When I was in college the counselors told me never to tell the job interview person that I have a disablity because they would never higher me.....Yes that is against the law but they don't have to say that was the reason.

I remember the most important interview of my life was at a tv studio Channel 12. Having ADHD I could not keep still altough I had it in my mind to do so and also the big NONO was I could not keep I contact. I didn't tell them I had ADHD but i think I should have to explain to them so they would understand my situation. Needless to say I never was called back for a second interview after that heart breaking experience(I always wanted to work in TV) I know that I am not ready to go out into the world and I need to get control of this ADHD first.

I so wish I would have told them what I was going through..that what i get for listening to professional counselors. How do I handle it next time I have a big interview?

I heard that it's best to keep quiet about it on job interviews unless specifically asked (and I'm not sure they can do that). If you have tics or certain types of behavior that is outwardly obvious then you might explain if it makes you feel more comfortable to do so.

This is just my opinion on what I would do in that type of situation. No need to raise any red flags but no need to lie if asked either.

actually I graduated with asscociated degree in electronics with a 3.4 ave.....Not that I am bragging of course hehehe.

What you don't disclose can't be used against you.

Disclosing it would not have helped. It would have confirmed that there was reason to be concered. The best thing is to get control over the ADHD before interviewing. A stimulant med might calm you and reduce the need to move. That is its intended purpose in children who are hyper, to make it possible for them to sit still in class. You might also look at becoming an intern at a station, where you will have a chance to be hired from within. I would still not mention the ADHD unless it became necessary. Once they see that you produce good results it won't matter if you BCWR or XJTD, who cares at that point! They are not suppose to ask, it is your business what brainwaves you have, and in my opinion you are not suppose to tell, it is your job to do well, no matter how you think, so why tell?

Jonathan

I would agree with Jonathan on this. There is no reason to tell them of any of your diagnoses unless the job you're interviewing for would require that you have special accomodations, or that you might put others' lives at risk by taking that job with your particular disability.

In fact, there are many jobs where AD/HDers are well suited for! I say...Go Get em Girl!! :D

I think it all depends on the job. For instance when I interview for my job as a special ed assistant I told them about my AD/HD. I felt that it actually helped me.

There have been other job interviews where I didn't feel any need to let them know.

You might also want to check out the books listed in this section http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=194

ADDA also has some tapes about workplace issues from the last conference
http://www.add.org/shoppe

Thanks Tara will check them out and hopefully find the books in a local library...seeing as I have no $$$$ to buy. But do have one question for Healthwiz what exaclty is BCWR or XJTD? lol never heard of it. sorry.

In fact as I remember I was taking Adderall when I went on interview for TV station...I was ssooo nervous (being that I needed that job so bad i could taste it) but still I could not keep still and I stuttered alot(also a big nono)

Sounds like the adderral did not work as intended, and over stimulated you - possibly. For most ADDers, stimulants slow us down. In fact, that is one of the diagnostic tests some doctors have used to see if one is truly ADD. If the medication is in the wrong dose, ie; too much at once, or if one is not ADD, the response will be increased hyperness, not calmness. If it is the right dose, the response will be a calmer more focused effect.

Of course, how much you slept, how worried you were, all have some effect too.

I think you might want to revisit that day mentally, go over it with a good doctor and try to have his opinion in helping decide if it was nerves, undermedication, over medication, wrong medication, or not enough sleep and too much worry.

Once you overcome that situation in your mind, you will be able to go on and interview anywhere with a higher degree of confidence, which translates to higher degree of success.

I used the university student center as a place to help get placement after college, free of charge. They even ran me through mock interviews to show me my mistakes and where I could improve, including how I was dressed, and how I spoke and how I answered questions. This was very helpful in building confidence. Do you have that service at your local university? Call Student services and see if you can avail yourself of those services.

As for the 4 letter acronyms, they meant absolutely nothing. I was only using them to show that the 4 letters don't mean a damn thing, unless you make them mean something. Otherwise, ADHD is just a thinking style, and it happens to be a thinking style shared by a great many great thinkers throughout history, not a bad thinking style, even if it comes with the necessity for some coping strategies.

Hope that helps

Jonathan

Well when I do think of it....I was so nervous I may have taken too much adderall. OOPs and ITT seem to forget about me after I graduated..such nice people.

Mel, First of all I do NOT find my ADHD as a disability but as an advantage. Given the right field your ADD may actually be a benefit and put you a step ahead of the average workforce. But, I do NOT mention my adhd to interviewers because they do tend to look elsewere. But, once your foot is in the door--THE GAME IS ON. Choose a field were your ADD is NOT the handicap but the advantage and let the sky be your limit.

Good luck Mel

The skies the limit....then maybe i should take up flying....can't do no worse than the pilots in the movie Sweet Dreams....hehehe joke

I think you should just say "I'm feeling a bit nervous" if you have weird tics, so that they can understand. This is something anybody can relate to, especially during an interview. Saying "I have AD(H)D" can be seen as "I am flawed" which is negative. Anybody can be agitated one day, not just us.

Thank You Sonja..will definetly think of that and welcome to the ADD forums:)

For me personally, I'd NEVER tell. I don't want anyone to look at me as a lesser person and I don't care what anyone says. Unless they have it themselves, people judge.

Unfortunatley it is true..we are not lesser people! We are very special and intellegent people..sometimes more than the norms and we are creative. ADHD is nothing to be ashamed of..only reason I would not tell is I don't need people I was trying to Milk this ADHD for all that it's worth...ingnorant minds tend to think that. Thanks ADDfor2:D Welcome to the forums!

I have to comment on this based on as many jobs as Ive had (which is a lot) and never being satisfied and moving on to another job. Once I learned of my ADD and began to get an understanding of it I have found that it is very detramental to tell a prospective employer that you have ADD as it instantly puts up a red flag. There limited knowlage of ADD and the fact that there is another prospective employee that doesnt have ADD , given the choice between 2 potential employees , 1 with ADD and one without , it gives them an easier choice in the matter.

Why deal with a potential problem

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That was then when I needed a job for money to exist

________________________________

Now that I understand my positive points and negative points I choose to go after jobs that my ADD is an addvantage for.

Why take a job that Im going to get bored at and quit anyway.

The trick is getting the Job in the first place!

I agree it's getting the job to begin with and so far ADD hasn't stopped me from getting most jobs I have had. A few I've lost because they just weren't for me and I accept that but so far I've done fine without disclosing. I also agree with you we are special, not lesser people and if we all keep that in mind while interviewing for a job I think that positive attitude can go a long way. Dee

Maybe that why I failed the last interview, I was having a real hard time around then, but I did go in with a fake postive attitude...still did not work...hmph!

Mel, find another fabulous TV station and if you make a mistake (you're allowed to do it; even normies do it) just tell them, "I'm so excited about the position!" I'm with the people on the board who maintain that you should never give an interviewer information that they can use to perceive you as negative. It's context-sensitive - in Tara's situation, it was a useful characteristic, but having worked in entertainment, education, and as a recruiter, I can tell you that ESPECIALLY in image-sensitive fields like entertainment/television, YOU WILL BE SCREENED!

I would NEVER tell a prospective employer unless it helped sell me, like working with people who had ADD for example. People have all sorts of stupid ideas about these things and it just isn't worth it to bring it up.

"Oh, is that the one where you see things that aren't really there".. yeeuch.

Is ADD a weakness. I don't think so. I wouldn't trade mine in.

But it sure as heck can make corporate life more rotten than it already is. And I firmly believe it has NO place in the interview process with very rare exception.

A job interview is just a sales call. That's it. This idea sounded stupid 10 years ago, but I take it for gospel now.

And you don't talk about things that can be/will be perceived as a weakness if you want to make the sale.

-B.

I would NOT name it specifically in an interview. I find that there is way too much stigma about it, and whether or not the employer knows about AD/HD, it is quite possible that they will start 'looking into the future' if they hear AD/HD.

If I'm not comfortable disclosing that information (I usually am comfortable telling people about it) because I don't know the person well enough to guage how open-minded they are, I will say things like 'I have a short-term working memory disorder' (which is true, as I took a LD test). Other things that are less likely to arouse negative/stereotypes: learning disability, very energetic, very empathetic (or sensitive).

I also say that I am the kind of person that feels uncomfortable with feeling things are left hanging after a misunderstanding, and that I need to have things very clear/unambiguous.

These all relate to the issues related to ADD for me: confused with even the slightest ambiguity, sensitive to how people react to me, forgetting things.

The only job interviews I've done are for retail sales position, lifeguarding, coop for school (I bombed that one...), and a behavioural interventionalist.
And from all those, what mattered most was my personality, passion for the job, and experience. Saying that I am very experienced with public relations and that I love talking to all kinds of people, and know a lot about swimsuits was enough to get me a job working at a fitness apparel boutique (even though I had a lot of difficulty balancing the books).
Saying that I had 3 years experience teaching and lifeguarding, loved kids and had guarded at big facilities before was enough to get me a job at the pool on campus.

And the fact that I had an interest in psychology and special needs children, and being a psychology major was enough to get me a job offer working with a child with autism.

If you have no experience specifically with the position you're applying for, you need to point out other general skills that you have that the job entails.
-see the big picture (have issues with putting together the details as AD/HDers...)
-public relations (we're outgoing in general)
-empathetic
-enthusiastic (we wouldn't work in a job that doesn't hold our interest)
-creative
-teamwork skills (we NEED help from other people a lot anyway)
-good verbal skills
-multitasking
-fast thinking

...other things that ADD has helped with the jobs I've held
-visual processing: lifeguarding is easy b/c I can scan easily and recognize situations, I can read emotions fairly easily
-verbal skills: teaching children, creative ways to explain how to do things
-organizing displays and racks in the swimsuit store
-being able to keep an eye on what is going on around me at the pool has helped save a few straying kids from drowning
-having really good ideas for large projects/events for student residence council... and the rest of council helps with details (delegating is great!)
-being outspoken has been great for me as I am honest (I've learned to monitor how to say things so it doesn't offend the other person)

-I like finding out about people, so I find that a lot of people talk to me when they are feeling not-so-good (makes me feel accepted)

...I'm unapologetic about being forgetful, so the last interview I went to I actually took out a pad of paper and pen to write stuff down. I felt more in control and it portrayed a good image (that I was finding what the interviewers were saying as important enough to write down)

hope this helps

:) Thanks Slowpoke.

Last Job Interview I went on I bombed too. I took really bad advice from one to go into the Job interview and give Illuision that you are confident...and DONT LET THEM KNOW U ARE ADHD.

So when the Interviewer asked what are my weaknesses, I smiles and said, "Nothing that I can think of." :nono:

That one sentence painted a big fat LIAR on my face because the entire interview I could not keep eye contact, sit still, my mind went blank on a couple of questions so I did not answer right away.

My Weakness, I can tell a lie with a straight face, but should not wait for an Academy Award For Best Actress in an Job Interview!

No

Um, Thanks Mct...Straight and to the point as usual I see:D I hope you are not just sugar coating it:p

If your not upfront about having ADD in the interview...and get the job, when should you tell? Many companies have a policy that not disclosing information is equal to flat out lying and can fire you over it.

What if the situation arises and you need special accomodations...I think it makes you look worse if you just walk in one day and say "I have ADD, and i need to have blah, blah, to work effectivly."

For EOE purposes many companies try to recruit people with "disabilities" so would disclosing this put us at an advantage?

If your not upfront about having ADD in the interview...and get the job, when should you tell? Many companies have a policy that not disclosing information is equal to flat out lying and can fire you over it.

What if the situation arises and you need special accomodations...I think it makes you look worse if you just walk in one day and say "I have ADD, and i need to have blah, blah, to work effectivly."

For EOE purposes many companies try to recruit people with "disabilities" so would disclosing this put us at an advantage?
I should have prefaced this by saying at my last job when i had to hire i was encouraged to look for people with "disaiblities".

Hmmm would it be becuadse ppl with disablities such as ours try harder???

I think you should just say "I'm feeling a bit nervous" if you have weird tics, so that they can understand. This is something anybody can relate to, especially during an interview. Saying "I have AD(H)D" can be seen as "I am flawed" which is negative. Anybody can be agitated one day, not just us.


Sonia's got a good point. No need to disclose unless asked a direct question (it's always good not to lie in interviews, or indeed in general)

You might want to try some breathing exercises prior to interviews & do things that calm you down (I try to go to the gym beforehand)

Thanks will think of that next time if my doc gives me the go ahead to look for work

Hmmm would it be becuadse ppl with disablities such as ours try harder???
so this should be a quality employers are looking for? I don't see thew disadvantage, i'm not going to offer the info but i'll be direct if asked.

Oh I know hun.....but I looking at the logic of the Hiring guy......would you rather Hire an A student who thinks he knows it all.....or the B student whom you could train to do the job you want it done....

Are you saying we know it all or are hard to train?:) That was the problem at my last job I had the experience, the talent, and they wanted someone that would just do things their (wrong) way...When would be a good time to bring this up?

I am the same way....they tell me how they want it done....to heck with that I know a better way.....I think that none of bosses liked me:D

I actually had data and a guy from the corporate office backing me up.

You were Lucky....ppl to scared....Unlike me to stand up to em......I may have been an employee but still a human being and refused to be treated anyless!