Interview with the Autist: Neurodivergent Accommodation Concepts and Experiences

By William F. Gilreath

Neurodiversity has reached the mainstream modern working world, and the workplace. Yet for neurodiversity at work, there is neurodiverse hiring, but in neurodiverse hiring, there is the interview for the job role with a neurodivergent candidate. Without neurodiverse accommodations, a neurodivergent candidate can not show their skills or abilities, fail in the job interview; and not get an offer for the job role.

An interview with a neurodivergent candidate must include and provide neurodiverse accommodations. This is illustrated by the author examining and discussing interviews he had in the past and the ultimate failure. The author, a neurodivergent, and an autist shares his experiences with neurodiverse accommodations in interviewing in the high-tech industry as a senior software development engineer.

• Language: English
• Publisher: William F. Gilreath
• Release date: Mar 27, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005280468

William F. Gilreath

Mr. William F. Gilreath "Will" is a software development engineer, computer scientist, mathematician, and writer. William is a writer of code, equations, poems, text, and lover of cats. Contact him via e-mail at: [e-mail] has written various articles and book reviews, as well as other technical articles and research monographs. Will's technical interests include the Web, software development, mathematics, distributed systems, algorithms, data structures, compiler theory, minimalist computer architectures, and programming languages.Medium: https://medium.com/@will.f.gilreath

Book preview

Interview with the Autist:

Neurodivergent Accommodation Concepts and Experiences

William F. Gilreath

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Copyright 2022 by William F. Gilreath.

All Rights Reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the author, except as permitted by United States copyright law. For permissions contact: [e-mail]

Cover by William F. Gilreath.

ISBN: 978-1-00528046-8

1st Edition. Published by William Gilreath at Smashwords

Dedication: This ebook is dedicated to those who are different, who stay different, being who they are.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Disclaimer

Foreword

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1. Interview Initial Contact

Chapter 2. Interview Timing and Pacing

Chapter 3. Interview Dynamics

Chapter 4. Interview Testing

Chapter 5. Interview Setting

Chapter 6. Interview Closure

Chapter 7. Neurodiverse Accommodation

Epilogue

Author

References

Further_Readings

License

Disclaimer

This ebook has been written as informative and for information purposes only. Every effort has been made to make this ebook as complete and accurate as possible. However, there may be mistakes in typography or content. Also, this ebook provides information only up to the publishing date. Therefore, this ebook should be used as a guide not as the ultimate source or reference.

The purpose of this ebook is to educate, inform, and illustrate actual experiences around concepts and ideas. The author and the publisher do not warrant that the information contained in this ebook is fully complete and shall not be responsible for any errors or omissions.

The author and publisher shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity concerning any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this ebook. Caveat emptor!

Acknowledgments

Many people in many ways had a hand in this ebook. For some, it was their interest in this ebook, and for others who want anonymity I can only thank them--you know who you are.

My most profound thank-you--especially Andrew, Jennifer, Natalia, Cathy, Kent, and Bridget. I am grateful for your help in reading, commenting, and sharing your thoughts with me.

Special recognition and thank-you is given to Corey Hollemeyer, for taking the time and contributing her efforts herein.

Forward and Reverse Covers

The front cover image is from Pexels by Anna Shvets [Shve 2020].

The back cover image is a composite created using GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) from Pixabay [Pixa 2022].

Foreword

According to several reputable sources, autistic individuals face an unemployment rate hovering around 85%. Underemployment is also a huge problem, as many autistic people are highly skilled but are only considered for roles well below their abilities due to discrimination. And there are some autistics who are able to have successful careers without much support.

There are many barriers in the recruitment process for neurodivergent people. One of the biggest obstacles is the interview. Questions can be vague and not directly applicable to the role. Interview attire can be quite uncomfortable due to sensory differences. Ambiguity, due to a lack of communication on the part of the recruiter or hiring manager, about where the candidate stands in the process can be anxiety provoking and confusing.

William Gilreath has created an important resource for recruiters and people who conduct interviews with job candidates. In his own style and drawing upon his own experiences, he shares his thoughts and ideas about how to make the interview a better experience for autistic individuals. He discusses this from the perspective of an autistic person