Having recently had my own recruitment journey, which has been successful (a shock to me but not to my buried imposter syndrome), it’s given me the perspective to think back on all the different jobs I’ve applied for, time spent filling out applications, changing my CV, looking over job descriptions, in some cases making it through to interview and in others being second best. Many of these stages, steps and aspects can be barriers to employment if you are autistic or have another disability. We know it shouldn’t be, because that would mean discrimination, either direct or indirect, intended or unintended. Before COVID-19 reshaped the employment sector it felt as if autism and neurodiversity were the next frontiers in the employment diversity to be explored for the value autistic and similarly neurodivergent people could add to business. With pre-COVID statistics showcasing that autistic people are underemployed at 16% in full time employment and a shocking unemployment rate of 94% for those with a learning disability.

Inclusive recruitment in the era of inclusion

Inclusive recruitment can involve more work to put into place the processes that people need but have the benefit of enabling those who may not have previously applied a chance at a job. Either way, once processes are developed they become a way of working and aren’t extra work, they’re how something is done.

Employment has been under the searing magnifying glass of 2020’s call for diversity to be embedded everywhere, although the main focus has been getting society to reflect on systematic and often institutional racism that perseveres, diversity has a wider remit. Diversity includes disability, gender expression, sexual orientation and the other characteristics that people have that society uses to marginalise people (people aren’t in themselves marginalised but are marginalised by societal ‘norms’). Equality, diversity and inclusion is then incredibly vast in the steps forward, missteps and steps back that organisations can make to live the values of EDI in their work. This means it likely can go very well in some directions of change and feel stagnant in others.

What does inclusive recruitment then look like for autistic people?

Often it is just small steps of change but with so many steps to recruitment it can feel like a daunting task to tackle all the areas inequality can grow.

Job descriptions:

Having language that points to specific tasks without room for reasonable adjustment, unclear wording for how jobs are described or asking for qualification and experience without linking it to the role don’t make for inclusive practice. Things like ‘fast-paced environment’ may not gel well with someone who is methodical and process driven as often process gets too quickly thrown out the window when pace decides to pick up. Additionally, stating that parts of the role must be done a certain way does no business any benefit, systems can always be improved and changed to reach their best, what works for one colleague might slow down another. Finally, asking for a degree, and only a degree in lieu of experience gained through professional and personal experience diminishes the experience someone may have mastered by taking the ‘alternative’ path by not attending university.

To make job descriptions and person specifications inclusive focus on the key ‘deliverables’ of the role, what will someone be doing and what will they need to know to do it. Importantly, what would you like them to know already and what can they learn on the role? Using clear, concise and factual language rather than buzz words helps everyone, it cuts through what can be interpreted as grey and makes things more black and white - it also helps when providing feedback to reflect on points that people may not have experience in. Often it is easier to use jargon to explain things quickly but that excludes those who might not be speaking the language yet. A job description and person specification is an organisation’s opportunity to show someone applying not only what they’re all about but how they treat their prospective employees, before someone makes the decision to apply it is up to the organisation at this stage to convince them to. Recruitment and applying for roles is often seen as the candidate or applicant having to sell themselves to an organisation but it’s actually a two way street.

Application stage:

Depending on the size of the organisation and the type of organisation there might be very different ways of applying. Some might be simply sending over a CV and cover letter, others might be an online application system (where CV’s never seem to fit the algorithm to get the information out nicely) and others might be through recruitment agencies who work with companies to recruit for roles. There are pro’s and con’s to each of these and every permutation in-between which can either be a help or a hinderance to potential disabled employees.

If just asking for a CV and cover letter outline what you want those applying to include. It can feel silly saying what’s obvious to some but not all communication or social rules are obvious, although it might seem overzealous it’s inclusive to be clear about what is expected by offering equity in expectations. If using an online system a how-to guide benefits not just disabled applicants but an extended group who may struggle with the intricacies of recruitment software specifics. Outlining where specific attributes, skills and experience should be highlighted makes it easier for those applying to show their skills where needed and those assessing skills and competencies to reflect on where and how they’ll be assessed.

Generally, the route to success is to make things as clear as possible using plain English, web accessibility principles and ensuring there is a way for people to get in contact if they have any questions. Job applications take huge amounts of time and effort to complete and this shouldn’t be underestimated when choosing tools that can either make this process easier or more time consuming.

For neurodivergent applicants my suggestion is tailoring a job application to mirror the skills and experience required by the job description and person specification by using language that directly links you to the role. Give plenty of time to fill in an application so that you can have the longest window to check over what you have written before you submit

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This is part one in a series that dissects the job seeking journey from job description through to first day.