Supporting Your Son or Daughter Through the Employment Process

Recently I received a call from a father, whose daughter was applying for an IT Program Manager Position.  It brought to my attention the fact that the educational system may not be preparing students on the spectrum to move through the complex world of recruitment. I realized that while organizations and agencies and other places of work were wanting to embrace neurodiversity and are seeking out training, those on the spectrum have limited resources to help them in this area of their lives. 

Do parents know that Amazon Books has a pretty extensive list of books on this very topic Amazon.com : employment and autism ?  Do they known that Temple Grandin Amazon.com: Developing Talents: Careers for Individuals with Asperger Syndrome and High-functioning Autism- Updated, Expanded Edition: 9781934575284: Temple Grandin, Kate Duffy, AAPC Publishing: Books  and Rudy Simone Amazon.com : employment and autism  have written great books in the area of employment?  Perhaps not?

Parents may need to help their son or daughter see their strengths and become aware of the supports they may need in a work environment. They may need to find a way to communicate to the employer that they have strengths like: 

Excellent rote memory and can wholly absorb facts.

Can be extremely focused and are rule and routine orientated.

A propensity for innovation and excellent attention to detail and accuracy.

Are kind-hearted, Loyal and Honest.

Parents may need to help them realize that they might need some strategies to address some of their different styles. They may need to identify if they need support in their soft skills, which include things like:

People skills (reading feelings and emotions) and social skills (reading social cues)

Communication skills (reading conversation cues, like listening first and taking turns in the dialogue) 

Time management and sensory overloading.

Parents will probably need to discuss, whether or not their son or daughter is going to reveal they are someone on the autism spectrum prior to being hired.  Disclose or not to disclose is something that must be considered. This will an individual decision made by the employee. It is up to them to disclose their condition. It is hopeful that the employer will provide a safe working environment in which all employees can tell them their strengths and their weaknesses and what they may need to be successful. But some of those on the spectrum are afraid they will be judge on their diagnosis and not be given an opportunity to show their capability. Some may be concerned they will be bullied or disrespected in some form.

Has your son or daughter gathered references from people who personally known them (teachers), past employers or volunteer managers where they volunteered?  That might help them see what others note as their strengths and what others say might help them be successful at their job. 

It will be important for your son and daughter to thoroughly read the job description. What are the essential skills of the job and how do they align with their own strengths?  What parts of the job description do they feel they may have some challenges with?  Are those essential for doing a good job? How will they address those in the interview if they come up?

They may need to need to know how to understand the body language of others and how to maintain appropriate eye contact with their interviewer(s). They are going to need to know how to start, maintain and end conversations. They are going to have to learn to judge just how much information to give, especially if questions are open ended.  They might have to learn how to respond to abstract questions, like “what if”.  They may have to watch the tone of their voices and understand how to modify to convey different meanings. They may have to be careful not to speak to softly or too loudly.

Perhaps requesting the questions ahead might be honored by the employer and give your son or daughter some processing time.  

Make sure your son or daughter has obtained the correct information on how to get to the interview, where to park, where exactly the interview will take place, who will be interviewing and how long might the interview last.

If your son or daughter does have sensory issues, they might let the agency know and ask that there is a quiet space to wait before the interview.  

You might suggest they take a bottle of water with them to the interview. It could help them to take a pause when questions pile up and they need processing time.

Perhaps your son or daughter can sit down the night before their interview and jot down some notes they might need to refer to.  You might have them practice that very open-ended question like, Tell me about yourself? 

Be sure they have checked out the company’s website and develop some questions to ask the company about and perhaps about the role they will be playing.

Have them jot down in their note book why they want this job and why they are the right one for the job. Make sure they take an extra resume to give to the employer and one for themselves, to refer to. 

They may want to think about what their hobbies and interests are and note those as well on the resume or in the notebook they take.

Finally advise them to get enough sleep the night before and allow plenty of time to get ready for the interview the next day.  Be sure to celebrate their courage to take this important first step. 

Additional Resources:

Evolibri: About Us - Evolibri   “EvoLibri Consulting is a socially-responsible, fee-for-service agency serving teens and adults with specific challenges which — without targeted services — keep them from reaching their full potential. Founded by Jan Johnston-Tyler in 2007, we have served over 1,000 clients and their families, helping them Make Life Work.”

Assessment and Employment Referral | Frist Center for Autism and Innovation | Vanderbilt University

Autism at Work Program | SAP Careers