Managing Interview Stress for Autistic Candidates

A Cornell University study offers tips for autistic applicants that may be useful for everyone.

The study identifies the job interview as the biggest barrier to employment for autistic individuals. The authors identify the issues:

An employer might think, “this candidate wasn’t professional, they didn’t have eye contact, they didn’t look like they were paying attention.” On the other hand, an autistic candidate might think, “I had trouble interpreting the intention of what they were saying,” or “there was so much going on in my interview environment, it was hard to stay focused.”

Many of the interview tips for job seekers apply to all applicants:

• Take the time to prepare for interviews in advance. 

• Rehearse socially appropriate responses. 

• Rehearse answers to questions about teamwork and be prepared to give examples from prior job experience, or, if need be, from prior volunteer or club experience, to highlight your teamwork skills. 

Certainly, all applicants should prepare in advance and rehearse answers. The second point may require more preparation for someone with autism, particularly rehearsing more possible questions and answers and being interviewed by more practice interviewers.

Similarly, advice for employers interviewing autistic applicants could apply to all applicants:

• Conduct interviews one-on-one instead of with a panel. 

• Give a tour of the workplace before starting the formal interview. 

• Share interview questions in advance. 

• Ask for specific information rather than open-ended questions. 

A panel interview may be stressful for anyone and is unnecessary unless it simulates an experience an applicant will have on the job, which is unlikely.

Giving a facility tour and asking for specific information is good practice for everyone. In addition to the facility tour, I would include meeting prospective coworkers. Peers may speak more openly, ask each other questions hiring managers wouldn’t ask, and get an idea of what it might be like to work together.

Sharing interview questions in advance—perhaps with everyone—opens the possibility for AI coaching and memorization, which might be difficult for an interviewer to detect. But interview questions are almost always tied to competency requirements and are usually easy to predict. Perhaps giving a bank of possible questions is a good compromise.

One final recommendation, to “educate recruiters and interviewers about the business case for hiring autistic workers,” makes sense and applies to other neurodivergent employees.