Interviews...oh please no!

[Storm Hess]

Had to go to a public office today and it became quite noisy...so much so that I had to put in my earplugs. I was extremely nervous to begin with, which didn't help the situation. When I got in there and sat down, I could hear every conversation going on at the same time whilst they typed on keyboards. My hands started shaking and I started to panic. It's much like putting my head in a metal garbage bin whilst people talk really loudly into it. When it gets really bad, it feels like someone is hitting the sides of the bin. They had to move us to a private room to finish the interview.

The aftereffects...now at home, my ears are ringing and every voice is still extremely loud. Noise cancelling headphones not working very well at the moment and I feel exhausted.

What have been your experiences going out in these situations? How have you dealt with it?

 

[Judge]

If I had to itemize the banes of my existence, looking for work and doing job interviews would be at the top of such a list. No question. Holding a job was never an issue. Just getting my foot in the door, that was another matter.

I always recalled going into a corporate employment office blindly, and asking for a job application. A friendly woman came out and handed me a form to complete, and then proceeded to sit right next to me on a sofa.
Made me so uncomfortable I excused myself and said I needed to get some more information I left in my car.

- I left and never returned. Never even made it to the interview process. Too stressful to me to have anyone sitting next to me as I try to complete a complex form.

 

[Owliet]

Had to go to a public office today and it became quite noisy...so much so that I had to put in my earplugs. I was extremely nervous to begin with, which didn't help the situation. When I got in there and sat down, I could hear every conversation going on at the same time whilst they typed on keyboards. My hands started shaking and I started to panic. It's much like putting my head in a metal garbage bin whilst people talk really loudly into it. When it gets really bad, it feels like someone is hitting the sides of the bin. They had to move us to a private room to finish the interview.

The aftereffects...now at home, my ears are ringing and every voice is still extremely loud. Noise cancelling headphones not working very well at the moment and I feel exhausted.

What have been your experiences going out in these situations? How have you dealt with it?

I really feel this. I don’t have much advice. I thought the job I am currently in before finishing in June was given to me by a fluke of luck. It’s highly stressful and exhausting going into interviews. All I can suggest is prepare what you will say in advance. Listen to what they say and take your time to respond to the Questions asked to you but don’t do too much thinking or go too quickly in answering them. I made this mistake. The aftermath is the time to unwind the tension, so be kind to yourself and do something that you enjoy doing. I wish you luck with this interview.

If I had to itemize the banes of my existence, looking for work and doing job interviews would be at the top of such a list. No question. Holding a job was never an issue. Just getting my foot in the door, that was another matter.

And I get to do this process myself again in the next few months. I’m dreading going in again.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

Autism-related sensory issues are never going to subside. However, since my diagnosis and further research into the topic, I do find that when my brain becomes exhausted, my sensory issues are amplified. In my experience, mental exhaustion is a symptom of a problem, or a list of problems, in which we often do have some control over. Such as:
1. Getting on an "anti-inflammatory" or "autism" diet plan. Basically, it comes down to avoiding junk foods and carbohydrates, as these foods typically create an inflammatory state in the body,...including our brains. Furthermore, if you have the money, you can be tested for specific foods that you are sensitive to. There are companies on-line that will send you a kit to send a sample back to them and will give you quite a detailed list of foods that you may and may not be sensitive to. You may find yourself sensitive to foods you actually like, but are a source of problems for you.
2. Using a broad-spectrum probiotic. The higher the numbers of bacteria varieties, often the better. The gut-brain axis is a source of neurotransmitters for our brains. If you are on a limited diet, you could be limiting the varieties of bacteria, creating some degree of neurotransmitter imbalance.
3. Sleep! Melatonin and L-theanine are my "go to" helpers with this. Chelated magnesium helps the muscles and blood vessels relax.
4. Anti-oxidant supplements. Specifically, the ones I recommend have been studied in autistics and cross the blood-brain barrier. N-acetyl cysteine, resveratrol, and ubiquinol. Neurotransmitter imbalances in the autistic brain can cause inflammation, cerebral edema, and cell death,...but also intensify our sensory and communication experience.
5. Natural light and exercise,...a little bit goes a long way. Get outside in the sunshine, get some fresh air, and go for a walk. You don't have to go to the gym.

The bottom line, just like anyone else with a "condition" affecting an organ in the body,...the heart, the kidneys, the pancreas, the liver,...we, as autistics, have to take special care of our brains.

I think you were, perhaps, looking for a more psychological answer to this, but symptomatology is almost always secondary to some physiological condition. Treat the problem, not the symptom. Having said that, I will repeat,...autism sensory issues never go away completely, but it is more a matter of "management" and "minimization".

 

[Storm Hess]

Autism-related sensory issues are never going to subside. However, since my diagnosis and further research into the topic, I do find that when my brain becomes exhausted, my sensory issues are amplified. In my experience, mental exhaustion is a symptom of a problem, or a list of problems, in which we often do have some control over. Such as:
1. Getting on an "anti-inflammatory" or "autism" diet plan. Basically, it comes down to avoiding junk foods and carbohydrates, as these foods typically create an inflammatory state in the body,...including our brains. Furthermore, if you have the money, you can be tested for specific foods that you are sensitive to. There are companies on-line that will send you a kit to send a sample back to them and will give you quite a detailed list of foods that you may and may not be sensitive to. You may find yourself sensitive to foods you actually like, but are a source of problems for you.
2. Using a broad-spectrum probiotic. The higher the numbers of bacteria varieties, often the better. The gut-brain axis is a source of neurotransmitters for our brains. If you are on a limited diet, you could be limiting the varieties of bacteria, creating some degree of neurotransmitter imbalance.
3. Sleep! Melatonin and L-theanine are my "go to" helpers with this. Chelated magnesium helps the muscles and blood vessels relax.
4. Anti-oxidant supplements. Specifically, the ones I recommend have been studied in autistics and cross the blood-brain barrier. N-acetyl cysteine, resveratrol, and ubiquinol. Neurotransmitter imbalances in the autistic brain can cause inflammation, cerebral edema, and cell death,...but also intensify our sensory and communication experience.
5. Natural light and exercise,...a little bit goes a long way. Get outside in the sunshine, get some fresh air, and go for a walk. You don't have to go to the gym.

The bottom line, just like anyone else with a "condition" affecting an organ in the body,...the heart, the kidneys, the pancreas, the liver,...we, as autistics, have to take special care of our brains.

I think you were, perhaps, looking for a more psychological answer to this, but symptomatology is almost always secondary to some physiological condition. Treat the problem, not the symptom. Having said that, I will repeat,...autism sensory issues never go away completely, but it is more a matter of "management" and "minimization".

This was very helpful and informative. I am definitely going to look into this! If this can help reduce sensory issues, I'm all for it!

 

[VictorR]

Yep. One of the main challenges with interviews is the unpredictability. Places, sounds, questions. We can prepare, but still encounter "curveballs."

I want to note that if you are seeking employment with a larger organization, public or private sector, they will usually have human resources specialists who may be willing to work with you to make adjustments or adaptions to the process to make it smoother and less intimidating. More so if they're a unionized work environment.

 

[Nervous Rex]

My problem with interviews is that I do great when I know what is expected of me. I can be a great communicator when I know my audience, I know what we're going to discuss, and I have time to prepare.

But in interviews, they ask random, off-the-wall questions and suddenly I feel like I'm drowning in a stormy sea, flailing for my life.

I'm actually dreading saying yes to an upcoming interview. Someone contacted me view LinkedIn, looking to hire programmers for one of the big 4 tech companies. I am happy with my job right now, but I thought, "I should at least hear them out."

I had to make a resumé - I've worked at the same company for over 20 years and haven't needed one.

Now they're going to schedule an interview and I'm thinking, "What have I got myself into?" I got myself so wound up that I haven't slept well since I said yes to an interview several days ago.

I try to keep telling myself that I've got a good job right now and so I lose nothing by doing this. Why is my fight-or-flight response triggered when there's no need to fight or flee?

 

[Suzette]

I had to make a resumé - I've worked at the same company for over 20 years and haven't needed one.

Now they're going to schedule an interview and I'm thinking, "What have I got myself into?" I got myself so wound up that I haven't slept well since I said yes to an interview several days ago.

The answer to your dilema is in the top line. You have a job and are content there so nothing rides on the sucess of this interview. You get to go to this interview just to have fun! It's like being offered the opportunity to walk across lava without getting burned. You are so lucky!