Neurodivergent-Friendly Advice for Job Interviews
First impressions aren’t always a strength for neurodivergent professionals. So naturally, job interviews often bring about feelings of anxiety and overwhelm.
In fact, job interviews are one of the most common blocks that we see among our neurodivergent coaching clients. But ultimately, it’s a hurdle we have no choice but to face if we want to successfully transition our careers and build better work lives for ourselves.
This is precisely why Atypical Careers teamed up with guest expert, Alexandra Lioznov. As a communication coach for neurodivergent professionals, Alex leverages her experience as a speech-language pathologist and her own experiences with ADHD to help her clients in an affirming way.
Read on for the recap of our Office Hours Q&A – or scroll to the bottom of the article for the full recording!
About the Experts
Veronica Yao is a career coach who specializes in supporting neurodivergent professionals in navigating their careers. She is also the owner of Atypical Careers. She says that the workplace is often not designed with neurodivergent individuals in mind, which compounds the daily challenges that her clients face. Veronica is passionate about helping her clients build sustainable work lives, break free from burnout, and advocate for themselves in their professional environments.
Joining her is guest expert Alexandra (Alex) Lioznov, a neurodiversity-affirming speech language pathologist and communication coach, as well as owner at Neurodiverse City Connection. Alex has dedicated her career to supporting neurodivergent adults, helping them improve their communication skills and navigate social challenges.
Common Neurodivergent Traits in Interviews
Most people have the ability to identify people they have things in common with. For instance, neurodivergent folks are usually able to tell when they’ve met someone else who thinks like them due to the way they communicate. The same can be said for neurotypical folks.
So, it makes sense that we can also tell when we’re talking to someone who communicates differently from us. We might not have the words to articulate why the vibe feels “off”, but one thing’s for sure – it can make first interactions awkward and uncomfortable.
Many neurodivergent professionals may instinctively try to mask their neurodivergent traits in order to hopefully make a better first impression. However, this can be more difficult than it sounds, especially if you’re unsure what their expectations are.
Here are some examples of neurodivergent traits that may show up in an interview setting:
Limited or avoidant eye contact. While neurotypicals expect eye contact, this can be very uncomfortable for neurodivergent folks.
Rambling or off-topic responses. If your brain is the type that goes a mile a minute, and you have too many ideas at once, it can be difficult to keep track of your train of thought, resulting in conversational tangents.
Delayed response time. Some neurodivergent professionals take a little longer to mentally process instructions or conversational prompts, which may disrupt the expected back and forth flow of the interview.
Flat or monotone speaking style. Neurodivergent folks may not include the same types of inflections in their voice that indicate excitement or engagement to the interviewer, which may cause the interviewer to think they’re being rude or unhappy.
Fidgeting, stimming, or repetitive movements. Many neurodivergent professionals use stimming techniques to regulate themselves, especially in high pressure environments. However, these kinds of movements may draw the kind of attention you may wish to avoid in an interview.
Literal interpretation of questions. When faced with interview questions, there are often hidden meanings and subtext implied in the discussion that neurodivergent professionals may have a more difficult time picking up on, putting them at a disadvantage.
The Best Time to Prepare for Interviews
“When I meet with new clients, my first goal is to figure out what they’re really really good at.”
– Alexandra Lioznov, Neurodiverse City Connection
You might think that the best time to prepare for an interview is when you receive the invitation from the employer. But there is a better time to begin preparing – and that’s before you start your job hunt.
Basically, once you decide to start searching for a new job, you should first establish three things:
What kinds of transferable skills and experiences do you have?
What kinds of work are you naturally motivated to do?
What kinds of support will you need in order to be able to do your job?
What you want to do is identify types of jobs that will be aligned with your strengths and working style, and will allow you to compensate for the areas of the job that you might struggle with. That way, you can feel confident knowing that when you get called in for an interview, you’ll at least have a certain amount of alignment with the role.
Often we get caught up in an interview trying to anticipate what the interviewer wants to hear. With this strategic approach, you can focus more on what makes you a good fit for this type of work, rather than relying on people-pleasing tactics.
“If someone walked up to you right now and wanted to hear more about your special interest… think about how fast you would be able to come up with information,” says Veronica. “If you knew about your professional self on that same level, it would be a lot easier to come up with answers in an interview.”
When it comes to short-term interview preparation, here are some additional tips:
Roleplaying – consider working with a professional (coach, counselor, etc.) or a trusted loved one to practice answering common interview questions. You can also use an AI tool like ChatGPT.
Research the company – go on the company website and familiarize yourself with what they do, and how your role fits into the bigger picture. Get to know their organizational values and draw comparisons to your own professional values.
Research the interviewer – depending on the role of the interviewer, you might be able to figure out what kinds of questions they will ask. For example, interview questions from an HR representative might be more general, whereas questions from a direct manager might be more focused on daily operations and goals.
Prepare 2-3 stories – Have a few well rehearsed stories that illustrate different areas of your professional life. This can include times that you solved a problem, instances where you experienced conflicts at work, etc.
Managing Anxiety & Cognitive Processing Challenges
“I think anxiety is a normal part of interviewing for everybody… I would address that anxiety to the best of your ability.”
– Alexandra Lioznov, Neurodiverse City Connection
Anxiety isn’t necessarily a bad thing in interviews. It indicates that you are invested in the outcome of the opportunity, and motivates you to do a good job. With that said, the challenge comes when your anxiety overwhelms your ability to perform well in the interview.
Alex and Veronica both agree that as a neurodivergent job seeker, your goal should not be to eliminate anxiety. Realistically, that isn’t likely to happen. Instead, it’s better to focus on methods for keeping your anxiety in check and minimizing its impact on your interview performance.
Related Read:
Coping Skills for Neurodivergent ProfessionalsCognitive processing is another big challenge. Many neurodivergent professionals struggle to stay engaged during interviews and often experience moments where they “blank” on their answers.
Instead of forcing your brain to work differently, consider finding ways to provide the support it needs to process information. For example, Veronica suggests bringing a notebook or device to the meeting so you can note down the questions from the interviewer as they’re asked. This technique can buy you a little time to mentally process the question, and it is also a good visual reminder in case your mind goes blank or you end up on a conversational tangent.
Often, interview anxiety stems from the possibility of making a mistake. And yes, if you do make a mistake, there is a chance that both you and the interviewer may have to experience some discomfort. However, the best way to deal with these situations is to acknowledge the blunder, and move on quickly.
“If you’re sitting in that discomfort and the other person is sitting in that discomfort with you, the fastest solution is to say ‘whoops, sorry’ and move on to the next thing,” says Veronica.
Deciding Whether to Disclose at the Interview Stage
“You need to be able to do your own risk assessment… what kinds of benefits and risks are involved in disclosing?”
– Veronica Yao, Atypical Careers
There’s a lot of talk among neurodivergent professionals about when it’s best to disclose their identities, if at all. The short answer is, it’ll come down to your individual situation and what you decide is worth the risk.
It’s no secret that disclosing your neurodivergence opens up the risk of discrimination from employers. However, many professionals consider sharing this information as early as the interview stage so they don’t have to worry as much about masking their communication style.
You can assess the situation on two levels: organizational and individual.
Organizational – determine whether you feel the employer would support you on an organizational level. Do they promote their DEI initiatives? Have you heard about how they support their employees with their access needs?
Individual – based on what you know about the individuals who will be interviewing you, determine whether you feel they would be supportive of your access needs and neurodivergent identity.
Aside from assessing risk, it’s also important to consider what your ideal outcome for this interview is. For example, if you are desperate for a job so you can pay the bills, you might want to fly under the radar and not disclose if you think it’ll improve your chances of getting hired.
On the flip side, if your goal is to find a working arrangement that is sustainable for the long term, disclosing your neurodivergence could be used as a tactic to determine whether the opportunity will benefit you.
Watch the full Office Hours Q&A recording below: