As businesses increasingly recognise the value of neurodiverse talent, traditional hiring methods like job interviews are being called into question. For many neurodivergent individuals, the standard recruitment process remains a significant barrier. The UK’s Autism Strategy report[1.] highlights that outdated practices often hinder access to meaningful employment, underscoring the need for change. By rethinking how we evaluate and support candidates, we open the door to a more inclusive workforce—one that truly benefits from the strengths of neurodiverse individuals.
Let's take a step back and explore the chronological development of job interviews, the pro' and con's of the process and how it can be improved for autistic individuals. Finally a discussion on whether to disclose or not your diagnosis. Note: the article focus' on autism but please consider all neurodivergence conditions when reading.
The history of the Job Interviews
A job interview is a formal process in which an employer meets with a job candidate to assess their qualifications, skills, experience, and suitability for a specific position. During a job interview, the employer typically asks questions to evaluate the candidate's abilities, work history, and how they might fit into the company's culture. The interview may also involve discussions about the candidate's career goals, motivations, and potential contributions to the organisation.
The history of the traditional job interview is rooted in the broader history of employment practices and organisational behaviour. Here's a brief overview of its development:
Early Origins (Pre-20th Century)
Apprenticeships and Informal Hiring: Before the Industrial Revolution, formal job interviews as we know them today were rare. Employment largely depended on personal relationships, family ties, or apprenticeship systems, where skills were acquired through hands-on learning. The assessment of potential workers was informal, often based on reputation and personal recommendations. In modern times, this approach can sometimes lead to nepotism, where hiring decisions are influenced by personal relationships rather than merit—a practice that conflicts with the principles of equality and fairness enshrined in modern labor laws. In industries like music and film, nepotism can be subtle, often going unnoticed despite its influence in shaping opportunities.[2.].
Civil Service Examinations: One of the earliest formalised hiring practices can be traced back to ancient China, where civil service examinations[3.] were used to select government officials. These exams assessed candidates' knowledge, intelligence, and abilities, though they were more akin to modern standardised tests than interviews.
Industrial Revolution (18th-19th Century)
Expansion of Businesses: As businesses grew during the Industrial Revolution, the need for a more systematic approach to hiring emerged. Factory owners and managers began to use 'placement companies'[4.] who would assess workers more formally, often through basic interviews to determine a candidate's suitability for labor-intensive roles. However, these interviews were still largely informal and focused on physical ability and availability rather than skills or experience.
Early 20th Century
Introduction of Standardised Interviewing: The early 1900s saw the rise of large corporations, which led to the development of more standardised hiring practices. One of the pioneers in this field was Thomas Edison[5.], who developed a written test for potential employees to assess their knowledge and intelligence, which was a precursor to the modern job interview. Some of the questions ranged from:
'what countries bounds France?', 'Who was Cleopatra and how did she die?' and the all time favourite question: 'Which country consumed the most tea before the war?'
Mid-20th Century
Behavioural and Structured Interviews: By the 1950s and 1960s, companies such as AT&T began to formalise the interview process further. Behavioural interviewing techniques emerged, focusing on past behaviour as an indicator of future performance. Structured interviews became more common, where all candidates were asked the same set of questions to ensure consistency and reduce bias.
Tell me about a time you had to overcome a difficult situation.
Influence of Psychology and Management Theories: The rise of management theories[6.], particularly human resources management, brought more attention to the psychological aspects of hiring. Interviews began to focus not just on skills but also on cultural fit and personality, leading to the development of various interview styles, including panel interviews, stress interviews, and group interviews[7.]. Perhaps a lesson of how not to interview can be taken from the 1996 cult classic: Trainspotting[8.]:
1st Interviewer: Mr. Murphy, do you mean that you lied on your application?
Spud: No! Uh. Yes. Only to get my foot in the door. Showing initiative and that like.
1st Interviewer: But you were referred here by the department of employment, there was no need for you to get your "foot in the door," as you put it.
Spud: Ehhh... cool. Whatever you say, I'm sorry. You're the man. The dude in the chair.
Late 20th Century to Present
Technology and the Internet: The late 20th century saw the introduction of technology into the interview process. The rise of personal computers and the internet revolutionised how job applications were submitted and processed, leading to the advent of online assessments and video interviews. The latter requiring careful consideration to your background in fear of judgment[9.] and a number 1 tip to get right[10.].
Current Trends: Today, job interviews continue to evolve with advances in technology and changing workplace dynamics. Companies are increasingly adopting data-driven approaches, utilising AI and machine learning to screen candidates more efficiently. The rise of remote hiring, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has transformed the recruitment landscape. Previously, hiring was often limited to candidates within a 40-mile radius or those willing to relocate. Now, with virtual work becoming the norm, organisations can recruit talent from anywhere in the world, significantly expanding the talent pool—an approach championed by companies like Amazon[11.].
In summary, the traditional job interview has evolved from informal assessments of physical capability and reputation to a highly structured and strategic process that incorporates psychological insights, technology, and a focus on cultural fit. The process continues to evolve, reflecting broader changes in society, technology, and the workplace.
The Interview Process
To begin with, individuals with atypical traits face significant challenges in navigating the interview process. Drawing from personal experience, many autistic individuals can[12.] attest to the inherent disadvantage of attempting to conform to neurotypical norms during interviews. This includes maintaining eye contact, modulating tone of voice, interpreting social cues for feedback, all while articulating responses coherently under intense pressure. Interestingly, in many cases, the skills evaluated during interviews bear little correlation to those necessary for the actual job role, which is confusing to say the least.
Before discussing potential improvements to the hiring process, it's important to highlight the biases inherent in what is deemed an objective methodology:
Numerous studies have documented instances of discrimination by interviewers towards individuals with obvious visual differences, such as facial disfigurements[13.]. This bias can also extend subtly to autistic individuals, where seemingly minor visual traits like stimming and difficulty with eye contact can evoke discomfort. Such biases may lead to negative expectations from the interviewee, anticipating discriminatory treatment. The paper ‘Perceptions of autistic and non-autistic adults in employment interviews: The role of impression management‘[14.] confirms these biases remarking:
“Autistic interviewees were rated as being more socially awkward, less attractive, less focused and composed, having less natural eye contact and gestures, and a more monotonous tone of voice, compared to the non-autistic candidates. In addition, raters were more likely to indicate hypothetical social avoidance of autistic interviewees. The results provide further evidence for their suggestion that factors associated with the social liking of a person (such as awkwardness and attractiveness) may be more detrimental to first impressions of autistic people than factors pertaining to the actual content of their responses in interviews, or their perceived competence and intelligence. The findings also support the suggestion that higher levels of social skills are related to improved chances of candidate selection.”
To demonstrate this in a more important scenario, I recommend watching ‘Channel 4’s The Jury: Murder Trial’[15]. The tagline reads: How much can we trust our justice system? In this landmark experiment, a real-life murder trial is restaged in front of two juries of ordinary people. Will they both reach the same verdict? An amazing show, I won’t spoil the outcome, but very relevant to our last discussion.
These observations resonate particularly for individuals with atypical traits undergoing interviews. Even if interviewers are theoretically follow a standardised objective process to identify the best fit, personal subjective biases inevitably come into play, as evidenced by the variability in the assessors' observations in the examples above. I will covered at the end of this discourse the potential effects of a candidate disclosing their diagnosis
It's also worth considering the case of Amazon, which reportedly abandoned an AI recruiting tool in 2018 because it was biassed against women[16.]. The tool was designed to review resumes and identify top candidates for various job positions within the company. However, it consistently favoured male candidates over female ones. This bias was likely a result of the data used to train the algorithm, which reflected historical hiring patterns at the company, where there was a predominance of male employees, particularly in leadership roles. As a result, the algorithm learned to replicate these biases, perpetuating the underrepresentation of women in the tech industry. This incident highlights the importance of careful consideration and evaluation of AI systems to mitigate biases and ensure fairness in decision-making processes.
Conversely, a study from the 1980s explored confirmation biases, with interviewees expecting differential treatment due to their differences. The Facial Scar Experiment, a seminal study in social psychology conducted by Robert E. Kleck and Angelo Strenta from Dartmouth College[17.], delves into how negatively perceived physical traits, particularly facial scars, shape social interactions and perceptions. In this experiment, participants were randomly assigned to either an "allergy" or "scar" condition. Crucially, participants remained unaware that the facial scar had been cleverly removed beforehand or that the allergy information had been omitted from the biographical reference provided to the interviewers.
The study unveiled a self-fulfilling prophecy effect, where candidates anticipated disparate treatment and subsequently attributed interviewer behaviour to this belief. Post-interview, candidates reported feeling discriminated against, despite objective evidence to the contrary. This underscores the peril of interviewees entering interviews with negative preconceptions, potentially influencing the outcome adversely.
Back to the recruitment interview, to improve the process for autistic individuals involves making adjustments to accommodate their unique needs, providing clear communication, and creating a supportive environment - as in line with the ‘dropped-curb effect’[18.] these improvements will help all interviewees. One approach is to provide clear and detailed communication about the interview process well in advance, including information on the format, duration, and expectations. This helps reduce anxiety and uncertainty for autistic candidates.
How can the interview process be improved for autistic candidates?
Flexibility in the interview format is essential; avoiding the traditional face-to-face interviews in a panel arrangement. The room should be set up in a more welcoming manner with the interviewer and interviewees sitting around the table in a less confrontational manner - to repeat the mantra the interview is both ways, the candidate has to feel this is the right role and company for them too. Offering alternatives too, such as virtual interviews or written assessments or going for a coffee or even a walk - think different; allows candidates to choose the format that best suits their communication style and comfort level.
Additionally, using a structured interview format with clear, concise questions and standardised evaluation criteria can help provide a predictable framework for the interview and reduce ambiguity. A strong recommendation is to make the decision two-way rather than just question-answer-question-answer; create a dialogue and spark an interest, let the interviewee ask questions and learn about each other - avoid the typical tense claustrophobic conditions interviews can bring.
If the traditional style questions are necessary that consider further adaptation to give contextual information of the type of answer expected. There's often ambiguity with typical prescribed questions such as: “give an example of a difficult situation, what role did you play and how would you do things differently next time?” It’s not obvious whether the interviewers are looking for a technical issue or people issue focussed responses or if the resultant outcome is expected to be positive or negative. This is explored further with a University College London experiment[19.] look at the difference in interview assessment score between autistic and non-autistic participants with phase 1 using unadapted questions then repeating for phase 2 with adapted questions:
Unadapted Questions | Adapted Questions |
What are some of your strengths? | I’m going to ask about your strengths:
|
What experience do you have of managing high workloads? | Think of an example of when you’ve had lots of tasks to complete in a limited amount of time. Please tell me:
|
Tell me about a time you’ve disagreed with a colleague – how did/would you handle it? | Think of a time you’ve disagreed with a colleague. Please tell me:
|
The results show both sets of interviewees improved with a greater increase for the autistic population.
It should also be considered publishing the questions ahead of the interview or even online line similar to John Lewis[20.] who aim to create a more inclusive process for neurodivergent people.
“Anyone who has ever recruited will know that there are sometimes candidates who would be capable of performing to a high standard in a role but don’t always give the best performance at an interview.
“It made us question why we couldn’t do something different with the assessment process and we decided to publish our interview questions.”
Creating a supportive and inclusive interview environment is crucial. This includes choosing interview locations with minimal sensory distractions, such as quiet rooms, and providing accommodations such as breaks, access to fidget tools, visual supports (written agendas, diagrams, or slides to accompany verbal instructions) or adjustments to lighting and temperature to support sensory needs.
During the interview, it's important to focus on the candidate's strengths and abilities rather than solely on deficits. Using a strengths-based approach helps to highlight the unique talents and skills that autistic individuals bring to the table, such as attention to detail, problem-solving, specialised knowledge and perhaps some slightly left-field answers. This can be achieved by training interviewers on autism awareness and best practices, leading to a more positive and productive interview experience for everyone involved. For the interviewee, often writing the question down can help formulate the answers - indicate this preference to the interviewers so they know to expect a pause as you process the question.
Conclusion
Overall, by adapting the interview process to accommodate the needs of autistic individuals and fostering a supportive and inclusive environment, recruiters can ensure that all candidates have an equal opportunity to showcase their skills and abilities during the recruitment process. The need to improve is supported by the UK’s Autism Strategy[21.] report which:
“found that there are many factors contributing to the scale of this gap, including struggling to get a job because of recruitment processes not being autism friendly or difficulty accessing the support people might need to get into work or while in work. “
Some additional advice for companies looking at hiring autistic individuals from the University of Bath, UK:
My Final Thoughts: To disclose or not to disclose?
A study[22.] investigated the impact of disclosing an autism diagnosis on perceptions of autistic individuals during mock employment interviews. Participants, known as "raters," watched videos of autistic candidates undergoing mock interviews and provided ratings on factors like confidence, motivation, and knowledgeability. Raters were either unaware of the interviewee's diagnosis, aware of their diagnosis, or aware of their diagnosis with additional information about autism provided. The results showed that disclosing an autism diagnosis improved perceptions of autistic candidates across all dimensions compared to when raters were unaware of their diagnosis. However, providing additional information about autism alongside the diagnosis did not further improve ratings.
I should note that this study shed light on current perceptions of autism leading to the valid argument of why should an autistic individual have to disclose their diagnosis in order to be treated in a more equitable way.
I think from being autistic, I still feel very nervous of disclosing and think the best way is to considering the following list in the context of your situation and perceived outcomes:
Stigma and Discrimination: Potential prejudice and unfair treatment due to potential prejudicial views of autism.
Misunderstanding of Abilities: Others may underestimate or overestimate capabilities; perhaps assume to be a savant or other associate mental difficulties.
Privacy Concerns: Disclosure may raise privacy issues, especially in professional settings. Although it should be confidential, this cannot always be guaranteed.
Selective Treatment: Varying responses, from over accommodation including infantile treatment to increased scrutiny due to prejudicial concerns of the interviewers.
Professional Identity: Concerns about how disclosure may impact identity and acceptance. In some high profile roles like a doctor or lawyer it may be seen to affect client choices.
Legal and Ethical Considerations: Potential legal or ethical implications, including discrimination. If you disclose then would you have to consider the implications of unfair and potential unethical treatment?
These considerations and the study’s findings have significant implications for both employers and autistic individuals. Employers should consider creating procedures that allow autistic individuals to disclose their diagnosis prior to interviews if they choose to do so. Autistic individuals may benefit from considering the potential advantages of disclosing their diagnosis in employment settings.
References
https://www.thebullhornnews.com/article/2023/02/lets-chat-about-nepotism-in-hollywood
Elman, Benjamin A. "A Cultural History of Civil Examinations in Late Imperial China." University of California Press, 2000.
https://uk.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/management-theories
https://uk.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/types-of-interview-formats-and-styles
trainspotting. 1996. Lionsgate. Images from imdb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117951/
https://uk.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/video-interview-tips
https://www.reddit.com/r/aspergers/comments/1b41d8f/autistic_people_held_back_by_job_interview/
Madera, Juan M. and Hebl, Mikki (2019) "To Look or Not to Look: Acknowledging Facial Stigmas in the Interview to Reduce Discrimination," Personnel Assessment and Decisions: Vol. 5 : Iss. 2 , Article 3. DOI: 10.25035/pad.2019.02.003 Available at: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/pad/vol5/iss2/3
Jade Eloise Norris, Jemma Nicholson, Rachel Prosser, Jessica Farrell, Anna Remington, Laura Crane, Laura Hull, Katie Maras, Perceptions of autistic and non-autistic adults in employment interviews: The role of impression management, Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders. 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2024.102333.
Dastin, Jeffrey. Insight - Amazon scraps secret AI recruiting tool that showed bias against women. Reuters. 2018
Kleck, R. E., & Strenta, A. (1980). Perceptions of the impact of negatively valued physical characteristics on social interaction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 39(5), 861–873. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.39.5.861
Maras, K., Norris, J., Nicholson, J., Heasman, B., Remington, A., & Crane, L. (2021). Ameliorating the Disadvantage for Autistic Job Seekers: An Initial Evaluation of Adapted Employment Interview Questions. Autism, 25(4), 1060-1075. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361320981319
https://www.independent.co.uk/business/john-lewis-job-questions-advert-b2535474.html
Norris, J. E., Prosser, R., Remington, A., Crane, L., & Maras, K. (2024). Disclosing an autism diagnosis improves ratings of candidate performance in employment interviews. Autism, 28(4), 1045-1050. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613231203739
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