How it feels: Job interviews

Everybody has to go through them every once in a while. The time of walking into a building, asking a guy for a job and just starting on the spot, is done. Those were the 80’s. Not now anymore.

A job interview is a whole ordeal. You have to prepare. You have to have a resume. You have to dress fancy. You have to shave (if you are a male). You have to shower. Have to get there. So many places where an autistic like me can get overwhelmed and spent spoons and lose spoons a whole lot of the time.

I must admit that I never prepare what I am going to say. I never prepare, because during my schooltime, we did practice job interviews and being interviewed for a job was drilled into me. I also have the unnatural autistic ability to talk myself out of anything.

I have a few tips to get through a job interview, which I apply myself, to make it easier to get a job interview and to survive one once your are selected.

1. Get a resume that stands out.
   A resume that isn’t black and white for instance, stands out immediatly. I made mine blue because blue is the color of trust and has a calming feature as well. Make one area of your resume a little bit more fancy, so they know you put time and thought into it.
2. Proofread your resume
   You want to look professional and capable, so you have to reread your resume and let it be read by someone else so there are no more mistakes in it, whatsoever.
3. Dress appropriately
   You don’t have to overdo it and do a job interview in a three piece suit or the female equivalent, but dress above your usual daily wear.
4. Be on time (or a little bit early)
   Nothing speaks “I don’t want a job” more than being to late for your interview. I am always a bit early, so they notice that I am eager to start, and as I am usually early on the job as well, it gives of a nice impression.
5. Talk about your autism
   I know. It might not be a requirement. I do it because I believe that an employer has the right to know what he or she is getting themselves into. I talk about my struggles but follow it up with all the advantages it gives me. I do the same for my bowel problems. A great boss will look past your difficulties. A not so great boss will offer you an unpaid trainee period or let you go out of the interview early. Both are win-win. I would not want to work for a boss that has a problem with one part of my person.
6. Do not oversell, but do not undersell either
   Basically, you are telling them to hire you. To rent your time. So you have to make yourself as attractive as possible. My technique is to joke when I can to make myself memorable and to be honest in what I can and can not do. For example: I hate an authoritarian boss, so I will tell them to moment I am being interviewed for a job and I will give them examples. It answers a few questions about me that they might ask.

These were just a few tips that I can give on how to survive a job interview and to stand out from other candidates.