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BACKGROUND: The traditional job interview process can pose numerous barriers which may disadvantage job seekers on the autism spectrum. Further research is needed to understand the specific dynamics of the interview process that pose the most significant challenges to hiring success and possible ways to remediate these challenges. OBJECTIVE: This qualitative research examined the barriers to, and facilitators of, successful employment interviews from the perspectives of three stakeholder groups: people on the autism spectrum, employers, and service providers. METHODS: We used qualitative content analysis to derive themes from interviews with 23 participants, including individuals on the autism spectrum with job interview experience, employers with experience in interviewing job candidates on the autism spectrum, and service providers who provide employment support to people on the autism spectrum. RESULTS: Five themes emerged across stakeholder groups: (1) navigating unpredictability, (2) introducing flexibility and modifications, (3) relationship-building strategies, (4) importance of self-awareness and self-advocacy, and (5) nuances of Self-disclosure. Across the themes, participants described how to modify the interview process to be more inclusive of neurodiversity. CONCLUSION: We conclude with how rehabilitation service providers can more effectively provide direct services to individuals on the autism spectrum and consult with employers on workplace policies and practices to enhance neurodiversity inclusion.
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Collaborative Job Seeking for People with Autism: Challenges and Design Opportunities
Successful job search results from job seekers’ well-shaped social communication. While well-known differences in communication exist between people with autism and neurotypicals, little is known about how people with autism collaborate with their social surroundings to strive in the job market. To better understand the practices and challenges of collaborative job seeking for people with autism, we interviewed 20 participants including applicants with autism, their social surroundings, and career experts. Through the interviews, we identified social challenges that people with autism face during their job seeking; the social support they leverage to be successful; and the technological limitations that hinder their collaboration. We designed four probes that represent major collaborative features found from the interviews–executive planning, communication, stage-wise preparation, and neurodivergent community formation–and discussed their potential usefulness and impact through three focus groups. We provide implications regarding how our findings can enhance collaborative job seeking experiences for people with autism through new designs.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2026513
- PAR ID:
- 10650624
- Publisher / Repository:
- ACM
- Date Published:
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 1 to 17
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Conference Paper:
- https://doi.org/10.1145/3613904.3642197
