Neurodiversity Career Connector: Finding meaningful employment
Neurodiversity commonly includes but is not limited to autism, ADHD, dyspraxia, dyslexia, dyscalculia and/or Tourette’s. For a variety of reasons, neurodivergent adults who want to work professionally are frequently left out of the workforce or forced into lower-skill jobs. Non-inclusive hiring and retention practices, a lack of employer education and training, an absence of on-the-job support ecosystems, and skill differences or needs that often do not align with standard business operations all contribute to the problem.
A neurodivergent condition affects an estimated 15% to 20% of the world’s population. Autism affects around 2% of American adults, which is the initial focus of many neurodiversity employment programs. Organizations have begun recognizing the value of hiring neurodivergent individuals. Their ability to think out of the box and produce creative solutions and ideas adds significant value.
Neurodiversity Career Connector is a featured job marketplace that assists neurodivergent individuals in connecting with employers in the United States who are looking for neurodivergent candidates.
The Neurodiversity @ Work Employer Roundtable, a consortium of 50 organizations devoted to neurodiversity-focused employment efforts, launched the site in 2017. The Roundtable aims to develop a community of companies who collaborate to foster understanding, awareness and supporting structures that allow neurodivergent employees to flourish and reach their full potential.
The following are some of the companies that engaged in the Neurodiversity @ Work Employer Roundtable:
- Aspiritech
- Bank of America
- CAI
- Dell
- Deloitte
- EY
- Fidelity
- Ford
- FreddieMac
- HP
- IBM
- Microsoft
- Prudential
- SAP
- ThermoFisher Scientific
- Travelers
- Ultranauts
- USBank
- VMWare
- WarnerMedia
- Wells Fargo
Interview tips for neurodivergent candidates:
Be well prepared and follow certain tips before the interview:
- Dress professionally.
- Prepare for the interview by practicing beforehand.
- Research the company to feel confident.
- Before the interview, visualize and employ positive self-talk.
- During the interview, pay attention to what they say, how they say it and how much they say.
- Use the STAR approach to make your replies concise and clear.
- Pay attention to the body language and gestures used during the interview.
- It can be useful to inform the interviewer that you are neurodivergent.