KAT SNODGRASS IS DIRECTOR OF GLOBAL TALENT POOL AT THE EMERGING TALENT AND RESKILL TRAINING PARTNER, WILEY EDGE.
Neurodiverse talent remains underrepresented in the workforce, despite offering valuable new perspectives and skills to positively impact the workforce, such as recognising data patterns to bringing enhanced emotional intelligence.
Kat has over a decade of experience working on emerging talent programmes, including prominent roles in both client and talent facing teams. In her current role, Kat leads a talent pool team that has matched hundreds of graduates to careers at leading employers – such as investment banks and insurance companies. Kat is passionate about building a more diverse and inclusive working world by helping people from underrepresented groups begin rewarding careers.
IN RECENT MONTHS, WE’VE SEEN STEPS TAKEN TO SHINE A LIGHT ON SOME OF THE DAY-TO-DAY EXPERIENCES OF INDIVIDUALS LIVING WITH NEURODIVERSE CONDITIONS, WHICH CAN INCLUDE DYSLEXIA, DCD (DYSPRAXIA), DYSCALCULIA, AUTISM AND ADHD.
From celebrities sharing their journeys in personal documentaries, to social media opening up wider public conversation, it’s promising to see neurodiversity brought to the fore, enabling more people to understand the experiences of those with certain conditions.
But while greater public awareness is a welcome step forward, sadly, neurodiverse talent remains underrepresented in tech roles. For example, Wiley Edge’s 2023 Diversity in Tech report shows that a significant 31% of the businesses surveyed lacked neurodiversity in their workforces.
Of course, many businesses want to shape more sustainable, diverse talent pipelines, while tackling the challenges of unprecedented skills gaps. This makes it more important than ever that prospective talent from all backgrounds with different abilities and skillsets can see a place for themselves in the world of work. And with a significant 15% to 20% of the worldwide population considered to be neurodivergent, neurodiverse candidates comprise a significant proportion of the talent pool, offering valuable new perspectives and skills to positively impact the tech workforce. These can include recognising data patterns and problem-solving, as well as bringing enhanced emotional intelligence, empathy and resilience to teams. For this reason, neurodiversity is increasingly – and rightly – being considered a ‘superpower.’
But some businesses may be inadvertently overlooking the abilities of neurodiverse candidates due to challenges that prospective talent can experience through traditional recruitment processes. It’s vital that job advertisement, interview and onboarding stages are designed with inclusivity front-of-mind; below, I’ve looked at practical ways that businesses can attract and support neurodiverse talent to thrive.
ACCESSIBLE ADVERTISEMENTS
It’s important to ensure that neurodiverse candidates feel encouraged and empowered to apply for the role. When writing a job specification, businesses should consider:
- Does the specification provide a clear overview of the role and organisation?
- Is every requirement listed genuinely necessary, or could some of the ‘essentials’ risk putting off candidates capable of doing the job from applying?
- Are all the ‘selling’ points that could appeal to different people, looking for different things from a job, included?
INVITATION TO INTERVIEW
Ultimately, a business wants the candidate that is the right fit for the role to succeed, but enabling neurodiverse talent to feel prepared to demonstrate their competencies could be key. In advance of interviews, businesses should clearly communicate about the logistics, processes and stages involved. Helpful information to provide can include:
- Format – will the interview be a panel session or more of an informal chat? For some individuals with neurodiverse conditions, offering a series of 1-2-1 interviews with breaks in between can be more manageable than communicating with several panelists at once.
- Time – what time will the interview start, and how long is it expected to take? Could it be shortened, particularly if a series of conversations and stages are involved?
- Location – where will the interview take place? Providing a visual aid such as a map can be helpful in illustrating how to access the location.
- Questions – in some instances, it is advisable to share the questions that will be asked prior to the interview. This can provide candidates with sufficient opportunity to prepare and result in more meaningful, considered answers that provide better insight into a candidate’s ability. It can also provide insight into the candidate’s efforts towards the interview.
CONSIDERATE QUESTIONING
When it comes to the interview itself, interviewers should enable candidates to consider their responses and communicate information that is most relevant to the role’s requirements. It’s important to define clearly what a candidate is being ‘marked’ on and consider whether certain factors are really required for the role; for example, some neurodiverse individuals may experience challenges when it comes to making eye contact, small talk or understanding non-literal language, but could offer different, more valuable strengths. Interviewers should be mindful of:
- Time – it’s possible that some neurodiverse candidates may require slightly longer to consider questions, so interviewers should pause before following-up for a response. It can be helpful to account for extra time in case the interview takes slightly longer than anticipated.
- Questions – candidates should be given sufficient opportunity to demonstrate their strengths and personality. Interviewers should opt for clear, closed questions, relating to specific skills, examples and factors which are relevant to the role, rather than pursuing unclear, open-ended lines of questioning.
- Policies – some neurodiverse candidates may be interested in the organisation’s approach to diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I). Interviewers should be prepared to discuss existing policies and practices, providing information about how staff are supported and any steps that are being taken to promote workplace inclusivity.
INCLUSIVE ONBOARDING
Once the interview stages are complete and an offer has been accepted, employers should clearly communicate with new hires about next steps. To ensure that talent is onboarded in a way that enables them to adjust and thrive once in post, it is important that the new employee has one point of contact that they can approach to ask questions, ensuring there is a clean process in place, and it can be helpful for colleagues to receive dedicated training. It is also advisable to maintain a support network for neurodiverse individuals to share any potential barriers they may be experiencing and ensure individual requirements are accommodated.
