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I've been having horrible luck with job interviews. I have been to many - my resume is great - but just never get the job.

Recently I spoke with a doctor and he put me on the autism spectrum. It's not a big thing, but it involves me having trouble speaking with new people, making eye contact, etc.

I believe the two things may be related. Is this something that I can and should mention during an interview, or does this look bad? (i.e "You might not get a good first impression, but don't worry!"). How can I convey this in a professional manner?

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    Have you done any previous interviews for professional jobs at any point in your life where you have landed the job? I am wondering if this is a rut, if your new to professional interviews, or if this has been a long standing problem.
    – Anketam
    Oct 1, 2016 at 22:29
  • The only job I have landed on my own has been a friend of my dad's who hired me. I got some less professional side gigs, but usually those are over the phone.
    – user48249
    Oct 1, 2016 at 22:33
  • Why do you "never get the job"? Do you think the interviewers don't recognize your autism during the interview?
    – WorkerDrone
    Oct 3, 2016 at 13:15

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According to Adults With ASD: Deciding When To Disclose they warn:

Unfortunately, there is evidence that revealing a disability during the application phase can have a negative impact.

While How to Disclose Asperger's Syndrome in an Interview leaves the area of the interview in the gray area and only warns that:

Generally speaking, it is not advisable to disclose Asperger's syndrome in a resume or cover letter unless the diagnosis is likely to be perceived as an asset by the employer.

Looking around forums and other places across the Internet I find a lot of people warning against it. So my recommendation is not to mention it, but instead focus on trying to minimize the impact your autism has on the interview.

The good news is that there are resources on the internet to help those with autism (and Asperger's) prepare for interviews. Autism Speaks has a pdf guide that covers tips for the interview: Autism Speaks The Job Interview Guide. While I also found an interesting article where a group is creating an interview simulation program to help people with autism practice interviewing and allow them to do the same interview over and over: Virtual Job Interviews Help Adults with Autism Make a Positive Impression. One other suggestion I found was to find someone you trust and have practice with them repeatedly.

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  • This is the better course of action. Don't disclose it unless absolutely necessary, but obtain resources and assistance to minimise the impact it has.
    – user53718
    Oct 1, 2016 at 23:20
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    I'm sorry, but who considers Autism Speaks as a remotely credible source?
    – Issa Chanzi
    Oct 2, 2016 at 3:25
  • unless the diagnosis is likely to be perceived as an asset by the employer. ? Seems like a red flag to me if they do.
    – Berry M.
    Dec 12, 2017 at 15:37
  • @BerryM. Maybe a career in politics or Hollywood?
    – psaxton
    Dec 12, 2017 at 20:12
  • Autism Speaks - problably the only "disability" advocacy institution that works against the "disabled" and does not even employ a single one of them. This institution should be banned and forbidden - not more, not less. Generally, ignore everything with the "Autism Speaks" plague on it..
    – phresnel
    Dec 13, 2018 at 10:51
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EDIT (since my original answer may already be irrelevant):

Since you seem to be a newcomer to the job market as Anketam correctly guessed. It could just be that you're blowing things out of proportion and psyching yourself out simply because you're not used to rejection.

I have been to many - my resume is great - but just never get the job.

Job-hunting is a numbers game. That's why it's important to never to use absolute quantifiers like "never" or "always", and never use vague evasive words like "many" when assessing your behavior.

The truth is that you have to treat job-hunting like a real job and that entails using real numbers. Also, it's a fact that rejection doesn't feel good (not just for you, but for everybody), and that our minds are trying to blow that feeling out of proportion so to avoid getting more rejections in the future.

ORIGINAL ANSWER (which may no longer be relevant):

What you're suggesting would go against conventional wisdom, but assuming the job you're looking for is software-related or math-related, and is non-managerial, it may be worth a shot mentioning it.

But I would be very careful with that. Going against conventions is risky. And if you do this, you should try AB testing it.

Just note that in the US, HR departments would try to censor that information out of any resume/cover letter you write, or out of any preliminary interview you take with them, so if you do this, you'll want to mention it to the hiring manager during the job interview, or mention it to them, instead of HR, if you're able to make first contact with them directly.

On one hand, you don't want to give them a reason to discriminate against you, but on the other hand, they may already be discriminating against you based on your outward behavior during the interview, and putting a label on your behavior could be a good way to bypass that concern.

That being said, the ideal solution would be to focus on your interviewing skills and practice interviewing. After all, even people with autism can improve their verbal and non-verbal demeanor with training. But that is no guarantee either. Perhaps the doctor who diagnosed you could recommend a specialist who could help you with that.

Aside from professional therapy, I'd suggest you take a look at practicing public speaking with Toastmasters and practicing technical interviews with Pramp (assuming you're interviewing for a software developer position). The former is a non-profit public speaking club that has chapters pretty much everywhere. And the latter is a web site where job-hunters take turns interviewing each other over video conferencing and using a technical coding problem that the site gives them.

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Do what your heart tell you to do, what it feels right. If you feel you have to tell it then do it.

The best way to find out if you can cooperate in this job is to be yourself. You are going to give more than 1/3 of your day, first impression is nice to be perfect but it doesn't have value over time.

Also the best version and the most accurate version of you is the real comfortable you, all the others are lower

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  • I don't know if "being yourself" is advisable in a job interview - it is, after all, pretty much a sales pitch, and people who struggle in formal social situations don't come off well in interviews without making an extra effort.
    – komodosp
    Oct 3, 2016 at 10:03
  • Its your choice if you want to sell yourself or sell what they buy. Its harded but its by far not a bad idea to live like that. Its actually pretty bad if u ask me
    – CDrosos
    Oct 3, 2016 at 10:55