'If I'm just me, I doubt I'd get the job': A qualitative exploration of autistic people's experiences in job interviews.
Camouflaging in job interviews is exhausting for autistic adults—build interview options that reduce pressure to mask.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Finn et al. (2023) talked with autistic adults about job interviews. They asked how it feels to hide autistic traits during hiring.
The team held long interviews. People shared stories of stress, acting 'normal,' and fear of being caught.
What they found
Every adult said camouflaging was exhausting. They used words like 'draining' and 'fake.'
Many feared that showing their real self would kill the job chance. They wanted interview formats that do not reward only eye contact and small talk.
How this fits with other research
Emerson et al. (2023) ran an experiment that backs this up. Judges rated the same answers lower when they could see the autistic candidate on video. Ratings rose when only transcripts were shown. Together, the studies say the problem is the format, not the person.
McQuaid et al. (2024) review shows the stress does not stop after hiring. Adults who disclose can get accommodations but often meet stigma. The interview camouflage Mikaela heard is the first step in a longer masking path.
Solomon (2020) argued employer bias is mostly unfounded. Mikaela et al. give the human voice behind those numbers: candidates feel forced to mask because they know bias waits.
Why it matters
If you coach autistic adults for work, drop the 'practice eye contact' goal. Replace one traditional mock interview with a written work sample or a clear, question-by-question video screen that hides face cues. Candidates show skills without burning energy on camouflage, and you gather better data on what they can actually do.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
When applying for a job, autistic job candidates are likely to face a number of challenges. Job interviews are one of these challenges - they require communicating and relationship-building with unfamiliar people and involve expectations about behaviour (that may vary between companies and are not made clear to job candidates). Given autistic people communicate differently to non-autistic people, autistic job candidates may be disadvantaged in the interview process. Autistic candidates may not feel comfortable or safe sharing with organisations their autistic identity and may feel pressure to hide any characteristics or behaviour they feel might indicate they are autistic. To explore this issue, we interviewed 10 autistic adults about their job interview experiences in Australia. We analysed the content of the interviews and found three themes that related to the individual person and three themes that related to environmental factors. Participants told us that they engaged in camouflaging behaviour during job interviews, feeling pressure to conceal aspects of themselves. Those who camouflaged during job interviews reported that it took a lot of effort, which resulted in increased stress, anxiety and exhaustion. The autistic adults we spoke to reported a need for inclusive, understanding and accommodating employers to help them feel more comfortable disclosing their autism diagnosis in the job application process. These findings add to current research that has explored camouflaging behaviour and barriers to employment for autistic people.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2023 · doi:10.1177/13623613231153480