A Guide To Hiring Neurodivergent Talent

The topic of neurodiversity resonates deeply with us for a couple of reasons. Number one, we’re recruiters, so sadly we know only too well how the hiring process can unintentionally marginalise neurodivergent people. We’ve seen it with our own eyes. Number two, our fabulous founder, Stacey, has ADHD herself. And without Stacey and her entrepreneurial spirit, we wouldn’t be here. So, as you can probably tell – this is something we’re super passionate about. We want to help break down the barriers that neurodivergent candidates so often face. And we want to help employers to build more representative, neurodiverse teams. So, on that note, we’ve created a guide to hiring neurodiverse talent. You might need to approach hiring a little differently, but with some simple adjustments, we guarantee you’ll benefit from a more inclusive workplace, filled with innovation and creativity. 

Before we dive into things, let’s cover off what we mean by the term neurodiversity. To us, neurodiversity is all about celebrating unique strengths and perspectives. We love the way Cambridge University Hospitals have summarised it: “Very simply, neurodiversity refers to the different ways a person’s brain processes information.” Common types of neurodiversity include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and dyspraxia. You might be wondering how this ties in with your hiring practices and talent attraction strategies – well, let’s take a look.  

How to hire neurodivergent talent

When you attract neurodivergent people to your business, you’ll benefit from the wonderful strengths, skills, and unique perspectives that neurodivergent people bring to work. For example, people with ADHD might be incredible at problem-solving and multitasking. And they can be super focused and committed to the projects they’re working on. While people with autism may have exceptional attention to detail. Neurodivergent thinking often comes hand in hand with amazing creativity, innovation and energy – which you don’t want to miss out on! 

But, the hiring process is often full of unconscious bias. So, it’s important to design a fair and inclusive hiring process. Here are some tips to help you get started:

Craft neurodiverse-friendly job ads 

With some thoughtful consideration, you can craft inclusive job ads. Our tops tips are:

• Focus on the essential skills and qualifications
• Use bullet points  
• Use clear and straightforward language
• Highlight a supportive work environment
• Emphasise diversity and inclusion 

Top tip:

Try to remove unconscious bias. Friday beers are a classic example – while this might seem like a dreamy perk to lots of people, it might be a neurodivergent person’s worst nightmare. So you might want to leave this off, or word it differently to make it clear that this isn’t an essential part of the job.   

Make your interviews neurodivergent friendly 

To ensure a neurodivergent-friendly interview process, it’s important to create an environment that is accommodating, supportive, and inclusive. Here are some tips to make your interview process more accessible and welcoming for neurodivergent candidates:

Communicate clearly and in advance

This will benefit all of your candidates! But, neurodivergent people in particular will likely benefit from clear communication and advanced knowledge of what to expect during an interview. So, make sure you’re keeping your candidates in the loop about the interview process, the format, duration, and any specific tasks or assessments involved (more on interview tasks in a moment). 

Use clear language

When asking questions or providing instructions, you need to use clear language. Avoid figurative language, idioms, or complex sentences – this can be confusing for everyone, especially neurodivergent people. When you’re explaining the role, use straightforward and specific language to ensure that candidates understand the expectations clearly. 

Provide accommodations if needed

Be open to providing accommodations. This could be: 

• Allowing extra processing time
• Offering alternative communication methods 
• Adjusting the physical environment to minimise sensory distractions 
• Offering flexibility in interview format 

Set appropriate interview tasks

If interview tasks are part of your hiring process, then you’ll want to take these points on board:

Provide clear instructions

Make sure your interview task instructions are clear, concise, and easy to understand. Neurodiverse people might interpret language a little differently from neurotypical people or have difficulty with ambiguous instructions. So, by providing clear guidelines and expectations, you’ll help to create a level playing field for everyone. 

Use real world examples

Use scenarios or real-world examples that are relevant to the job. We see it far too often where people are made to jump through hoops to demonstrate skills that aren’t even relevant to the role. So, focus on a task that’s designed to demonstrate the skills someone would need to be successful in the role. 

Focus on practical demonstrations

Instead of relying solely on traditional question-and-answer formats, consider incorporating practical demonstrations or work simulations into your hiring process. This allows people to showcase their skills and abilities in a more hands-on way. Plus, practical tasks can give you a much better idea of someone’s capabilities and potential fit within the role.

Learn about neurodiversity

Before you start hiring, you need to take some time to learn about neurodiversity. Most recruiters and hiring managers are used to dealing with neurotypical people, so make sure they’re up-to-date with inclusive hiring practices. If you’re handling things internally, make sure your team has some Neurodiversity Awareness Training under their belt. And if you’re working with external recruiters, make sure their practices reflect your own commitment to diversity and inclusion. A knowledgeable recruiter will provide you with extra support and resources to help you hire neurodiverse employees – so don’t be afraid to ask for their help. 

Conclusion

These solutions will help you to attract neurodiverse talent, but in our eyes, they’ll also benefit your staff across the board. They’ll help you to create a workplace that’s inclusive, diverse, and supportive for all your employees – so it’s win-win! If you’re interested to read more of our employer advice tips, head over to our blog now. 

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