FIND FRIENDLY EMPLOYERS – AND KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS
Job hunting is tough for everyone — but graduates with Asperger Syndrome (often referred to as ‘Asperger’s’) may face a few extra challenges when trying to land their first job after university. The key is to know what to expect from the recruitment process — and find employers and roles which are likely to suit you. Helen Cooke, expert in disability and graduate recruitment and founder of MyPlus Students’ Club, shares her tips to help Asperger’s graduates smooth the pathway to employment…
1) Find friendly employers “No employer can discriminate against you for having Asperger’s, but some are extra-good at understanding that candidates with Asperger’s may have slightly different needs from other applicants and the unique skills and work profile people with Asperger’s have – such as very high attention to detail, greater loyalty to employers and fewer sick days taken off. EY (with an Asperger’s network), Reed Smith (who focus heavily on disability at graduate recruitment level) and Goldman Sachs are particularly keen to hear from you, and you can find more ‘Asperger’s confident’ employers on MyPlus Students’ Club. Or if you’re looking for specialist schemes to provide work experience, try Leonard Cheshire’s Change 100, or Asperger’s/Autism-specific Specialisterne.”
2) Be cool “For some graduates with Asperger’s, it can feel tempting to rush into applying for as many jobs as possible, but it’s vital you plan ahead first. Making a huge number of applications won’t help if you haven’t taken your time with each — many will not get through the initial stage. Instead, you should consider which areas you’d like to work in, research the area, and pick out a decent number — between five and ten — jobs to apply to initially. This way you aren’t relying on one application but also have the time to fill each out properly. Once you’ve sent those out, keep applying for more while you wait to hear back.”
GRADUATE FOG CLASSIC! This super-popular post was first published in March 2015 and has been updated recently for accuracy
3) Play to your strengths “Everybody on the autism spectrum is different, so I would stop short of prescribing careers for people with Asperger’s. However, there are certain jobs that are likely to make better use of the skills Asperger’s can bring. Since people with Asperger’s are usually good at spotting patterns, jobs which require a mastery of systems (e.g. IT, librarianship) are a good bet, while jobs that require frequent social interaction (such as front-of-house, HR, or client-facing positions) could possibly be less suitable. If you’re not sure what job you would be good at, speak to your university careers service to match your skills to a job; and if you really want to do a job you’re not naturally good at, be sure to identify and build the required skill set first.
WHICH FIRMS ARE ‘ASPERGER’S FRIENDLY’? Find out at MyPlus Students’ Club
4) Declare Asperger’s as early as possible “As with all disabilities, it’s best to be open as early as possible — this allows you to request adjustments as early as possible into the process. It also makes you come across as someone who is self-aware and confident enough to share this information. You can be open later on in the process, but if you decide to wait until, say, you’ve passed a recruitment process, then you won’t be able to perform at your best throughout this process and it’s likelier you’ll be taken out because you haven’t been able to demonstrate your (very real) skills without adjustments.”
5) Answer the question “When filling out application forms, it’s vital that you pay close attention to what you are being asked, and also try to ‘read between the lines’ (people with Asperger’s can view things literally, without considering the context). Remember, these questions exist for you to demonstrate key competencies for the job. A beautifully written answer that fails to demonstrate these, and instead goes off on a tangent about interesting but irrelevant things, won’t help. Instead, you should research the competencies the firm is looking for beforehand and weave them into your answer. When you read a question, ask yourself ‘Why are they asking me this?’ Always double check that your answer addresses that.”
6) Request adjustments “Many larger firms require online testing before the interview stage, and these psychometrics can be good or bad for people with Asperger’s. If you need adjustments to perform to your best, such as asking for interview questions in advance so you can prepare for them, this is the moment to let them know. (Sometimes graduates don’t mention this until they’ve already been unsuccessful on the tests, by which point it’s too late.) If you’re having trouble with any of the tests, don’t just ignore them (although it’s tempting, I know — failure can feel deeply personal to people with Asperger’s). Instead, practise until you’re used to them as this greatly increases your chance of success.”
“Be honest about your Asperger’s as early as possible in the recruitment process. It makes you come across as someone who is self-aware and confident enough to share this information.” Helen Cooke, HR and disability expert
7) Ask interviewers to be clearer “Interviews are often difficult for people with Asperger’s. Evidence shows this is where most of their job applications fall down because they test social interaction. If you’re comfortable being open and requesting adjustments, this is the stage where it’s most beneficial to do so. Adjustments like asking for interview questions in advance, or asking interviewers to spell out exactly what they’re looking for in an answer, have been offered before and are a great help for working out how best to demonstrate your abilities and awareness of the role. If you don’t understand the question, they may have phrased it in a way that isn’t clear. Just ask them to re-word it.”
8) Know how to talk about Asperger’s in an interview “Like any other disabilities, there are good and bad ways to bring up Asperger’s in an interview. You don’t necessarily have to mention it, of course, but then you won’t be able to address concerns the interviewer might have. If you can, speak about how living with Asperger’s has caused you to develop coping strategies others won’t have picked up, such as how to read body language and the intentions of others — this will demonstrate a level of determination and perseverance. Don’t simply bring it up and list negative qualities, or offer no explanation at all, since this is irrelevant to the selection criteria you’re being assessed against. If nothing has been said about Asperger’s by the end of the interview, consider asking if they have any potential concerns about your ability to do the job as a closing question — you can then tackle these concerns”.
BEEN REJECTED? “View the employer’s feedback as an evaluation of skills you can improve, rather than a personal attack on you as an individual”
9) Don’t forget the paperwork “Had a job offer? That’s great — but remember your work doesn’t stop there. Now you need to send off confirmation details within the deadline set (something which people with Asperger’s can forget if they have executive functioning difficulties). You should also get in touch with any workplace adjustments if you haven’t already; it’s better to get these out in the open now, rather than wait until you start the job.”
10) Try to take rejection less personally “Every job hunter experiences knockbacks — and it’s always disappointing. It’s very unlikely you’ll get the first job you apply for, so it’s also important to learn how to deal with this. People with Asperger’s can be perfectionists, who are often distressed by rejections since they take any knockbacks very personally. The key is to make the most of the situation. If you’re unsuccessful, ensure that you ask for feedback so you know the areas to work on in future interviews. This will also help to think of feedback less personally. See it as an evaluation of skills you can improve, rather than a personal attack on you as an individual.”
11) Always ask for feedback “It’s vital for all jobseekers to obtain feedback — but it’s even more important when you have Asperger’s, as can be very hard to judge how you are coming across to others. When getting in touch with an employer, remember to be polite and respectful, even if you are upset about the result (it will not help your case to attack anyone or come across as hostile). It’s also important (although easier said than done) to focus your energy on listening to and applying the feedback to yourself, not arguing with it, since this ultimately won’t help you. Be sure to thank the person at the end of the call for taking the time to give feedback, so you leave them with a good impression should your paths cross again.
12) Seek extra support “Even if you’ve graduated already your university should still be able to help you. In addition to contacting the university careers department it may also be advisable to contact the university disability department who may also be able to provide help and support. MyPlus Students’ Club provides really useful and practical advice specifically for disabled graduates. And don’t rule out non-disability specific websites such as Milkround and Target Jobs as their advice will equally be useful”.
AUTHOR BIO: Helen Cooke, is an expert in disability and graduate recruitment. Helen founded specialised website MyPlus Students’ Club to provide disabled students with all the information they need to prepare for school leaver and graduate job applications and the recruitment process (follow @MyPlusVoice).
The article was co-written with Jonathan Andrews, a student at King’s College London. He provided the expertise on the graduate recruitment process for people with Asperger’s.
* SHARE YOUR ADVICE FOR GRADUATES WITH ASPERGER SYNDROME
We’d love to hear from employers with tips and insight to add to the article above. Or, if you have Asperger’s yourself and have found a job, please share your experience of navigating the recruitment process. What did you learn – and what advice would you give to those who are still job-hunting (who may well be reading!)…
“No employer can discriminate against you for having Asperger’s”
That’s extremely naive. If you haven’t been hired yet, how could you possibly prove discrimination?
And if you’re in agency work, your assignment can be ended without a reason – so again how could discrimination be proved when they can fire you just because they don’t like you or no longer need a temp?
There is plenty of statistical evidence that disabled people find it horrendously harder to find jobs when their disability is obvious (e.g. a wheelchair).
It can also be hard for pregnant women to find jobs too, and experiments where ethnic minority names are put on CVs show that conscious or unconscious prejudice is still frighteningly prevalent.
I’m Aspie myself but – as far as I know anyway – can mostly pass for neurotypical (“normal”) so I don’t mention it in applications.
With the public sector it might be worth mentioning though – they have things like guaranteed interview schemes (though they always come across as condescending and smacking of tokenism to me).
Those positives listed are true for “higher functioning” Aspies, but employers may also be thinking of Rainman or other autistic stereotypes (“lower functioning” who can’t speak, socially inept etc.) so I would be extremely cautious about mentioning it with a lot of employers personally if you can get away with not doing so.
There is absolutely no reason why any candidate should disclose any disability, even if they simply suspect that they have a condition, and have never sought any Medical Advice from a Professional.
To admit anything will simply give an employer additional ammunition to reject a candidate during initial assessment…and employers are more than happy to reject candidates on the grounds of age, gender, ethnicity etc (despite being illegal) currently.
Only address the issue if it arises within the final interview.
@Eowyn: Agreed. For the vast majority of advertised vacancies anyway.
And certainly for fickle things like casual or agency work.
Maybe for a talented programmer seeking work in Silicon Valley – where there is a higher rate of autistic spectrum conditions – it might be different.
I think that advise on what could be construed as exposing weakness at the interview stage (which I struggle with myself on the rare occasions I get them) is fraught with perils with the vast majority of private sector employers too.
For all the lip service HR departments pay to diversity, how do you really know what you’re dealing with, and the employer is one of the minority who won’t consciously or unconsciously be swayed by a disability?
Remember Susan Boyle’s audition on Britain’s Got Talent? For my money she gave the best performance I’ve even seen on one of these talent shows. But she has Asperger’s Syndrome.
In a job interview she wouldn’t have got far at all. Rewatch the answers she gave to questions prior to her performance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxPZh4AnWyk
In reality, at interview, this would lead her to get a rejection letter. If she requested feedback she would be told that she “lacked confidence” at interview.
I know as it has happened to me. I’ve been told I “lacked enthusiasm” at interview. Actually I was just struggling with ‘curveball’ interview questions being thrown at me. Try and correct that and it can come across like you are not taking the process seriously something that risks getting the feedback that you “lack confidence”.
There are several problems, I have a borderline case of asperger syndrome, so I am not allowed to get support. The majority of people with aspergers traits / asperger syndrome have dyspraxis, some have dyslexia, AD(H)D.
The unemployment rate for graduates with asperger syndrome is 25%. When I say unemployed, I mean doing absolutely nothing, most of the rest are doing voluntary work, temping, doing part time work in fields unrelated to do their subject of study, most likely under-employed. .A few employers are good, academia may be suited
Aspergers sufferers may be diagnosed late in life, the support including diagnosis, understanding is very limited. Support was very bad before the Great Recession, now is much worse due to the cuts, or has been privatised.
People with aspergers syndrome can have many problems including holding conversations, communication skills, social imagination (flexibility, being socially niave relating to the world – the fact that there are so many graduates, the path is not clear for graduates, the requirement for unpaid experience, a changing world where globalisation and technology takes over the jobs. People with asperger syndrome may have trouble applying for jobs, knowing how to apply, where to apply, finding the support even if they are employed.
I think it is one of the worst disabilities.
I think maybe only 15% of people are in full time work, 9% in part time work.
If there is support, they may be forced into low paid unsuitable work.
“A few employers are good, academia may be suited”
A pity a Masters costs thousands of pounds generally plus a year’s rent, and funding scarce in humanities. A lot of people thought I’d be OK in academia.
“I think maybe only 15% of people are in full time work, 9% in part time work”
I’m one of the lucky ones then, I’ve had full time work.
“If there is support, they may be forced into low paid unsuitable work.”
That’s true with the neurotypical and able-bodied too these days. 🙁
“I think it is one of the worst disabilities.”
I’m higher functioning admittedly, but I’d much rather be Aspie than be neurotypical and blind, deaf, unable to walk etc.
At least an invisible disability keeps you mostly outside the de facto apartheid system – as Ben Elton described it in Gridlock – for people with mobility issues.
I’d be terrified of being blind.
Given what I’ve heard about what’s being done to disability benefits, with people with terminal cancer being declared fit for work then dying, or being left destitute due to a Catch 22 situation, I doubt I would get extra support if I can walk, type and hold a pen these days.
I avoid bar and call centre work for possible Aspie-related reasons.
I have worked in a call centre, my longest job , over a period of 1 year, my problems are dyspraxic but I only have aspergers traits.
Even NT people are in low skilled low paid jobs, but much more so, the ND.
I know people who are diagnosed with classic asperger syndrome, not being graduates, two people moderate asperger syndrome, they seem to do pre-employment for 10 years +.
Few graduates with asperger syndrome, are in full time graduate work, most of them have it marginally.
http://carershub.org.uk/news/autism1/
Only 15% of adults with an ASD diagnosis are in full-time employment, and more than 25% of graduates with autism are out of work. This represents a much higher unemployment rate than any other identified disability group.
I am dyspraxic, I suffer from dyspraxic, quite badly, a lot of graduates with dyspraxia are unemployed,underemployed, it does not receive the same attention as asperger syndrome.
There are organisations to help graduates with aspergers achieve their potential but they are few and far between.
I find it interesting that the comments here put a downer on the article. There may be a lot of truth in what’s been written here. But, still, the challenges remain.
The jobs market while improving was particularly brutal the past couple of years. The idea of disclosing a disability just seems laughable to me.
I was looking through the rejected applications of where I am currently volunteering the other day. The world “NO” was writen next to and underlined next to one applicants disclosure of a disability. It is niave to think everyone is a Guardian reading liberal when it comes to these issues.
I used to be very cynical – I can still be very cynical. Except, where does it get me – feeling bitter and resentful. I have seen how individuals who have been diagnosed with a particular disability have been thrown on the scrapheap before they had a chance of getting into work and have been written off, who will never be able to escape the poverty imposed upon them by the state. Then I saw how the social care system doesn’t want individuals to aspire to independent living because officials would lose their department funding and their own jobs. The health care industry works in partnership with the NHS to keep people pumped full of drugs and don’t want their profits down.
I feel scared for individuals with a learning difficulty, especially when you get professionals labelling a learning difficulty as a learning disability – a big difference between difficulty and disability. Individuals are targeted by the state under the pretence of wanting to help, but the truth is individuals are turned into marketable products for professionals to be able to apply for extra funding and secure a nice salary for themselves.
An example of our “recovery” and “job miracle” in action:
http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/new-tesco-express-store-newcastle-9000015
“New Tesco Express store in Newcastle attracts 1,300 applications for just 16 jobs”
@Everyone – Wow, great discussion – thanks to everyone who has contributed a comment or shared this post!
It seems like the question of whether / when / how to disclose your Asperger’s is definitely the big issue here… and many of you are challenging employers’ claim that they want to know about your Asperger’s and won’t hold it against you. Basically, you don’t believe them 🙁
While I’m sure there are some employers who are behind the times and not as welcoming as they should be, I also know there are many firms who genuinely want people with Asperger’s to apply to their roles, and they really will make concessions to ensure every applicant is treated fairly. But if that promise isn’t being believed then they need to be aware of that, and understand why. I will see if I can find some employers willing to join the discussion below as it would be interesting to hear this from their side. Stay tuned!
Also, I have a quick update on the author of this post – Helen Cooke. I know she does want to answer questions, she is just away for a couple of weeks! (It’s my fault for not putting this live when I originally said I would!) She really knows her stuff so it will be interesting to see her response to so many questions and comments from readers…
“It seems like the question of whether / when / how to disclose your Asperger’s is definitely the big issue here… and many of you are challenging employers’ claim that they want to know about your Asperger’s and won’t hold it against you. Basically, you don’t believe them :(”
Yep, that sums up my feelings perfectly.
And I totally agree with MWA and what they said about Susan Boyle. As talented and probably clever as she is, would anyone actually employ her, even if she disclosed? Many people with Asperger’s have learnt to act normal, but in reality that is exhausting and brings on a lot of mental health problems. Even if Autism and Asperger’s is disclosed, people still expect a certain amount of “normality” from you, whatever that is, and things that might be instinctual to a neurotypical may not be to someone with Asperger’s.
I’ll leave a couple of quotes, although I can’t remember who said them, but I think I saw them a t-shirt:
“Autism: It’s not a processing error, it’s a different operating system”
“Autism is not a tragedy. Running out of bacon is. Also ignorance. But mostly the bacon thing”
I can only speak personally from experience but I have found that every environment is different, some suited to people on the spectrum and other aspects too.
I personally feel a lot depends on your circumstances, where you are from and other aspects too but crucially the lifestyle you lead, this applies to any walk in life regardless of neurotype or Aspergers.
For example, when I graduated I banged myself against a brick wall realising I wasn’t able to do things like other people. It has taken several years of understanding and research to understand it is a disability but what must be clarified as well the individual has a lot of real ground work to do to find the right people and right support to meet their own needs.
I would advise any person on the spectrum to identify what their needs are (in each area of life) and to find the right services to meet them. There are particular services out there that offer things on the NAS.
Unfortunately there may well be backseated attitudes still these days because the majority of bosses still come from a generation where different things were not fully understood. I think things will improve in 10-20 years and with something like this, it is crucial that information, research and new innovative ways through perhaps private businesses will help find more ways of work.
My son Daniel is on the Asperger’s spectrum. He has a MC in maths and recently qualified as a maths lecturer for further education but has had a horrendous time trying to get work although his classroom observation reports on placement were all good or better.
He really struggle with interviews and finds networking next to impossible. I can see him becoming depressed and losing his confidence. Any advice gratefully received.
Many thanks
Helen
I feel very few employers understand what it means to be on the spectrum. I’ve had trouble getting work after graduating so did some work experience. The lady who supervised me said that ‘your disability doesn’t affect you as much as you think it does’. The next sentence was ‘you only have rapport with a selection of the clients’. What does she think AS is?
Excellent article, thanks!
My case is a bit unusual. I graduated with BA (Hons) 2:1 from London Institute in 1992, then PhD at Kent University, 1992-97 and awarded doctorate in 1998. I wasn’t diagnosed with Asperger’s (confirmation diagnosis) until 2006, aged 43. A long history of issues in employment since my first full-time paid job in 1985, aged 22.
Now 53, I am in the “support group” forever, and written off for employment, but threatened with losing “benefits” any time, due to the PIP assessment. I rent from private landlord and could lose that any time.
I need to get back into full-time paid work. Many skills, attention to detail, good and accurate word-processing skills. Published author. Artist (landscape painter), poet, musician, composer.
Worried about the future and homelessness.
Although the notion of a “friendly” employer is interesting…I am not sure whether such a belief has only ever existed within Utopia.
If an employer is going to invoke discriminatory practices, which are illegal, and reject candidates on the grounds of age, gender, ethnicity etc, they will simply do so and yet posit that candidates “do not possess relevant skills or experience”.
Candidates have absolutely no control over the Recruitment Process within any business (unless they have their own startup), dont need to be defensive about any suspected or figmantory condition.
Of course, if candidates wish to stand no hope of securing any job, the answer is simple…they simply need to be defensive, be as open as they want to be as part of any job application, and need not worry about being invited to attend any interviews.
One slight problem, has anyone heard the concept of neuro-diversity. I think only 30% of people with asperger syndrome or aspergers traits, do not have conditions such as dyspraxia, dyslexia, AD(H)D. It is common to have 2 or more consitions.
I think 50% of people with asperger syndrome or aspergers traits have dyslexia, 50% -75% have dyspraxia. A person can have asperger syndrome, dyspraxia and dyslexia.
@ Tariq – That’s a really good point – and the articles on Graduate Fog are probably too simplistic in terms of treating each condition or disorder completely separately. So thanks for the feedback! As Nadine, Simon and Helen mention, it is really helpful for job-seekers to be as clear as possible about what their condition – or conditions – mean. Although employers can certainly work harder to educate themselves about the most common conditions they are likely to encounter, it is probably not fair to expect them to be experts in everything. As you say, there are many different ways that these conditions can present, and many can co-exist with others.
In one of the other articles, we talk about how you can use your disability as an example of how you have handled difficulty or challenge in your life, and what steps you have taken to cope with this. I think if you talk about your disability in a clear and confident way, a lot of people will be interested and impressed. And remember, you also don’t know whether the interviewer has a disability themselves, or perhaps their partner, child or sibling does!
I worked full time but lost all my jobs. I had/have undiagnosed Aspergers. 50 years ago no one talked about what it was.
I have the co morbid of depression and anxiety.
I learnt from my parents to fight to keep jobs even when I was unwanted.
There wasn’t the social security backups in my day that there is today so seemed had no choice. Married to another undiagnosed Aspie money was always tight.
So I got used to appealing against it when I was dismissed and won out of court settlement.
I learned to keep copious records to challenge the normal run of the mill complaints that people made against me.
Would you believe someone even complained about me because I did not reply when they saw someone going into my car? I knew it was my son and could not think of a reply to why they should be thinking aboout my car and even noticing that it was
Biggest mistake ever was to declare Asperger’s Syndrome on application forms.
This gave the organisations the opportunity to turn down applications at the earliest stage citing any other reason than disability.
No-one could prove disability discrimination when the organisation uses any other reason for rejection and denies any bigotry.
One year after and applications made citing ‘No disabilities’.
Oh look…..
The offers are rolling in now with NO early stage rejections.
All employers and other organisations are bigoted against the disabled but will deny it.
You should just deny having any disability and play them at their own game; they can find out when they need to; when it’s too late to reject. When they find out their great applicant has disabilities and don’t want them any more, it’s very difficult to disprove disability discrimination on their part.
The Equality Act doesn’t protect disabled people in this instance, it helps the organisations dodge a bullet.
Given that since my comments on this post I was fired from a temp job that I could have done remotely simply for breaking my leg (as reported in Oct/Nov 2018 on Graduate Fog and in the Guardian) if anything the cynicism towards employers I express above has deepened.
It seems to be that diagnosing Asperger’s or Autism seems to be the new way of failing the 11plus in the 1940s and 50s. Then in the 1970s, the electorate voted Labour to abolish the Grammar school system. I feel society has become more ruthless since 2008 and a Tory councillor in my area admitted to me, not so long ago that we haven’t really recovered since then.
I am applying for Law jobs after I graduated with 2:1 in law as a mature student in 2019. I must admit, I get angry and resent the fact I don’t have a job nearly 2 years after Graduation. Having Asperger’s often feels like driving a tractor up the M6 with no coolant in the Radiators while everyone whizzes past you in BMW and Porches.
Back in 2019, I made an application which asked very detailed questions about GCSEs and A levels. I’m 36 now, I left school in 2000 with my highest grade being D. I since retook some, did access to HE than a degree. So I felt this created an algorithm to put me at a disadvantage. I complained to the company who heavily promote themselves as being disability confident. I had an email back 3 months later saying they’d had a change of management and they still thought my application was Lackluster.