How to make recruitment more inclusive for autistic candidates

Creating a diverse workforce should be at the top of any business strategy or agenda. Diversity comes in many different forms, but ultimately, it can establish a more productive business full of people with differing skills, perspectives, experiences and backgrounds.

This results in benefits such as: improved decision-making, less groupthink, better innovation rates and increased creativity, to name just a few.

Neurodivergent candidates – i.e. people with or pursuing diagnoses such as autism, ADHD, dyspraxia and/or dyslexia - make up an intrinsic part of the diverse workforce that so many businesses are striving to recruit. However, recruitment consultants and employers alike should take into consideration what reasonable adjustments these candidates may require in order to achieve this.

Sellick Partnership will be focusing on what can be done to create an inclusive approach, especially for autistic candidates, when it comes to seeking employment and the recruitment journey as a whole.

What is autism?

Autism affects how people perceive the world and interact with others. We will not be referring to autism as a disability, because autistic people often recognise it as a fundamental aspect of their identity – as a positive difference, rather than a disability.

Autism impacts people in many different ways. Just like each person in society, autistic people have their own unique strengths, perspectives and challenges.

When it comes to recruitment, autistic candidates are often highly skilled and extremely employable, but are invariably at an immediate disadvantage unless those they speak to at the beginning of the recruitment process have either a prior understanding of the condition, or have received targeted neurodiversity awareness training.

Autism and the workplace

According to I AM Autism, over 332,000 UK adults at working age have been diagnosed with autism, varying in type and severity. Of those, there are around 77% that are unemployed and wanting to work. In addition, 53% of autistic adults said they want help to find work, but there are only 10% getting that help. This highlights the significant gap in autism employment support and the broader disability employment gap. 

UK companies have made strides in improving diversity and inclusion in the workplace, but there's more to be done to ensure that recruitment processes are neuro-inclusive. This starts with removing unconscious bias and conscious bias from job descriptions and interviews, and designing autism-inclusive hiring practices that create a positive experience for all candidates.

Common recruitment challenges faced by autistic candidates

The challenges faced by autistic adults when it comes to the standard recruitment process are extensive, and the list below is only a snapshot of some of the more common issues when tackling the recruitment process:

• Finding the confidence to disclose their autism diagnosis - knowing they may face bias rather than benefiting from the reasonable adjustments that they are entitled to under the Equality Act.
  
  
• Differences in communication style - including both verbal and non-verbal communication (facial expression, body language, etc), such as maintaining expected levels of eye contact.
  
  
• Responding effectively to non-specific/abstract questions - especially those phrased in hypothetical ‘what if…’ terms.
  
  
• Feeling acutely pressured by unfamiliar people and environments, which they haven’t been able to ‘model’ effectively in advance - trying to respond to questions while having to process a lot of new sensory information.
  
  
• Ability to engage in ‘impression management’ e.g. reading interviewer cues or mirroring behaviours – the majority of autistic people aren’t disingenuous, and don’t dissimulate.
  
  
• Uncertainty over how much detail to share when answering interview questions. 

Recruitment Consultants, Talent Acquisition Managers and Interviewers need to take into consideration the many variations of autism and treat every candidate as unique. We need to understand the challenges for each individual, and consider what reasonable adjustments can be made to build equity into the process.

Creating a more inclusive hiring process

Building inclusive recruitment processes starts with understanding what equity looks like for neurodivergent candidates. Recruitment Consultants, HR professionals, hiring managers and talent acquisition teams all play a part. 

Tips for inclusive hiring 

• Audit your job descriptions and reassess whether certain criteria are needed. For example, if a skill such as ‘excellent communication skills’ is included on a job description, some autistic candidates may decide that the role is not appropriate for them (their strengths may be technical rather than communication). Think about whether this is needed or is it included by default. 
• Add inclusive statements to your job advertisements, such as: 
  • We welcome applications from candidates with diverse needs and are happy to accommodate any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process. 
• Highlight flexible application options e.g. video applications or written tasks, to give candidates a fair platform to showcase their skills. 

Reasonable adjustments for autistic candidates

As noted above, reasonable adjustments for those who are neurodivergent will vary from individual to individual. However, common reasonable adjustments that can reduce barriers and support performance include:

• Offering a working interview or trial period instead of a traditional competency-based interview.
  
  
• Providing a written assignment to assess their skillset outside of a pressurised environment, giving you an insight into their likely quality of work in the role.
  
  
• Having an initial introductory call, before an on-site face-to-face meeting, to familiarise them with the interviewer. If this is not possible, then a good alternative is to circulate a photo and a brief biography of each interviewer in advance in order to reduce the level of unfamiliarity on the day.
  
  
• Providing the questions in advance: unfamiliarity/surprises will impact performance, whereas questions in advance will enable you to receive considered responses rather than off-the-cuff replies.
  
  
• Offering a visit to site, a few days before the interview, allowing an autistic candidate to familiarise themselves with the environment and understand what adjustments may be necessary (e.g. subdued rather than harsh/bright lighting). Alternatively, you could offer directions or maps, including pictures of the entrance to the building.
  
  
• When asking questions, provide clarity in what you are looking for and use follow-up questions as necessary for further clarification.
  
  
• Providing a clear timetable of the interview, for example ‘the first 30 minutes will focus on X, while the second 30 minutes will focus on Y’ – stick to these during the interview.
  
  
• Politely interjecting when a candidate has explained enough to you (“Thank you: you’ve given us enough information on this topic.”), and moving on to the next question.
  
  
• Being aware that a candidate may take a question literally. For example, in response to ‘how did you find your last job?’, the candidate may reply that they used Google Maps on their first day and remembered the journey from there on out, or ‘found it’ on LinkedIn, rather than how their experience of the role/company was.

Why neuro-inclusive hiring benefits everyone

Creating a recruitment process that supports autistic candidates doesn't just benefit the individual - it creates a more empathetic, accessible and productive workplace for all employees. 

Neurodivergent talent brings a wealth of skills, including attention to detail, innovative problem-solving, technical proficiency and loyalty. Inclusive employers benefit from improved retention, better employee satisfaction, and a more diverse set of perspectives driving innovation. 

With small, thoughtful changes to the hiring process, employers can significantly expand their talent pipeline and unlock the potential of candidates who may have previously felt excluded. 

Find out more from our blog Why should diversity, equity and inclusion be a top priority for businesses?

Support from Sellick Partnership

At Sellick Partnership, we're committed to inclusive recruitment. We partnered with AS Mentoring to produce this article and are actively working to improve hiring equity for autistic candidates. Find out more about the services AS Mentoring offer.

If you're an employer looking to build a more inclusive recruitment process or a neurodivergent candidate seeking advice, we're here to help. 

Contact us today or explore our D&I resources for employers and job seekers.