?"

What I'm hoping to hear in the applicant's answer:

A specific mistake or problem

How they fixed the problem, or made sure it didn't happen again, or in some way learned from it

Positive things I (hopefully) learn from the applicant's answer:

They pay attention to their work and notice when problems happen.

They are aware of common problems that happen in this type of work and they know what to do about them.

How they solve problems (Do they ask for help? Do they do research? Do they use specific background knowledge or skills they already had?)

They are able to tell a story clearly and help me understand what happened in their example situation.

Ways people misunderstand this question:

Denying that they have ever made any mistakes, ever in their life.

I don't like this answer because everyone makes some kind of mistake at some point. A person who won't admit to me, in an interview, that they've made mistakes might also refuse to admit to mistakes at work, to their boss. And I don't want to hire someone who will lie about or cover up their mistakes instead of fixing them.

This answer also means I don't get any of the information I was hoping to get about how they recognize, fix and learn from problems. I would rather hear about a very minor mistake than not get an answer to the question at all.

[emb4lm-me]

im wondering how some people are so confident a lot lately? as a young teen and kid i was rly confident and friendly but arnd like 15-18 i went through a lot (including SA, extreme bullying, and homelessness, etc) and like, i never really got my self confidence back or anything. i need to do job interviews here really soon, try to make friends in a brand new city, and get better abt standing up for myself w my boyfriend and mom, so i really want to be a more confident person.

i think i struggle so much with it bc im autistic particularly. like i THINK im sick as all fuck i think im awesome but im also 20 and i look like shadow the hedgehog full time on purpose so its not like i rly understand what ppl think is cool 😭😭 idk mostly im worried abt making new friends in this new city and job stuff

i would like advice if anyone has any ideas!! or advice for job interviews ive only worked for my dad before

[mysteriouseggsbenedict]

I don't have a therapist right now so Tumblr is getting all of my thoughts...

I just got hired for what honestly feels like a dream summer position, and it's a big deal for me because I have struggled majorly with employment in the past. Getting through a job interview while autistic is pretty much a special form of hell. So now that I've succeeded I'm really proud of myself for working hard at getting better at something that's difficult for me. It feels like I won at this game finally.

But it also is kind of, like, still shitty. So I struggled in a system that is unaccommodating to me, failed multiple times and took some big hits to my self confidence, but after working really hard I overcame those difficulties to Win At Capitalism? Is that really something to celebrate?

It's like the "disabled person is so determined and inspirational that they navigate inaccessible environments through the force of their will" narrative.

There's just something that rubs me the wrong way about congratulating myself for succeeding in a job interview, as opposed to, you know, living a life that's free of the need to participate in job interviews. In a world that is actually ideal, we wouldn't need to kill ourselves developing interview skills just to survive in our society's economic system.

I did utilize accommodations for my interviews that made a huge, huge impact in my success. So I guess my own argument isn't perfect, because I did modify the situation in some ways, instead of muscling through the completely traditional interview format.

Asking for the questions in advance changed the game for me. So far, I have asked for questions in advance prior to three job interviews, and none of the employers questioned me or refused to send them. So I was able to prepare answers to the questions before the interview and even practice speaking through them out loud. I can get tongue-tied if I'm trying to speak off-the-cuff, so doing this basically allowed me to articulate an accurate impression of my skills.

In the interview for the job that I got hired for, they told me that I'm able to use visual aids if I want, so I actually prepared a slideshow to screenshare during the interview. I had my qualifications on the slides so there was no way I'd mess up telling the employer about them. It was great to have an aid on the screen for me to follow along with as I talked, and it also demonstrated that I had prepared for the interview.

Since most of my mutuals on here are also neurodivergent, I'm curious if you have thoughts. Have you figured out ways to succeed at interviews? Or not? What has helped you the most? What's your mindset around conforming to expectations and trying to train yourself to perform well? (I'm also a little bit curious just because I'm finishing up a research project about this exact topic, because I always end up centering my research around the stuff that is bothering me in my real life, lol).

[helloitshaley]

Job Interview Tips

look, this isn't my niche thing, I'm a horror babe, but I've noticed recently that a lot of young people really just do not understand the job interview process, which is really REALLY hurting their chances of being hired, even if they could do an amazing job IF hired so I'm gonna help as best as I can here.

Resumé:

Your resumé is basically a way to show your prospective employer what skills you have and what you can bring to the table. There are websites where you can look at how a resumé should be formatted, and google docs provides you with a free format as well so please use it.

What you SHOULD put on it:

First and last name, phone number, email. You can put your address if you want but that may do more harm than good if you live further away than the employer wants.

Your school experience. Even if you have only graduated high school, put that on there! Also the date that you graduated as well. Most jobs don't care about your GPA, but if you feel like the education section is looking a bit sparse, put it on there, it can't hurt.

Previous jobs. Outline how long you worked at each job, if you can provide an accurate start and end date please do. Outline your responsibilities for each job as well, employers want to see your experience.

If you are fresh out of high school and don't have any job experience, list your extra curricular activities and what responsibilities you may have had for them. As you gain job experience, remove this from your resume, but its good if you need to beef it up a little bit.

What you absolutely SHOULD NOT put on it:

Don't just write a paragraph about yourself, again, find a free resume format and use that.

Don't make jokes!!!! It is a professional thing and should be kept professional. I once saw a resume where this person wrote "I be about that money." DON'T DO THAT!!!!!

Basically you can't go wrong as long as you stick to a format and use spell check. Type-os happen, I do them constantly, thats why spell check is your friend! And if you really aren't sure, get a friend or someone to proof read it for you.

How to dress for an interview:

No matter what the job is, look professional for the interview! Try to avoid jeans and leggings, and never wear sweat pants or a sweat shirt. My best piece of advice is to buy one outfit that is your interview outfit. You don't have to splurge, you can find professional clothing at a thrift store. So long as you look well put together they do not care where your clothes came from.

What I recommend wearing is either a nice skirt, or a pair of slacks, a button up shirt, and a blazer type jacket. This goes for whatever gender, you can't go wrong with sticking to that! If you're someone who wears a tie, wear a tie. As for shoes, avoid sneakers if possible. Flats, heels, loafers, oxfords are all good. Do NOT wear flip flops or slides.

Brushing your hair is also a good idea. Makeup is never necessary but if you do wear it, its best to keep it to a minimum. Bright green eye shadow may look amazing, but if you have Mr. Fuddy Duddy bank owner interviewing you, he isn't going to like that. Understand your audience when it comes to your appearance. Make sure your teeth are brushed and that you showered and put on deodorant.

How to present yourself in the interview:

Be early!!!!!!!!!!

Be pleasant, smile! Smiling will get you very far. I know eye contact is a challenge for a lot of people, but do your best. I know that you'll be nervous out of your mind, but if you can fool your interviewer into thinking you're not, that can get you pretty far.

Don't appear too relaxed, however. Make sure you're sitting with good posture, not slouching in your chair. Be attentive, nod along with what the interviewer is saying. Try not to yawn if it can be helped.

Be sure to answer every question to the best of your ability. Responding with 'I don't know' and nothing more is going to put you at the bottom of their list. Even if you have to bullshit an answer, do it as long as the bullshit is eloquent and coherent.

Look up frequently asked interview questions and prepare an answer for them ahead of time. Most interviews follow the same script. They want to know your strengths and weaknesses blah blah blah.

Always thank them for their time once the interview is over.

RANDOM IMPORTANT BITS:

Sending a thank you email is not something a lot of people know about, but has become and expectation in the professional world. Once you get home from your interview, send the interviewer a short email thanking them for their time and consideration. I know this is weird and kiss ass like, but it is expected. This is more so for the corporate world, however, so if you're applying for a food or retail job, this isn't necessary.

A lot of places expect a cover letter with the resume, ugh. Basically this is just a quick paragraph of you outlining why you would fit the role. Keep it short and sweet, don't beg for the job, keep it professional. Outline how your specific skills would fit the job.

Don't be too basic. What I mean by this is, you can embellish a little to make yourself sound better. This can apply to your resume or in person interview. IE: Your last job was washing dishes? Turn that into 'you were in charge of kitchen sanitation and organization.' Don't over embellish, however, don't make it seem like you were the CEO when you were the bartender, right?

When it comes to references, make sure you're putting down someone who will back you up and make you sound good. If you were fired from your last job, its probably best not to list that manager as a reference. Also, unless you have a ride or die bestie that will commit to the bit, its best not to list friends as references.

If the interviewer asks why you left a job that you hated, or maybe you were fired from, DO NOT BASH THAT COMPANY OR MANAGER!!!! That is going to make you look immature and also like you are hard to work with. Say something along the lines of 'I just didn't see myself as a good long term fit there, I have different goals and aspirations that I would like to explore in an environment that more fits the career I want.' again, bullshit until you make it. But whatever you do, don't say, 'oh that job sucked, my manager was a bitch, they weren't fair ect.'

RED FLAGS on their side:

A company should never ask for a picture of you prior to an interview. They also can't make you submit a video either. They should never ask your age, unless that is relevant to the job (like an 18 year old can't be a bar tender). They can NOT ask if you are pregnant. If you are clearly pregnant and they tell you they won't hire you because of that, you could have a suit on your hands.

Hiring you on the spot (when its not fast food) could be a red flag. Tell them you would like to think it over for a day or so.

Not being upfront about the salary is a no-no.

If anyone want to tack anything onto this feel free! I just felt compelled to make this post because I see so many people getting passed over for jobs when it doesn't reflect on them as a worker. Also, a lot of people just do not know this stuff. I think there needs to be an interview class in high school. Anyway, if this helps just one person I will be very happy!

[pulp-art-from-an-english-writer]

Top private secretaries can always think on their feet...as well as their knees!

[ceevee5]

[thepowerisyouth]

In freshman year in college, in 2018-- I was taking the introductory Business minor class. The person teaching this class was the head of the department, very experienced in the corporate consulting world, and insisted on only teaching this one class at the beginning of the degree plan.

Specifically my 'role' as a student in that class ended up being--

1) chatting after each lecture with the bored, old professor about the 'good ol' days' when he was a 60s hippie protesting the war. (what I was doing is called "kissing ass", specifically)

2) telling the professor that he needed to "get with the times, old man"; because he was teaching about "generational workplace issues" and thought the majority of his students were millenials still.

3) I'm sure I'll think of more funny stories from the first semester I sat in that class and add later

---------

He invited me to come back as a TA the next semester.

Undergrad TA job paid $10.25 per hour I sat in class, plus some self-reported prep time; I took it as a 2nd job as my other job on campus paid something like $9/hr.

(He 'got back at me' for that generational workplace comment in this semester with a wonderful class on Gen Z during that learning unit. He said something like "you're just now entering the workforce in the wake of millenials, who got a lot of crap. So far the world knows you as a generation that stands up for itself". He showed slides of the "March for Our Rights" movement. This would be early 2019 at the time.)

-------

I had a variety of roles in that class even as an undergraduate TA, which was cool albiet a little intimidating at times as a young student.

1. Setting up the video cameras for students' in-class presentations and projects; & helping professor oldie when his fancy USB pointer wasnt working right

1.5. Watching for more places that I could tell my professor to keep up-to-date in his lectures (he didnt tell me to do this, I just wanted to do it again)

2. Smoking joints out in my car before class and walking in 'loud and proud'-- because I was a TA-- who cares?

3. Walking around assisting students during the group project time (lots of projects)-- this included stuff like resume building, job interviews, consulting presentations, persuasive speeches, and "crisis communications" (which is a fun one)

4. Will finish later

--------

I ended up being a TA for 2 semesters, after which I was booted from Rice on bad grades. I've reached out to chat with Professor occasionally. He ended up retiring during COVID as he said his lectures weren't very popular over the video format (common problem in 2020s academia)