Tales from the Interview — from a Perspective of Autism

26 min readJun 20, 2020

http://bit.ly/2x8uPNr 38-page PDF document online

I’m a late in life diagnosed aspie or autistic/kindred person — I am neurodivergent, atypical, Asperger’s Syndrome. I am also a software development engineer that has done many different projects with different languages, platforms, operating systems, and technologies. I have also interviewed before and after I was formally diagnosed as an autistic/kindred person.

Note that my experiences are my own, and not necessarily the same for other autistic/ kindred individuals. Caveat emptor!

Introduction

I will describe my perception and experiences interviewing for software development positions (an umbrella term meaning both testing, development, documenting, deployment, build, etcetera), both before I knew of my autism, and now afterwards. In summary, before I knew my autism diagnosis, I experienced the perception I was missing something, or something was communicated in one form, but mean something else entirely — something I only realized afterwards.

Now that I know, and have had the opportunity to interview at autism neurodiverse events I can see the problem is two-fold.

The first is being autistic, I process information very differently and have my own challenges in the interview setting.

The second is that except for the interview environment around neurodiverse hiring, interviews are very ad hoc and subjective, no matter how objective or “scientific” the veneer is for an interview.

I will examine interview aspects in the following aspects:

• Open-Ended Questions
• Asking or Reading Technical Questions • Non Sequitur Comments
• White Boarding
• Room Distractions
• External Interruptions
• Code Tests
• Irrelevant Feedback

I will then offer my own suggestions for interviewing a person who is autistic, and a final conclusion.

Open-Ended Questions

Questions that are open-ended, like a Rorschach inkblot question are frustrating for me. Mostly because I have to make a blind guess at the parameters of the question.

Consider:

Interviewer: “So what are you most proud of?”
Me: “In terms of what?”
Interviewer: “What do you mean?”
Me: “In terms of personal, professional, hobby, project?” Interviewer: “Well anything?”

I then sigh in frustration, and try to connect aspects of the job description to what I’m most proud of…but it often is ham-handed verbal fumbling which does not go over too well appearing obvious and telling what the interviewer wants to hear. Not an elegant verbal segue into my skills and the job, but more a stumble as I become tongue-tied.

The classic cliche questions of “What is your weakness?” or the converse “What is your greatest strength?” have so many pre-planned responses you can read in interviewing articles, books, blogs, videos they are not asked. But again, in context, ”In terms of what?”

Simply asking for clarification is taken as stalling, or in some cases I think the interviewer really has no idea or the question is like a lie-detector test “throw away” question. But open-ended questions are like the advice to get rich on the stock market “buy low, sell high.” Sounds great, but without any quantification like what is high, low, and what to buy, and what buying entails, the open-ended nature is irrelevant.

One of the worst open-ended questions is more a command than an interrogative. It is:

“Summarize your resume.”
or
“Tell me about your resume.”

This question seems to be the lazy interviewer’s question — the interviewee has to orally recite their resume. I’ve heard the explanation that the intention is to have the interviewee “fit” their resume into the job details and duties. But that is something that the hiring manager decides, *if* they read the resume provided.

I’ve found this question useless as I fumble to think of how my resume fits in with the job description, and often recite my resume in a rambling and incoherent recital. Like verbalizing the multiplication table at a poetry reading.

A question that is specific about a skill, experience with that skill, and then an explanation of how it meshes with the job role is more explicit, clear. But the resume synopsis question often has an implicit question that is unstated. And in my experience every time I miss the implicit, phantom question within the question. White boarding code (I will get to that shortly…) I always will ask “What programming language?” and in some interviews “You decide.” Or I am told, ”Use whatever programming language you want.” Or “Use whatever programming language you are most comfortable with, etc.” I then use say Java when they wanted C, or C++ when they wanted Java, or Pascal when they wanted C#.

Ask a Technical Question, or Read from the GRE/ACT/ Schaum’s Computer Science/The Book of Questions

The frustrating point of such a technical question is often the context is from the previous material or questions. But a technical question is read verbatim (often by someone who doesn’t know what they’re reading…I once had an interviewer in a phone screen say: “C double plus” for C++ and they have the answer. But for the interviewee, I don’t know the context, what the interviewer is looking for, and worse if I use technical jargon they are stumped and unable to comprehend my answer.

Once, for a company notorious for being data-oriented, I was asked in the lead in part of the question “For an array with no negative numbers or zero…” I later said in explaining my answer “well since all the elements are positive…” and was interrupted because this person had no clue…(and if I have to explain you have made my point, or dear reader if you see why, then you get my point.)
The flaw in this is two-fold, you have someone that doesn’t know what they’re talking about, and secondly you either get the right answer or you don’t. This reminds me of how I’d go crazy when learning algebra, differential, integral calculus that the answer was given, but not the process to get to that answer. Reminds me of 42, the answer to the ultimate question in “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.”
So most of the time is asking questions, trying to understand the context of the problem, what answer the interviewer is looking for…incredibly frustrating. Especially when the interviewer is completely ignorant (often an HR person reading the technical question).

Open-Ended Technical Questions

As a software development engineer who is also autistic, I often get the technical questions of a programming problem. But sometimes those questions can be too vague, or ambiguous. Consider the following question I remember being asked in a group interview:

“How would you find the largest integer in an array?”

The way the question is framed, a simple linear search, Big-Oh O(N) will find the largest integer. But the question is trying to assess knowledge of sorting. But sorting is not the most efficient way to find the largest integer — first you sort, and then find the largest integer at the end of the array. Yet sorting is linearithmic O(N lg N) and accessing the last element is O(c) a constant time to access an element. Consider the following approaches:

Simple array traversal: O(N)
Sorting array, get last element: O(N lg N) + O(c) (if can find a linear sorting algorithm like the hash sort, binar sort, or radix sort, O(N))
Insert into heap structure: O(N) + O(c) (insert into a treap, then find the maximum element)

When I answered the question, I put in the caveat, well you are probably thinking about sorting…and then went on to explain sorting algorithms, including the linear ones versus the linearithmic ones. The treap answer I think surprised the interviewers, a tree with a heap property that uses randomness to maintain order.

But as the question is stated, *no* sorting is required — therefore the problem is flawed by its definition if sorting is what the question is striving to assess.

“How would you efficiently access integers in any possible permutation in an array?”

This problem statement is not about accessing a specific kind of integer — the maximum, but any integer efficiently, and also any permutation. Thus it is possible for the array to be in an ascending sorted permutation — so if you sort with some algorithms like the Quicksort algorithm, performance is quadratic Big-Oh O(N2).

Sometimes for someone who is autistic/kindred/aspie, it is not so much what is known, but the question asked.

Non Sequitur Comments

“A non sequitur is a conclusion or reply that doesn’t follow logically from the previous statement.” In Latin, non sequitur means “it does not follow.” (Merriam-Webster dictionary)

I will use a non-sequitur to mean: Make a comment that is useless, pointless, a gratuitous, vituperative remark that is irrelevant. Non-sequiturs occur for many reasons, but are still a statement “it does not follow.”

I’ve had the following comments made in interviews, and my usual response is to be polite and respond with a non sequitur…but it wastes time.

“This resume format is terrible.” I wanted to ask the manager that said this why they didn’t contact me beforehand, or what can I do about this now? My e-mail address is on the resume, contact me for a different format. And then I could have reminded them my LinkedIn profile is given, if you want a different format. I perceived this manager was playing a mind game of being the “alpha male” in the room with “social dominance.“
Computers are getting faster, and memory bigger.” Once in an interview, I chose an algorithm the interviewer had clearly never heard of…they stopped learning about this category of algorithms after college. When they asked why I chose this algorithm, I explained the algorithm had linearithmic O(N lg N) performance versus quadratic N² performance. The interviewer then responded with the comment. Again they ask the question, but then dismiss the answer.
“Why did you write X?” X is an app, library for some use. I had written a file hosting shell, so I could connect to the file storage in the cloud, and use the shell like an FTP or Telnet app. But the question by the comments made after I explained, was in the realm of wasting time and pointless. I then wondered why this manager would ask, and then with the follow-up comment indicate they saw it as a waste of time. I have had other versions of this non-sequitur either the implication waste of time, there is no need. I realize the question is meant to put down rather than illustrate my coding ability, initiative.
Sometimes I’ve gotten into competition with the interviewer. For example once, I was given one of those puzzle questions, and the interviewer said to me “You can solve this problem and not have a background in advanced mathematics.” I was baffled, and insulted as if my background in mathematics was being denigrated.
Another time in discussing theoretical computer science, the guy across from me in the conference room said: “Quicksort is the fastest sorting algorithm.” I begged to differ, that algorithm from the early 1960’s is fast, but other algorithms like the TimSort are even faster. But the interviewer said it as an absolute and I had to agree. Sorry, your facts are uncoordinated.
“I guess we could have some animation in our GUI stuff.” This was the answer when I asked a technology question. I asked, since they used Java to do all their GUI (graphic user interface to all you non-computer nerds out there...) stuff, if they were using JavaFX. The reason this was a non sequitur is Oracle has said the future of Java visual interfaces is not Swing, but JavaFX. I just wondered what animation had to do with using the future of Java GUI stuff. Later I realized they were in a condescending and supercilious way trying to hide their ignorance on the subject.

“Any person without a background in mathematics could solve it.” This was the comment in an interview to one of those cliche puzzle problems thrown at me by the interviewer after doing a whiteboard coding problem. But the interviewer asked about my background, and I’d mentioned being a minor in math in college, and looking back wish I had doubled in computer science and mathematics. Apparently this non sequitur was to diss on my mathematical interest and background.
“You’re solution is…blank.” I have had questions, especially on code tests to do something. But later in a phone screen with the code test as the primary conversational parameter, I’d have a comment made without explanation. Or, if that is what the code test question was to assess, state that as a way to structure the solution.
Once the feedback was that the answer I gave was not efficient. I then pointed out that efficiency was not a specified parameter, and I heard someone stifle a laugh in the background. The phone interviewer said he always wrote code for maximum efficiency. I simply said, “Okay.”

I often find such non sequiturs just make me stop, think of what I’m supposed to say that neurotypicals do, but after a few seconds its clear I’m flummoxed and it creates the awkward impasse of the “pregnant pause” in the interview…

White Boarding

At some point, most technical interviews call for white boarding to solve a technical problem. This actually can be fun, because the entire process can get the neurons popping. But I’ve experienced times when my neurons are overloaded and melting down.

Trainee in the room. An interview I had, a trainee, learning how to interview, was in the room, sending signals that are distracting, confusing. As I wrote the code in C for a problem, I kept seeing him frown, shake his head, or other facial gestures that were very distracting. And he’d cross and uncross his legs, shift in his seat, and he’s right next to the interviewer. Not only as a visual interruption, but also confusing as I could not discern the social meaning. So it made me very anxious and out of place.
Constant interruptions from the interviewer. I had a code problem given, and I started to whiteboard the code. But the interviewer kept interrupting, so I couldn’t keep my train of thought, and it seemed the interviewer while trying to be helpful, was guiding me to write their solution not mine.
No clear boundaries while white boarding. In an interview, I was white boarding code. But the interviewer then explained and talked, and I sat down, I thought the white boarding done. Worse, the interviewer did not ask me to go back to the whiteboard. Yet the long discourse to discuss the problem and solution I perceived as completion, but it was a long interruption. There were no clear boundaries of when I was finished or that I was not yet done.

For one coding problem, the interviewer handed me a printout with the problem, all the parameters of the problem, and what I could assume. It was a gargantuan amount of information front and back. There were too many data points at once in the coding problem.

Room Distractions

Room distractions are things about the room that are a constant distraction, and keep me from focusing. I am hyper-sensory, so distractions in the room are really overwhelming. If I succeed in tuning out the distraction, so much effort and energy is used, I can’t focus.

Sunlight streaming in from window. In one interview, the person’s office had a window with sunlight streaming in, and their blinds were completely open. So I sat with this glare burning into my eyes while I tried to focus on the interviewer, the questions being asked, but couldn’t. I bombed that interview because I could not focus on the interviewer. Even worse, his whiteboard reflected the light, so it was more a solarium than office.
In one interview in a conference room, there was a video conferencing screen on the wall. But it was on, and the clock time had the blinking colon. Visually it was the same as a metronome clicking away on a piano. A continuous change in my field of vision, since I was facing the video conferencing monitor while speaking to the interviewer.

An open window, so see people passing in the hall, or across the way in another building. I’ve had two interviews where the window allowed me to see either people in the corridor outside, or people across the way in another building. The constant interruptions in my visual field were distracting and overwhelming.

External Interruptions

External interruptions are the worst, I find my train of thought is not just lost, but derails, twisting the train tracks in the process. I use the term “external interruptions” to mean interruptions not specific to the room, but what goes on around an autistic person. Here are some examples:

Dragged room to room. In one interview, the interviewer took from the lobby, and not to his office. He opened a door, found an empty conference room, and started the interview. Unexpectedly a group of people showed up, said they had reserved the room. So had to go to yet another room, with the same result. Eventually we wound up in his office, but the interview was in fragmented pieces.
People opening the door, barging into the room. I had one interview in an office, and I was explaining my answer to a technical question, when a guy just opens the door. He asked about some luncheon, ignoring me. The interviewer then said, “I’m in an interview.” The person left, but I was now flustered and the surprise interruption (my back was to the door) had me on edge.
Annoying sounds. An interview I had once with the manager in his office with his laptop computer on his desk. I was sitting in front of the desk, with the laptop to my left near the desk corner. The problem is the manager had a computer chime when he got an e-mail. The chime was so loud it hurt for me to hear it. And apparently this manager was in everybody’s e-mail address book so that laptop kept the loud chime coming. I thought I was on the gong show, sans gong but with a loud chime.

Once in a phone screen, as I was explaining my answer to a question, the interviewer starting having a conversation with another person, and was interrupted by others and would have a second conversation with another person. I finally stopped talking and froze. Finally the interviewer asked if I was still there…but my entire train of thought had derailed, and then when I said: “Yes” the second conversation continued.

Noise in the next room. Once in an interview in the interviewer’s office that adjoined a conference room it was a constant bombardment of noise. People talking, entering and exiting, all while the interviewer pretended the noise next door did not exist.

Code Tests

The most common thing in any interview as a software development engineer is expect a code test.

My First Code Test for a Job

I remember my first code test for a job was when a professor in the computer science department wanted to be sure I was competent and comfortable programming in C.

So he gave me a code test, it was a multiple-choice one used to assess programming skill level for new students majoring in computer science. I remember it was C trivia, what-if, what is the output, and what input gives this kinds of questions.

I passed with 80% skill level, and my professor hired me as a student research assistant (doing machine learning, genetic algorithms, neural networks when you had to write them yourself…hey it was the 1990’s and I was writing code on a Sun engineering workstation) and later lead with two other students in the project.

The Paradox of Code Tests

Joel Spolsky asks, “Would you hire a magician without asking them to show you some magic tricks? Of course not.” The question of the code test in the metaphor or analogy of a magician is…your magic tricks, or the magician you are considering hiring? Can you imagine Harry Houdini (master of the impossible escape) being forced to do card tricks?

Code tests that try to capture all phases of software development in a limited time frame are contrived. I was once told that a code test is “to prove you (the candidate) know the programming language/platform.”

The problem with many code tests is they expect way too much, and put the test in a completely, alien, unfamiliar coding environment on the web in the web browser that is very user unfriendly and overwhelming and over-stimming.

Learning to Use the Online Coding Environment

By my estimate I spend 40% of the time trying to figure out the online coding environment, how to use it, how to adjust it (if at all…), what it can do — learn to use the tool for the test.

Some online coding environments in theory (but remember Communism in theory works…) are great — I remember one that I couldn’t put statements to trace my code, or have a way to stop the code at a certain point, many things taken for granted in an actual integrated development environment or even a basic coding tool.

One of the worst had no features, it was write code in a text box, and press “Run” and several very bright circles would glow green or red for how many test cases were passed — and the test cases were completely invisible, just a glowing circle. I was so frustrated, overwhelmed, I quit the code test and let the company know it was terrible — and why. They sent a form e-mail thanking me and wishing the best of luck, etcetera, etcetera.

Tolerating the Pain from Over-Stimmed

Another 40% of the time is working within the online coding environment — learning to “put up with” the features. I get overwhelmed and over stimulated “over stimmed” with features — such as a count-down timer very obviously prominent, or even the color scheme used that burns my eyes.

Another is when the online coding environment is erratic and unresponsive in the web browser. Or the indicators for success or failure in test cases that are bright and “in your face.” The most frustrating thing is when the Javascript is buggy, so the browser freezes, crashes (and I’ve used Safari, Opera, Firefox, Vivalid) or gives a really weird error message with an alert dialog box, or…well, I have made my point.

So, that’s the entire 80% of effort; learning the coding environment, and then working within it without screaming in frustration.

Understanding the Coding Challenge

For me 15% is then spent understanding the coding challenge. Why some of the challenges are so convoluted or complex to see if I can code. Or give me a convoluted or complex problem, but let me write the solution in my favorite coding tool/integrated development environment on my macBook.

Sometimes the coding challenges is basic computer science stuff — such as sorting algorithms, or data structures. Normally I don’t use the merge sort in practice, in Java I use the existing data structures and algorithms in the JDK Collections…so I might use a Deque over an ArrayList in an application, but I do not implement them from scratch. So questions to implement something like a quick sort, AVL Tree, or Fibonacci Heap…uhh, back to the past from the future.

Often coding challenges are given with a generic, general description, and then some mathematical notation. The difficult part is that in application the theoretical boundaries and constraints are nice, but they do not show possible input and expected output, along with any error conditions. There are simply no real-world examples of what to expect and what is expected.

Even worse — the coding challenges when one trivial example is used to illustrate the problem operationally. Or they give an example that will fail, thinking it is illustrative enough for what will work.

Often I think the company that has the online coding test is great at writing tests and creating the coding environment, but that’s what they’re good at — not at actually writing code that they are testing a candidate to assess skill. Testing for Java, but the company writes Javascript using ReactJS for the code test.

Actually Writing Code

Then having formed a mental model of the problem and its nuances (hopefully…I once pressed the “Run” button and all the test cases failed, and they gave one simple example, with no way to see what the test cases were!) I start to code. This is the last 5%, what is actually supposed to be tested — if I can program.

Often the framework is given, but I can tell immediately if someone who has given the framework knows the programming language I’m using…and often it is not the case. I usually do the code in Java, but then I see things like “void func(int[] array, int length)” which is more C-style, as the array reference to an array has a length property.

Even more frustrating is when the framework uses a style of syntax that is more suited to another language, and then to the one used for coding. I once had a coding challenge in Java, but the coding style used Hungarian Notation and the names of variables used $ frequently…so it was more BASIC than Java. I thought, “Wow they take back too basic to entirely new level.”

If I have enough time, I usually can write something, but its not my best work, it’s not an example of my style and thinking — but it shows I can program. Huh?

Summary of the time break down:

40% is figuring out the online coding environment
40% is working and coping within the online coding environment
15% is understanding the coding challenge
5% is actually coding

Consider this, if given the problem, and a timeframe to submit it, I can use my own favorite coding tool on my macBook, the first 80% is gone. Then it is understanding the coding challenge at 15%, and then 85% is actually coding. More effort is used to write code than learn and cope with the online coding environment.

Afterwards

Once after a coding challenge, in the post-mortem telephone screen, I was told for a coding challenge problem, it was not efficient. I then simply replied, efficiency was not specified within any constraints. Then I asked in what way — Big-Oh, memory, code complexity the solution I wrote was inefficient. This person was probably a non- technical manager as he ignored my question — and I think he was simply saying that without really understanding what he was saying.

A classic challenge to put the candidate on the defense, but if you can’t specify the inefficiency, how do you know the code is inefficient? Even worse, is this the vague ambiguity that your organizations software specs use? So why did I waste my time and energy writing code for this interview?

If I wrote the most theoretically efficient code for the coding challenge, the flaw is that a human being is going to make a determination — and bring many an idiosyncratic , ad hoc, standard either consciously or unconsciously to the process.

Online Code Tests Evaluate the Wrong Thing

Unfortunately code tests have the veneer of objective testing, quantification, and so forth. The problem is writing code is like writing prose or poetry. You write code for a specific problem in a specific context.

So the end result for a chapter in a novel with the specification: “The protagonist prevails against the antagonist.” It sounds great and seems objective, but then the writer being tested has the protagonist save the day, but die, and the antagonist escapes to return later. Then another writer has the protagonist kill the antagonist in a final battle. Then yet another writer has both the antagonist and protagonist fight to the death, and both die. To the reader, you see what I mean?

Writing software is the same, and metrics are heuristics — rules of thumb, not objective, hard data like a measurement of voltage or temperature in an electronic circuit. Code actually is formally specificity in the programming language about the aspects of the problem, thus in solving the coding challenge, many presumptions are made implicitly — and are written into the code. Thus no two solutions are entirely the same.

Thus code tests are a bane to assess candidates, all they do prove is if the candidate knows the programming language, and can tolerate the testing tool enough to formulate and codify a solution if they can reasonably understand the problem. Code tests are the “assembly line” of assessing skill…

In a college or university setting, a professor and graduate student grade the code, run them, and look at the unique, per-person code for a programming assignment. This gives the student an idea of how well they understand the topic in the overall course. The student can do badly, but re-take the course — but that is academia, learning, education.

Code tests seem great for assessing if a candidate for a software role, and have the veneer of an objective measurement. But, that’s *if* an autistic candidate can overcome all the overwhelming things that stifle thinking — and avoid a “meltdown” from the frustration in the overall process.

I have often thought when doing an online code test as the clock counts down, struggling not to be completely overwhelmed, that if this is how I will be writing code as a software development engineer, I don’t want the job!

Irrelevant Feedback

Some companies will give feedback, but not always. The idea is to learn from interview mistakes, but the useless, irrelevant feedback is more perplexing than helpful. Here is some of the feedback I received, and it baffled and flabbergasted me more than anything else.

“He’s not a consensus builder.” This seems a culture-fit comment. The company was a Fortune 50 company (later that was broken up, and broken up again after merging, and then had layoffs, and later more layoffs…) But how does an interview candidate show they are a “consensus builder?” I wondered if that was simply code, a euphemism for saying, “Not a team player.”
“You’re code is inefficient and unsound.” I got this feedback after doing a code test. They didn’t bother to ask me why I had written my code the way I had. Simply put, I used a counter-intuitive method to cover about four or five corner cases, and that made the actual code implementation simpler. It introduced redundant data to guarantee none of the corner cases occurred. Nor did they offer an explanation for the comment.
“You complete ignored question X.” The question was dealing with Java streams. However the interviewer over the phone was talking, and then made the comment in passing without an emphasis as a question. It was a verbal aside, and asked after much verbiage when I replied with “Uh-huh” when the interviewer paused. The conversation was like: “Java has really evolved, and it’s recent features…What about Java streams? We typically use Spring as a server…” I focused on Spring, a Java J2EE server, but missed his question in the middle. Also the interviewer did not revisit the question, or ask it again as a question.

I get the interview feedback “We don’t program in that language X, or my team doesn’t use Y…we use Z.” When I get that feedback I have to bite my tongue. If you want me to do white boarding or examples in language X, specify Z. As an aside, I’ve gotten the advice “Use whatever programming language is in the job description.” But if three or more are given, it’s hard to guess which one is the one the interviewer wants.
I once got interview feedback that: ”You stalled too much asking too many questions.” Or I was told: ”You didn’t remain on point.” It’s difficult to remain on point when the interviewer is vague and ambiguous in the problem.

Suggestions for Interviewing an Autistic Person

Do not ask open-ended, vague questions, give a specific question with context, and an idea of the details in an answer.
Example: “What technical challenge have you solved, that you are most proud of in your career, from college up to now?”
Now it is clear for the timeframe, the what, the how, and the when.
For a question, ask it as a question, not in passing, and not casually in conversation. Directness is important, as it defines the context boundaries of a question asked. When talking questions do not have quotation marks and a question mark.
For white boarding, give the problem, step-by-step, specify language, but allow steps to solve or write code, and then after a solution, add constraints, helpful hints. And don’t keep interrupting until either a clarification question is asked, or you can see the autistic person is “stuck” in the logic of the solution.

Make it clear when the white boarding is done and the solution to the coding problem is satisfactory.
Do not make non sequiturs, irrelevant comments, they only confuse, baffle, and distract from the interview. They are a cognitive and verbal noise just nicer sounding to the interviewer.
The room should be sensory friendly. No distractions that are visible, or sounds that disrupt and over stimulate. No interruptions of any kind and indicate an interview in progress, silence.

Conclusion

Interviewing is very ad hoc, but there are ways to make an interview more friendly and accessible for an autistic/kindred person. Distractions, interruptions only keep someone with autism from focusing, thinking, and showing their gifts and skills. Non sequiturs, ambiguous questions, and worst of all making presumptions and assumptions without being explicit are obstacles in the way.

The best neurodiverse hiring event that I attended, I was shown into a conference room, had my resume on the table, a whiteboard on each wall (blank) the blinds lowered, and each interviewer came into the room. Also on the outside door was my name, along with words: ”Interview in Progress!” Thus it was indicated silence and not to intrude or interrupt.

Between each interview, I could go to the break area and get a pop, snack, or use the bathroom, or whatever. Some of the problems I have discussed came up in the neurodiverse interview, such as interviewer interruption, and non sequiturs. But sensory and external distraction wise, the interview setup and format were excellent.

About the Author

I am a developer, computer scientist, and writer with many years of development experience. I program in Java for work and fun.

Me, Myself, and I — Your Author’s Picture

My home site about me is: https://wgilreath.github.io/WillHome.html. I describe himself as: a writer of code, equations, poems, text, and lover of cats. He can be reached online at will.f.gilreath@gmail.com by e-mail.

I’ve written another essay about being an autistic/kindred person on Medium “A Perspective On Autism: Seen from the Opposite Side of the Mirror — a Reflection.” Read online at: https://medium.com/@will.f.gilreath/a-perspective-on-autism-seen- from-the-opposite-side-of-the-mirror-a-reflection-8388c31c0f3d?

Photo Credits

I did want to give credit to the photo images used in this essay. All the annotated images in this essay were downloaded from Unsplash, and I am grateful to the contributors for sharing some of the most amazing photos for free. I thank-you!

Here is the credit list in alphabetical order for the photo images:

Photo by @chairulfajar_ on Unsplash
Photo by Alexander Andrews on Unsplash • Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash
Photo by Hert Niks from Pexels
Photo by Braydon Anderson on Unsplash • Photo by Camylla Battani on Unsplash
Photo by Charles on Unsplash
Photo by Christian Erfurt on Unsplash
Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash • Photo by Daniel McCullough on Unsplash
Photo by Daniel Mingook Kim on Unsplash
Photo by David Olubaji on Unsplash
Photo by Drew Hays on Unsplash
Photo by Evan Dennis on Unsplash
Photo by Craig Adderley from Pexels
Photo by Jason Rosewell on Unsplash
Photo by Johanna Buguet on Unsplash
Photo by Ben Mullins on Unsplash
Photo by Kalea Jerielle on Unsplash
Photo by Karina Carvalho on Unsplash
Photo by Nik MacMillan on Unsplash
Photo by Paul Kim on Unsplash
Photo by Tadeusz Lakota on Unsplash
Photo by Valentin Salja on Unsplash
Photo by Will Malott on Unsplash