Top Tips for Finding Employment

‍We have learnt a few successful tips from our diverse set of lived and professional experiences about finding employment that we’d like to share (If you have ASC and would like to share your tips with us, we would love to hear from you):

1. Understand what makes you tick.
What are your strengths? Not perceived deficits!
It’s time to PR yourself, learn what about you makes you amazing and tell your potential employer.
This is a chance to see the positive side in some of our autistic traits:    
- Attention to detail  
- Clear, direct and succinct communication  
- Creative and yet logical  
- Excellent memory  
- Good technical ability  
- Highly discriminating senses  
- Loyal and hardworking

2. Match up these skills to job roles that interest you and create a CV tailored for them.
 
3. Contact En-Fold and the wider autistic community, family and friends and use the services we have mentioned to learn the best ways for you to get into employment. 
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4. Discover what extra skills and/or qualifications that you would like to gain or are required in order to reach your goals.
    
5. Having an understanding of your sensory needs, emotion and energy regulation and other needs that you personally have, is a fantastic way to be able to adapt your environment and sometimes behaviour in order to help make your working experience as positive as possible. This can also facilitate positive reasonable adjustments conversations with employers. Under the Equality Act 2010 employers are expected to make reasonable adjustments for employees with disabilities, and that includes ASC.
    
6. Work experience and voluntary work is a fantastic way to not only help your community but also learn about the working world, practise skills and gain confidence in your own abilities. See our information providing links to volunteer opportunities.
 
7. Try and be as realistic as possible in your approaches to finding work. We are not saying curb any enthusiasm but learn where your enthusiasm can be focused in order to gain employment. This can come easier once you understand your own abilities and bespoke needs fully. 

Autism Focused Interview Help

Autistic candidates often know they could do the job ... it's the interview that's the problem!

AutiQuest have suggestions for reasonable adjustments for job interviews and offer free job tips and advice. They have also developed an app which you can download for free, plus free zoom trainings/tips on interviewing. You can find out more by visiting their website HERE.