Job interviews are often nothing to do with the role that the successful candidate will be undertaking. In the main, they are a social exercise to check you will fit with the panel’s idea of who they want, not a way of checking if you really have the skills for the day-to-day role.
For neuro-diverse people who interpret social cues and language differently to the neuro-typical majority, an interview can be an extremely difficult encounter. If it is your first time at an interview, it can be nerve-wracking if you don’t know what to expect. Only 32% of autistic adults are in any kind of employment and only 16% in full-time work. These statistics (gathered by Knapp, Romeo & Beecham for Kings College London) have been static for a decade.
London-based software designers Skills2Use have been working in partnership with a range of disability organisations, including Valuing Autism, to explore how candidates with additional needs can be better supported in the interview process. Their Interview Preparation app, available on Android and iOS devices, enables candidates to structure their preparation, identify transferrable skills and better understand the social conventions of the typical interview process. It brings together over 20 million hints and tips for a successful interview into one handy app that you can personalise, add notes and examples as you prepare to be offered your dream job.
The app tailors your preparation according to the industry and pathway you are pursuing – there are dedicated sections for apprenticeships, graduate job-seekers, internships and other job-seekers, covering 21 industry areas. There are also guides to preparing for group assessments and skills testing.
Skills2Use are a Disability Confident-Committed organisation, co-founded by a disabled person with other disabled people on the team.
If you are looking for work or supporting someone who is – perhaps as a teacher, careers advisor or job coach – this app could take your confidence to the winning level!