Mentioning Asperger's at an Interview

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lotuspuppy
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04 Apr 2011, 10:50 pm

I need your advice on something. I am almost graduated from a good DC area school, and am job hunting at the moment. I already held a job downtown, and excelled at it. I stayed there for 18 month, and had to quit because of other commitments. I think they would hire me if they had positions.

I had lunch with my former boss, and I mentioned I had Asperger's to see what she would say. She was quite supportive of it. She said I may want to mention it to employers in future interviews. Others I have spoken with agree with her.

I asked her to write me a reccomendation on how I overcame my symptoms. She knows I can work past my symptoms. I figure it would sound more convincing from her than from me, and she does have a good reputation in her industry. She asked me to tell her how honest I want her to be in her letter.

So, how honest should I be about my Asperger's? Should I try not to talk about it, or blame my quirks on something else? If I do mention Asperger's, how should I talk about it?

I have read other such posts about coming out Aspie, and most people advise against it. I would be more comfortable here with some people, though. Whomever I work for is more likely to be informed and educated, and at the very least will ask me to describe my Asperger's before writing me off completely. My old boss even told me some employers down here are serious about thought diversity, and some (who?) want neurodiversity.



CrinklyCrustacean
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05 Apr 2011, 3:54 am

In my current job, I didn't mention it at the interview. It is a part of my personality, sure, but I don't feel it is THE definining feature and, like you, I was worried how they would take it. When my boss found out, he didn't know what it was, googled it, and panicked. I was lucky: he did the right thing and ASKED me how he could assist me. He took quite a lot of persuading that I didn't need any assistance at the moment, because he was so intent on taking care of his staff. I really admired that, and it is one of the reasons he is my favourite boss to date. I think that if you feel it will be an issue in the job that you are applying for, then you should mention it. Otherwise, I'm not really sure what to advise.



wefunction
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05 Apr 2011, 10:50 am

I'd never mention Aspergers on an interview. I wouldn't mention it after I had the job forever.

Never discuss:

- sexual orientation
- any children / family
- marital status
- religious preferences
- non-mainstream hobbies
- any physical or mental limitations

If they are willing to write you a recommendation letter, that's fantastic. Have her write it to reflect your reliability and superiority as an employee and what a great asset you would be to any organization.

Edit to Add:

The only time I'd ever think that I would mention having Aspergers is if I was in one of those come-to-Jesus meetings that a supervisor has before you get fired. I think I'd take a moment then to say, "You can't fire me for this. I'm only doing this/having trouble with this because I have Asperger's Syndrome." I'd have to imagine that would get them to back up long enough for me to get me resume out there and secure another job before they realized they could let me go without a discrimination lawsuit. But, that's such an extreme situation. It was the only one I could think of. I definitely wouldn't mention it in the interview or on the job. Nobody needs to know that about you.



blauSamstag
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05 Apr 2011, 11:53 pm

wefunction wrote:
The only time I'd ever think that I would mention having Aspergers is if I was in one of those come-to-Jesus meetings that a supervisor has before you get fired. I think I'd take a moment then to say, "You can't fire me for this. I'm only doing this/having trouble with this because I have Asperger's Syndrome." I'd have to imagine that would get them to back up long enough for me to get me resume out there and secure another job before they realized they could let me go without a discrimination lawsuit. But, that's such an extreme situation. It was the only one I could think of. I definitely wouldn't mention it in the interview or on the job. Nobody needs to know that about you.


Yeah, that'll buy you time to find another job while they try to find another reason to terminate you with cause.

You should stick to the positive when being interviewed for a job. There's only one job I know of where having a spectrum disorder is arguably a positive, and even if you're applying to be a software tester you should probably not bring it up.



CrinklyCrustacean
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06 Apr 2011, 7:55 am

On second thoughts, I think wefunction has a point. If you mention it during an interview, then it's the perfect excuse for them to reject you straight away. If they don't know what Asperger's is, then regardless of severity they're unlikely to take the risk of hiring you. Why bother looking it up when there are several NTs also vying for the position? Instead, ask someone (like your boss who offered a reference) how you come across and what sort of oddities they noticed. Also think about what sort of things you find difficult because of Asperger's, and see if they might be important in the job. Then in the interview you can say something like, "Does this job require XXXX?" rather than saying, "I have Asperger's". There's also the point that (for me at least) Asperger's isn't the defining feature of my personality, and I'd rather the potential employer judged me on that than my condition. I usually don't mention it so it doesn't bias their decision in that regard. I was lucky my boss took the right approach when he found out I had it, but I may not have even got the job if I'd stated it in my interview.



animalcrackers
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11 Apr 2011, 5:44 pm

For me, it would depend on the job.

For example, if I had to communicate a lot with my co-workers (not socially, but for things to get done properly) then I would lean towards disclosure because I have problems with pragmatic language which have gotten me into trouble at work in the past--I've completely misunderstood things I was asked to do (and hence, failed to do them or screwed them up) and I've annoyed people with questions that I'm supposed to know the answers to (people can lose patience with something as simple as "what do you mean?" when the meaning of whatever was said should be obvious to anyone without language problems). Same goes for sensory sensitivities--if I had to work somewhere loud, extremely bright, etc. I'd say something about my ASD because I'd need to be able to develop compensation mechanisms (like taking a half hour break in 3 ten minute segments, to avoid prolonged exposure to something overwhelming).

If the job in question involved a tolerable amount of sensory input and I worked almost entirely independently, I would keep my diagnoses to myself because there wouldn't be any practical reason to disclose it.



zer0netgain
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12 Apr 2011, 7:53 am

lotuspuppy wrote:
So, how honest should I be about my Asperger's? Should I try not to talk about it, or blame my quirks on something else? If I do mention Asperger's, how should I talk about it?


Self-disclosure is to invite being rejected....even in a good job market.



Bloodheart
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12 Apr 2011, 8:54 am

NEVER disclose that sort of information unless you absolutely need to.

If it may effect your ability to do the job then it's a good idea to be honest about it from the start - or better still, not apply for a job you may not be able to do to begin with - but otherwise it's a big no-no in the jobs market. Even if it won't effect you doing your job in any way there is still FAR too much prejudice towards disabled people, coupled with the ignorance that surrounds autism and you have a situation where you are instantly talking yourself out of a job no matter what. In some cases if you're officially diagnosed you can opt to have a guaranteed interview, in that situation you could discuss how it effects you and how it can be a benefit to employers, but otherwise no.

It does then make it hard if your 'symptoms' show up in interviews, it also then makes it more difficult to disclose your 'disability' at a later date - which is something I recommend if needed as more often than not even if you're doing the job well our traits can cause problems with how we interact with work mates and management so this can often lead to constructive dismissal. An employer knowing about your 'disability' once you're in employment with them gives you a leg to stand on legally if they try to use the fact they don't get along with you as a reason to fire you or bully you out of the job.


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