Is my AS going to hurt my chances at getting a job?

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I'm 19, but have never been employed, except for an assessment I did at a grocery store for Voc Rehab during the summer before my senior year of high school. Somehow I think it's not going to look very attractive to employers when they see that I haven't been employed in two years. I kind of wonder what kind of problems people with AS face when trying to get jobs. Anyone here got advice or experiences to share?

It depends on the person. No one knows if they are able to work or not unless they try. I wouldn't disclose your diagnoses because they might judge and assume you won't be able to do your job and stuff and not hire you. I also wouldn't mention the label at work or mention being on social security (if you're on it) or mention you were in special ed growing up or on the IEP (if you were) because then they might start discriminating you.

I heard when you go in for interviews, you must dress nicely and wear nice clothes and look nice, look at the interviewer when they talk to you and when you talk to them.

It may be harder for us to get a job but at least don't stop trying. If you can't find a job because no one won't hire you, try and see if there is a service in your area for people with disabilities that help them get jobs.

Also do yourself a favor, if it's possible.

Try to start working for someone you get along with on some level rather than a boss who sees you as just another worker. It makes the work environment more comfortable and you might have an easier time talking with that person.

Also start out with a job that sets low expectations but burdens you with more as you prove your ability to handle the load. I think people with AS are best served by this (actually, it can work for many NTs too) because it lets you start small and build up your workload/responsibilities as you gain confidence in your abilities to handle the job.

It's easy to fail at a job that's too big for you to manage, and that failure usually erodes confidence to do any job in the future.

Maybe you could start out volunteering somewhere, or get an internship. That looks a lot better than just being unemployed. And a lot of employers are starting to acknowledge that you can learn the same skills volunteering as you would in a job. Okay, maybe I'm biased because I work as a volunteer coordinator. But it can really help bridge the gap when you have very little job experience.

I managed to get an year placement doing web development when many of my NT university classmates had way more trouble than me finding a job.