People on the autism spectrum can be great employees.
Their natural aptitude make them very good candidates for IT professionals. Accuracy, memory for detail or analytical skills are among the many distinctive skills of people on the spectrum.
However, the problem arises during recruitment people on the autism spectrum. Severe stress, difficulties with social interactions, problems with excess or deficit of sensory stimuli, abstract questions…. These are the reasons that could exclude even the most talented candidate with an autism spectrum disorder.
An autistic person may behave in an uncharacteristic manner during a recruitment interview. Sometimes he will surprise you with a direct statement, sometimes with a deep-seated honesty. Few employers know how to react then. Therefore it is difficult to employ a person on the autism spectrum by yourself. This requires knowledge of the job candidates’ autistic behaviour and a broad knowledge of neurodiversity. Supporting the neuroatypical recruitment process will help you find new talented employees.
How to prepare for recruitment in order to hire
a talented person on the autism spectrum?
The first step to hiring an employee on the autism spectrum is the openness to make changes in the company. Neuroatypical people need to adapt company procedures to suit their needs, and the first of these is just recruitment. Modifications to the company’s existing processes won’t only allow neuroatypical people to be employed, but will also improve the comfort and productivity of other employees.aa
Properly prepared space to demonstrate their competence gives people on the autism spectrum opportunity to work and develop professionally, and for companies to hire committed professionals. Don’t let a candidate’s unusual behaviour deprive you of the opportunity to attract a talented employee.
Talk to your counsellor about employing people on the autism spectrum
Recruitment of people on the autism spectrum according to a proprietary method
developed by asperIT
The labor market is beginning to run out of specialists.Vocational activation of autistic people creates new opportunities for employers to attract employees. By preparing the recruitment process properly, you can discover the competences of the candidates and hire the right person.
How do you employ a person on the autism spectrum? In response to this question, we have developed a proprietary method for recruiting neuroatypical IT employees.
What do you need to know about autism and neurodiversity,
to be an asset to your business?
As asperIT, We were the first in Poland to create a strategy for building neurodiversity in companies and organizations.
These are three levels of gaining theoretical and practical knowledge, whose implementation is essential to take full advantage of the diverse team:
Level I: Provide key information about autism and the characteristics of people on the autism spectrum and the necessary workplace adaptations for people on the autism spectrum.
Level II: Preparing employee to work directly with a person on the spectrum. Learning about communication strategies, recruitment, work organisation and support.
Level III: Creating tailor-made solutions to work with a specific employee on the autism spectrum or with Asperger’s syndrome in your company.
asperIT can help you recruit a person on the autism spectrum or with Asperger’s syndrome through:extended recruitment, assisted recruitment or recruitment assistance.
How does step-by-step targeted recruitment look like through
asperIT recruitment project?
1.
WE RECRUIT CANDIDATES ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM WHO MATCH THE JOB PROFILE
Initial recruitment to the project is based on job aptitude tests and interviews with our trainers. Based on these, we form a group of 10 to 14 people who will participate in the recruitment project.
2.
WE CONDUCT SOCIAL SKILLS TRAINING FOR SELECTED CANDIDATES
At this stage, we teach soft skills to people on the autism spectrum. They will need them to find their way around and function in the workplace. Participants learn the principles of communication, the differences between addressing colleagues and bosses, the nuances of group work and relationships.
3.
DURING TECHNICAL TRAINING, WE IMPART THE KNOWLEDGE NECESSARY FOR WORK
Technical training is a period of intensive learning. Candidates on the autism spectrum will learn about the issues needed to become a software developer or tester (or any other issue of the client’s choice). Testing training courses conclude with an approach to the ISTQB certification exam.
4.
DURING TRAINING, WE OBSERVE THE POTENTIAL AND MOTIVATION OF INDIVIDUAL CANDIDATES
Our tutors observe the candidates by recognising their capabilities and specific needs. The information gathered makes it possible to hire the person who can best handle the tasks in the workplace and be able to function in a neurodiverse team.
5.
WE ORGANISE TRAINING FOR PEOPLE WHO WILL BE WORKING WITH AN EMPLOYED PERSON ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM
To make the most of the developmental opportunities that neurodiversity brings to the workplace, you need the right knowledge. During staff training, we provide the necessary information on autism and Asperger’s syndrome. This will ensure that the whole team that will be working with the person on the spectrum is well prepared for this.
6.
WE OFFER 12 WEEKS OF POST-EMPLOYMENT SUPPORT FOR EMPLOYEES ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM.
The start of cooperation brings new challenges. Through tutoring, we support the autistic employee in finding his or her way in a new situation. We also provide assistance to those who work with it. We clarify all doubts and show you how to avoid problems
in communication.
Extended employee recruitment process
on the autism spectrum helps to recognise potential
candidates
The method we have developed for employing people on the autism spectrum involves an extended recruitment process. We are organising it as a training project. We prepare both job applicants and current employees and managers for recruitment. In this way, both sides of the process gain the relevant knowledge and necessary information.
The entire project takes place under the close supervision of the asperIT Foundation. Since 2015, the Foundation has been involved in the vocational activation of people on the autism spectrum and Asperger’s syndrome, who, with the right support, can take up jobs in neurodiverse teams. Thanks to the recruitment project, people on the autism spectrum have been recruited, among others to the planning department at Procter&Gamble and the cyber security department at an international consultancy. Other candidates were given the chance to work in our testing team and our client teams.
Why is it worth to hire a person on the autism spectrum
from the asperIT recruitment project?
Most employers do not have the necessary knowledge to employ a person on the autism spectrum themselves. Support from people experienced in working with neuroatypicals helps to find new talent in the labour market.
Thanks to the recruitment project to hire an employee
on the autism spectrum:
You will get to know a candidate’s capabilities before you make a decision to hire them.
You will be provided with a list of adaptations and expectations based on the candidate’s autism-related limitations necessary to be implemented in the workplace for your particular candidate.
You will check how he handles the tasks he will be doing on a daily basis.
You will hire a person who, thanks to social training, will be better equipped to work with the team.
You will choose the person who actually has the competences best suited to the position.
You will gain a committed employee. A positive recruitment experience builds commitment and motivation to work.
You will gain a competitive advantage from the new values brought to the company by a person on the autism spectrum.
You will increase your employees’ knowledge of autism and Asperger’s syndrome.
We are also helping to recruit people on the autism spectrum outside the project
Assisted recruitment
We can help you recruit an employee on the autism spectrum from our candidate database. This will be a person with the necessary competences and skills to work in the IT sector, as he or she has completed training projects organised by the asperIT Foundation. Our tutors are knowledgeable about the expectations, needs and adjustments to be implemented in the workplace. Assisted recruitment is a good option for employers who are keen to recruit an employee quickly or whose tasks overlap with the asperIT Foundation’s technical training courses.
Assistance in recruitment
We offer support in your ongoing recruitment of a person on the autism spectrum or with Asperger’s syndrome. We will help your team go through the assessment of her competence together and identify the necessary adjustments to be implemented.
Recruitment of people on the autism spectrum is a form of expression of
corporate social responsibility
People on the autism spectrum (including those with Asperger’s syndrome) often experience discrimination in their professional and social lives. This is due to a lack of knowledge and misunderstanding of their behaviour. For this reason, employers are afraid to hire a person on the autism spectrum.
Participation in a recruitment project builds your company’s image as a socially responsible employer. You create a neurodiverse working environment in your company and enhance the capabilities of your teams.
Do you want to employ a person on the autism spectrum?
Do you want to employ a person on the autism spectrum?
Employing a worker on the autism spectrum is an opportunity for innovation
in the workplace.
