Aspie Mentors’ Advice on Getting and Keeping a Job

Stress Ranking: 12*

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*Please see “The 17 Stressors” at the end of this eBook to put this research in context.

Many people with Asperger’s/HFA have difficulty getting and keeping a job. Some examples of job-related issues include: “What kind of job would I be good at?” “How do I find a job?” “How do I apply for a job?” “Do I tell people I have Asperger’s/HFA?” “How do I handle my sensory issues in the workplace?” Do you have concerns about getting and keeping a job?

Ruth Elaine Joyner Hane

The summer before my junior year in high school, I wished to dress fashionably but needed to earn more money. Even with a small clothing budget from my parents and all my babysitting money I couldn’t buy the clothes I wanted. Some of my friends were applying for jobs as carhops at a new drive-in and golf driving range, called the Nineteenth Hole. Two teachers from our high school athletic department were co-owners. I made an appointment for an interview, but neglected to anticipate how a carhop dressed or what would be expected in the job they were offering.

I arrived for my interview wearing a lavender gingham checked dress with a long skirt and medium length sleeves, a style popular with my classmates. I made certain to be on time and answered all of the questions correctly, but showed very little enthusiasm for becoming a carhop. During my interview, the co-owner of the drive-in stood up from his desk and walked slowly around my chair. He looked at me carefully, then bent down to pick up a foil wrapper lying on the floor near my right foot, and casually looked at what little showed of my long slim legs. As he stroked his chin, he said, “I’ll let you know.”

When several of the girls were hired and I hadn’t received a call, I asked one of them what they had worn to the job interview. “White shorts, very short,” Rita said.

Rita suggested I check out the A&W Root Beer Drive-In, the Nineteenth Hole’s competition. I ordered a frosty root beer and watched as carhops carried the trays and attached them to the partially rolled down car windows. I noticed their ponytails tied with bright colored ribbons. I eavesdropped as they talked about baseball and partying with the other customers. I knew I was good at pretending, or acting as if I were someone else, like a popular cheerleader or prom queen. Acting was normal for me. I could smile brightly and say, “Hey! What can I get you?” when I took an order on a small green notepad.

Since I knew I could pretend to be thrilled about serving teenagers a Coke, French fries and burgers on adjustable aluminum trays, that afternoon I stopped by the Nineteenth Hole to inquire if I had been hired. This time I wore white shorts and an attractive blouse, not intentionally sexy, but suitable enough for my future boss to notice I could fit in.

“Try out the new driving range tee while we talk.” The partners conferred with one another, looking at me occasionally. I slipped a club from their merchandise display and swung a natural arch as I hit a golf ball high and true. “Okay, you’re hired. Can you start on Monday?”

Doing a little research about the company or business you want to work for is necessary. Also, it helps if you know someone who is employed there. Seek out information about their expectations for computer skills, and other knowledge and experience required for the position. Be sure to learn about dress requirements. Is the employees’ dress casual or formal? Is it a business or manufacturing environment, religious or entertainment? If it is difficult for you to access the information, ask someone you trust to help. Hygiene is very important. Wear an outfit that is clean and appropriate. And be aware that, while you do a little research about the job for which you want to be hired, the employer will research your profile, too.

Qazi Fazli Azeem

So here is what happens for most of us: we don’t have too many or any friends, we love doing things in a repetitive manner, and have some things that we just love doing or working on most of the time we are awake. This is not a problem. It’s an opportunity. The younger you start, the more time you put into your interest, hobby, or passion, and the earlier you move it towards a career, the better and faster you will make progress towards independence in your life.

Start young, think about all the things you love to do, the things that make you happy. In my personal experience, I loved drawing; I started with tracing dinosaurs from books, and then went on to trace other animals. I was introduced to play dough, and started making small animals out of it—the same ones that I was drawing when younger. This early involvement in the arts was something I continued with for a very long time, and eventually I used this ability when I became a teacher of design, digital art, and multimedia in my country.

I was exposed to computers from a young age, through educational games. Back then, I was able to edit the text variables in the Visual Basic English code on my Commodore 64 home computer, editing the text in games and putting my own name inside them. I had seen my older sister do this earlier, and I succeeded in doing it after a few attempts. The role of an elder sibling or mentor in demonstrating practical skills to a child on the spectrum is very important. We need to see the possibilities out there. We need to see at a young age what options and directions we can take.

We may miss out on or be delayed in our social networking, and not spend time with friends as much as we would like to, but this time can be an opportunity for your particular interest to turn into a potential career. My early interaction with computers and computer games allowed me to see and be impressed by computer graphics and animations.

Around the age of 14, I filled in for a graphic designer who was working for my father at that time, typing and checking spellings in a large manuscript. He had to back out at short notice, and I had seen him work, so I stepped in and finished his job twice as fast, with half as many spelling mistakes as he would have done. My family saw this potential and got me my own computer, which was used for playing computer games for a few years (where I learnt a lot about conversation by playing adventure simulation games by Sierra) but before long I had installed demo versions of professional graphic design software and was helping my father with his design work.

My father grew very sick when I was around 21, and I dropped out of the computer science program to work as a part-time computer graphics teacher at a local vocational training center. This was one of the best decisions I could have made, since I stayed with them for around six years, studying in the morning, teaching in the evenings, and making myself better at teaching through practice. I was able to train thousands of students, who are now working across the world.

My desire and experience with teaching subjects of my interest developed professional skills that developed into a career. Teaching subjects that we love comes naturally to us, given time and practice, and so this is an area where more of us on the spectrum are needed.

If you have will, courage, skill and the desire to change lives and be remembered for generations to come…master your subject of interest and become a teacher. I look on my students as being an extension of me and my ideas. By teaching them, I am creating more people who think and work like I do. Even if you become a volunteer teacher and are able to teach others, that will bring purpose to your life, as it did to mine.

Richard Maguire

I am writing as an autistic adult who has managed to stay in employment throughout my adulthood, and managed, interviewed and hired people. I will write some of the things I have learned here. There is a lot to say, so I will use bullet points and keep the information short.

GETTING A JOB

Find out what the job is about and what is required. Read the person specification and essential requirements. Base your application on these things.

To get the job, you need to show the interviewers that you are the best person for the job. Your first way to do this is your application.

We autistic people often find it hard to link these things together. Ask someone you trust to help with this so you can fully understand what the job is about and show exactly why you are the best person for that job.

Describe your skills and transferable skills from other parts of your life and work.

Your application should be easy to read and well written; don’t write too much—be concise. The application is your way of getting an interview, and it is important to get it right.

List all qualifications and relevant experience.

It is normal and okay to be nervous in an interview.

If you don’t understand a question, ask for it to be repeated. Ask for an explanation of a question if needed.

Answer the questions, and avoid talking about other things unless they support your answers. Don’t go on too long.

Be ready to ask questions of the interviewers. That exchange normally happens near the end of the interview. Your questions show you are interested. That is good!

Greet the interviewers appropriately and make eye contact—get someone to coach you with this if needed. The interviewers will want to know how well you get on with people. Jobs are often social, and getting on with colleagues is important. Certainly, interviewers see this as important.

Your aim is to show the interviewers that you are the best person for the job. They cannot guess what skills and experience you have, so tell them.

If you are offered a job, your next priority is to keep it. You can do this by being someone who is good to employ in that job. We autistic people have good things to offer that complement non-autistic employees. I learned to do what I am good at to complement other people’s work. I can see different and important things and get them done. I am not good at team working, and very good at taking on special responsibilities and the things other people seem to dislike doing. This has helped me stay in jobs and be a valued staff member.

Take care to learn the job. Ask questions and get factual answers so you can build up a clear idea of the job and what you need to do. This is important, as if you are seen to be not learning the job, you will not have it for long.

Other important things include being punctual, and being well dressed and clean. Be polite, and don’t get involved in workplace politics—we autistic people just won’t do well at this type of politics. Employers will value our hard work, integrity and politeness. I have managed people, and good people are a pleasure to manage; they are also likely to gain the respect of their colleagues.

For more information, go to my website: www.autistmlivetraining.co.uk. Look for the job section where I explore the topics in this piece in more detail.

Debbie Denenburg

“Because I need to eat!” That is the response I gave a potential employer when they asked me why I wanted to work for them. Although it was the truth, it was the wrong answer. I was in my twenties, homeless, and trying desperately to find a way to support myself. That employer wanted a person who would do the specific job for which they had an opening. They didn’t care that I needed food and shelter. The only thing that mattered was whether the job could be done, on time, every day, for as long as possible.

I have had many jobs over the years. I got most of those through temporary employment agencies. That is a very good route for getting jobs, because they get paid to keep you employed. I recommend them. Unfortunately, when the economy is doing poorly, the jobs are scarce and employers have the pick of the most qualified candidates. Competition is brutal.

Here are some tips for getting an edge. The two magic words are “volunteer” and “network.” Do not mistake volunteering as simply working for free. This is your pathway to getting a real job. You will be expected to be at a certain place at a certain time and doing a certain function. This is priceless experience. In order to choose a suitable volunteer opportunity, it is important to follow your personal interests. If you love gardening, consider working on a community project that grows vegetables. If you love animals, you can do what I did for years and help in animal shelters. After you have done volunteer work for a while, you may ask for a letter of reference from your volunteer coordinator. This reference is just as good as an actual job reference. It is proof that you have the ability to assume responsibility and follow through with it. That’s what employers want. It doesn’t matter if you are on the spectrum or not. If you have proof of your abilities, that’s what gets noticed.

The main benefit of volunteering is what the recipient gets from it. A perfect example is what is happening this very minute. By participating in this book, I have volunteered to write for you. I am not getting paid one cent for any of my writing or time or ability. I am doing this because I think you are a valuable person who deserves to have all the help in life that you want and need. The thing that I am gaining from it is that my life feels like it has much more value since someone else can benefit from my experience. You just can’t buy that.

Finally, volunteering offers you the opportunities and network connections that you need. You can volunteer and stay with what you are doing or you can quit and go on to something else. You can keep doing this as much as you want. In doing so, you will discover your strengths and likes and dislikes. This is the way to test careers and find people who can help you along the way.

Temple Grandin

Make a portfolio of your work. You need to sell your skills instead of yourself. Try to avoid the normal interview route. I got many design jobs by showing a portfolio of my drawings to the right people. Today, portfolios of drawings, computer code, art, sculpture, math and writing can be put in your smart phone.

After you get the job, you need to keep it. Never talk about controversial issues such as sex, religion or politics at work. Ask only for accommodations you may actually need, such as a quiet place to work away from florescent lights.

Sometimes you just have to do what your boss tells you because he is the boss.

Freelance work is often good. I started my business one small design project at a time.

I have more information on employment in my books Developing Talents and Different…Not Less.

RECOMMENDED READING

Grandin, T. (2009) Developing Talents: Careers for Individuals with Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism. Shawnee Mission, KS: Autism Asperger Publishing Co.

Grandin, T. (2012) Different…Not Less. Arlington, TX: Future Horizons.

Mitch Christian

I was lucky enough to discover my passion for computers in high school in the late 1970s when my high school got in some PCs just as they were first on the market. As an art major in college, I never used a computer, and it was several years before I used one again, when I was getting my programming degree. When I first sat down at the PC I actually said hello, as if I were greeting a long-lost friend. My mother used to say computers were like a surrogate family for me, and she was probably right. I always knew they weren’t really my family, though. I think that understanding my own skills and interests was key to finding a career path that was suitable for me.

I was able to turn my interest into a career with a job as a programmer at an insurance company. I work in an area that compiles the company’s statistical information and sends it to an outside organization. My ability with numbers and math comes in handy, and being fast and efficient at my work is a big plus, too. An unexpected bonus is that my company has remained stable with only minor changes, so it provides an ongoing familiar environment for me. Also, being at a mid-sized organization keeps me from being around too many people during the day. So knowing my own need for a predictable environment and how much interaction I can tolerate has helped me find the kind of company I can work well in.

One of the biggest hurdles was the job interview. Selling myself to other people is not one of my strong points, and after half a dozen interviews I was feeling dejected. Over the course of the interviews, I had some feedback from my school’s career placement officer about what the previous interviewers didn’t like. So I was able to adjust my approach, and by the next interview I was feeling more at ease with the process. I was more relaxed and didn’t get stuck on certain topics, and was more open to the give and take of the conversation. I had a second interview with this same company and ended up getting the position. The information that I got back from potential employers through the placement office was invaluable in helping me land this job.

Working in an office has the advantage of keeping me on a regular schedule in an environment where the rules are fairly clear. One of the problems can be having to interact with co-workers, as well as environmental factors such as lighting and noise. Generally in a business setting there are some common patterns to everyday chit chat which I eventually learned, and by talking to my supervisor and manager I’ve been able to arrange the amount of lighting I prefer, and to reduce some of the ambient noise levels. After working with the same people for a number of years, I’ve become comfortable enough with them to bring up the topic of autism and introduce them to some of the concepts surrounding the issue so they understand some of my quirks better. Being aware of my sensory needs and that I work well within an existing structure has been a great aid to keeping the position, and having leaders who are flexible enough to accommodate my needs has allowed my career to be a long-term one.

Charli Devnet

Like many Aspies, I have been unemployed or under-employed most of my working life. Despite the ever-present temptation to give in to despair, I kept plugging away alone. Eventually I learned to keep body and soul together through a patchwork quilt of part-time, off beat and freelance work. I am hardly “successful” in the conventional sense, but I did accumulate a bit of wisdom along the way.

Never get discouraged: Do not let repeated rejections or terminations get you down. Neurotypicals get fired, too. They do not catastrophize the situation. They pick themselves up, dust themselves off and continue to knock on doors. Once you give up and say, “No one will hire me. I will never work again,” it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Do not disdain temporary or low-paying work: Frustrated by an inability to find a “suitable job,” I decided to take whatever came along. My jobs included everything from legal research and serving process to walking dogs to assisting photographers at high school proms to handing out samples in the supermarket. Some of my jobs allowed me to use my intellect, some helped me develop social skills and some were absolute disasters. I learned from each one. Eleven years ago, I found employment as a tour guide in a historic house museum. I absolutely love my job. Yes, it is seasonal and the wages are modest, but it makes me happy. I finally have the opportunity to use my knowledge of Greek mythology, a childhood special interest, for here in the gardens are sculptures of Apollo and Aphrodite.

You cannot skate by on intelligence alone: The conventional wisdom is that all Aspies are quirky geniuses. We know this is not true, of course, but even if you are a quirky genius—especially if you are—do not expect that your IQ will protect you from adverse experiences in the workplace. As in all avenues of life, some social skills will be demanded. Once I was severely reprimanded by my boss after I had corrected him in front of his clients, although my intentions were sincere. I was just trying to be helpful! One attorney fired me after I vigorously shook my head in open court at a judge’s boneheaded decision. This particular judge was a moron, a political hack, and he completely misunderstood the issue. My superior knowledge of the law mattered not. I had made my boss look bad. I lost my job and the judge kept his.

Keep a good attitude: You have a better chance of holding onto a job that you enjoy. If you are doing what you love, you will brush off minor inconveniences. You will try your best to conform your behavior to meet the demands of your boss, co-workers and clients. If your performance is criticized, you will improve yourself. If, on the other hand, you are doing work that bores, confuses or does not satisfy your heart, treat it as part of your education. Do your best while planning a change. If you allow yourself to be unhappy, sooner or later it will show. Small annoyances will become large problems. You will respond to criticism by sulking at your desk, muttering insults under your breath or having a meltdown. Disgruntlement is contagious. Your boss will harass you. Your co-workers will shun you, and your reputation as a fine fellow to work with will be damaged beyond repair.

Anita Lesko

My research indicates only 10 percent of Aspies are working. I’m hoping this is an incorrect statistic. But even if it’s 20 percent, that’s really bad. That means there is a huge percentage of Aspies collecting Social Security Disability Income. Funding for this is going to run out by 2016 according to an article I recently read. What are these Aspies planning on doing then? Their parents won’t live forever to support them. And unless their relatives leave them a fortune, where will they end up? This might sound harsh but it is reality. Now is the time to start thinking how to get and keep a job.

Every time I talk to Temple Grandin on the phone, we talk about the young Aspies of today. About how so many of them don’t work, won’t work, or don’t know how to work. We reminisce about our teen years when we both used to clean horse stalls. Temple shared with me that they nicknamed her “work horse,” and my nickname was “Creepin’ Jesus”! We worked hard shoveling out stall after stall. But that built our foundations for working later in life. It taught us responsibility, accountability, and how to have pride in doing our jobs well.

Temple and I both agree that the biggest factor in our success was having those jobs when we were young. “We need to get these kids working!” are Temple’s very own words. Yes we do! And this fact is directed to the parents. It is up to parents to get their Aspie kids out there doing odd jobs. Whether it’s cutting grass, walking the neighbor’s dogs, delivering newspapers, working at the local burger joint, they must do something. Anything. It gets them out there, interacting with people and learning work ethics. There’s no other way around this. If Temple and I did it, so can your child. It wasn’t easy at times, but it was the best therapy in the world. For parents who home-school their Aspie child, this becomes all the more important. You can’t keep your kid sheltered at home and then expect them to enter society without any social skills. Get them out working!

Building this work foundation early in life will help you throughout the rest of your life. Getting through the interview process is the first hurdle. First, you need to know all about the job you are applying for. Know the company as well. Then you need to practice interviewing. Find someone you know to do mock interviews. Remember to keep your answers efficient—that means to the point, in as few words as possible. During a real interview, remember to be polite and maintain some degree of eye contact. Always be on time, or even early. That allows you to collect your thoughts and calm down. Be positive but not obnoxious. Don’t try to be something you’re not.

Once you are hired, do the best job you can. Try to avoid office politics; you will get singled out as the bad guy if you do get involved, even though others may be doing the same. Just keep your energies focused on your job. If you need special accommodations regarding noise or lighting, do not hesitate to ask for them. Always be on time. Keep up with your personal hygiene. Be polite. Don’t be afraid to ask questions if you are not sure about what is expected. People are usually more than willing to help you out.

Finally, avoid engaging in any controversial topics such as religion, politics or sex. Refrain from expressing your opinions about things, too—save those for your Aspie friends.