mentioning you have Aspergers in a interview

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Belushi87
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02 Jul 2017, 12:43 am

i've been told that i should mention having aspergers in an interview, but i think it gives me a disadvantage because it feels like the employer may think i can't do the job and look down on me and alot of the time, i don't hear back from them so i don't think if matters from i mention aspergers or not. if i got the job without mentioning it then i might tell them, but i never get to that point.



Homer_Bob
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02 Jul 2017, 3:16 pm

Unless it completely impacts you job, I would strongly advise against it. No good would come of it. Focus on the task at hand.


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Kiriae
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02 Jul 2017, 4:01 pm

Well. There is always the chance your Asperger traits come out during the interview and that's the reason they don't hire you. If they knew they might think about you differently - not someone who "doesn't actually care about the job and is not honest" but "someone whose disorder impacts body language".
It could be beneficial because in many countries it's against the law to discriminate for signs of a disability and some countries even give benefits to companies that hire disabled people so it could be your asset (for example in Poland the company gets back 80% of minimal wage or something like that every month for having someone with ASD disability level 1 employed).
You need to check the laws in your country.



Mr_Miner
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02 Jul 2017, 9:29 pm

I struggle with this question too.

I look at like this. Saying you have autism means you have a disability. This means the employer can get in lots of trouble if they don't treat you in a certain way. Also can you really do the job or do they have to hire someone else to do it for you because they can not fire you and say that's why. So it's probably just easier to not mess with the whole thing in the first place and not hire you.

I took some Human Resource classes at college and they basically said the same thing. You need to deiced if this person is a good fir or if they open your company up to issues like this. We had a whole discussion on how to do this in the interview but also how to not get sued. Disabilities came up and the teacher said "it's not your company's job to be a charity. These people can be a liability. It does not mean you don't like them so don't feel bad."

If I say something then I label myself. Can an autistic person lead a team on a project for example? I know I can and I have before but the employer might not feel the same way. So I will have to do the entry level work that covers the job because they have hired me but they will never give me a chance. I would rather be the wired guy at the office than to put a name to it.



izzeme
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03 Jul 2017, 12:29 pm

I would also recommend against it.
If some of your specific symptoms can cause issues with the specific job, mention those issues and offer a workaround for them.
Should the employer at that point recognize them as autistic symptoms, simply admit it; he will have experience with autism/aspergers to recognize the symptoms, so he will either have less preconceptions, or stronger ones.



pi woman
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03 Jul 2017, 12:44 pm

izzeme wrote:
If some of your specific symptoms can cause issues with the specific job, mention those issues and offer a workaround for them.


I agree, your approach should be tailored to the job situation. The Job Accomodation Network offers a list of common accomodations for Asperger's symptoms: https://askjan.org/media/autism.htm

Since many NTs don't fully understand Aspergers, be prepared to explain that there is a tradeoff in other symptoms that make you a valued employee: detail-oriented, analytical, task-driven, ability to focus, etc.



yvaN_ehT_nioJ
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03 Jul 2017, 12:55 pm

pi woman wrote:
izzeme wrote:
If some of your specific symptoms can cause issues with the specific job, mention those issues and offer a workaround for them.


I agree, your approach should be tailored to the job situation. The Job Accomodation Network offers a list of common accomodations for Asperger's symptoms: https://askjan.org/media/autism.htm

Since many NTs don't fully understand Aspergers, be prepared to explain that there is a tradeoff in other symptoms that make you a valued employee: detail-oriented, analytical, task-driven, ability to focus, etc.


To add to this, it could be worth mentioning as a positive for a given position. Last year I interviewed for a paraprofessional position working with special education students for a school district and during the interview I mentioned I was on the spectrum and had family besides myself on the spectrum. My reasoning being I had experience with ASDs and was familiar with and aware of the issues that students with exceptionalities (to use education jargon :P) have to deal with.

I didn't get the job, but from speaking with an asst. principal involved in my interview when I was subbing there later that Fall, the reason was that they felt I would not be staying in that position long term - and in all likelihood I wouldn't so that's understandable. (He did say I gave a good interview though! :D )


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adoylelb90815
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06 Jul 2017, 8:53 pm

I think mentioning Asperger's is risky since the employer might come up with some other excuse not to hire you. Even though many countries make it illegal to discriminate against people with disabilities, they find other ways around it. While there are tax breaks for hiring people with disabilities, many employers still would rather go with someone without a disability when hiring. At the very least, you could turn your symptoms into something positive such as being detail oriented, the ability to focus, reliable, etc.

The only time I would even think about mentioning having Asperger's is if the job is working with special education or an organization that provides services to people with disabilities.



shortfatbalduglyman
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06 Jul 2017, 9:34 pm

i've been told that i should mention having aspergers in an interview, but i think it gives me a disadvantage because it feels like the employer may think i can't do the job and look down on me and alot of the time, i don't hear back from them so i don't think if matters from i mention aspergers or not. if i got the job without mentioning it then i might tell them, but i never get to that point.
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in the united states, the American Disabilities Act provides for "reasonable accommodations" for disclosed disabilities. job counselors said that after the human resources department hires the applicant, and before the applicant starts work, the applicant is supposed to disclose the diagnosis. and then the human resources department negotiates some "reasonable accommodations". however, there is no law that says that applicants have to disclose altogether. if applicants do not disclose they do not and cannot get "reasonable accommodations".

different countries, in different years have different laws.

look up the law for where you work.

precious lil "people" have a lot of misconceptions about autism. be prepared to educate. however, also be prepared for them to not be receptive. precious lil "people" have big egos and truly believe that they know everything, are absolutely important, and morally innocent.

thus far, my technique was that, if an employer asked for diagnoses, then i disclosed. if an employer asked a question that could be answered w/a disclosure, then i disclosed. otherwise did not disclose.

having said that, there were jobs that i had, where i did not disclose. got hired. did not get fired. job ended, without getting fired.

there were jobs that i had, where i disclosed, got hired. did not get fired.

there were jobs that i had, where i disclosed. got hired. then got fired.

a lot of permutations. combinations.

likewise, a lot of precious lil "people" notice peculiar. weird. different. unusual. strange. things about me. during the interview. and they might make certain unfavorable assumptions. disclosure might prevent, or at least, reduce some of those assumptions.

however, disclosure sometimes sounds like a rationalization or an excuse.