Traditional interviews reward people who think fast on their feet, read social cues easily and cope well with uncertainty. Those things have little to do with whether someone can do most jobs. For many neurodivergent candidates, the interview is the hardest part of the process, and employers who rely on it alone miss out on talented people.
Hiring managers and recruiters can change that with a few practical steps. Here is how to make your interview process accessible to neurodivergent candidates.
Tell candidates what to expect
Uncertainty is one of the biggest sources of interview stress. Before the interview, send candidates:
- the format, length and location (or video link)
- who they will meet and their roles
- the topics or questions you will cover
- how you will assess their answers
This costs you nothing and helps every candidate show their skills, not just neurodivergent ones.
Ask about adjustments, and make it easy to say yes
Ask every candidate whether they need any reasonable adjustments, and explain how to request them. Employers have a legal duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled job applicants, and many neurodivergent people are covered. Acas explains how the duty works, and our page on reasonable adjustments and your legal responsibilities sets out what it means for employers.
Common interview adjustments include:
- questions shared in advance
- extra time for tasks or answers
- a quiet room, or a choice between video and in-person
- a written task in place of a verbal one
- breaks during longer assessments
Have a clear process so requests are handled quickly and consistently. Candidates can also get communication support at interviews through the government’s Access to Work scheme.
Check your assumptions
Unconscious bias shows up in interviews in predictable ways. Limited eye contact, a flat tone, a long pause before answering or a very literal answer can all be read as disinterest or lack of ability. Often they are simply differences in communication style. Our guide to how neurodiversity shows up at work explains more.
Judge candidates against clear, job-related criteria agreed in advance, and score answers on their content rather than how they were delivered. Avoid jargon, idioms and vague questions such as “Tell me about yourself”, which leave too much open to interpretation.
Structure your interviews
Structured interviews are fairer for everyone. Use the same core questions for each candidate, and make each question specific. Ask one thing at a time instead of multi-part questions. Visual aids can help when you are describing a task or scenario.
Allow thinking time and tell candidates it’s fine to take it. If an answer misses the point, rephrase the question rather than moving on. Where possible, add a work sample or practical task that mirrors the real job. It will tell you far more than a hypothetical question.
Give useful feedback
Feedback after an interview is good practice and something many candidates never get. Be clear and specific about what went well and what could be stronger, and invite questions. For neurodivergent candidates, direct and concrete feedback is far more useful than general comments.
Look at the whole process
The interview is only one stage. If your job adverts are full of jargon or unnecessary requirements, many neurodivergent people won’t apply in the first place. Our guide to writing accessible job descriptions covers that stage, and our explainer on the guaranteed interview scheme sets out another way to widen your shortlist.
How Enna can help
We help employers build recruitment processes that work for neurodivergent candidates from advert to offer. Our reasonable adjustments: putting it into practice workshop gives hiring managers the confidence to offer and deliver adjustments well, and a neuroinclusion audit reviews every stage of your hiring process and shows where candidates drop out. If you are ready to reach more neurodivergent candidates, read about hiring neurodivergent talent with Enna or book a call with our team.
