Are you "OVER-COMMUNICATING?" Pick the right time and mode of communication

It's terrific if you like your job!  It's even better if you like your job and have ideas about how to work more efficiently, where to find new customers, how to market things, free places to get the word out on the company, possible partners, etc., but when sharing that information, you should consider how you are coming across to co-workers and supervisors.  Basically, picking the "right time and right way" to communicate ideas is crucial, and you want to sort of test out how best to do this as you go along rather than spend many hours putting together an idea email and then sending it to the wrong person or wording it in a less-than-thoughtful way.

First of all, don't think you have to share every idea you have the moment you have it.  If you are new somewhere, give yourself some weeks/months to get to learn the job before you start offering observations on how it could be done differently/better.  That said, there is nothing wrong with keeping a sort of personal journal of things you notice or ideas that come to you, even starting with your first day there...capture those thoughts, write them down, know that you have written them down so you can move on, and have them ready to polish and discuss/send WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT. It can be tempting, but a meeting called to discuss a certain topic is not the right time to flood the folks around you with your unrefined thoughts on unrelated things, and people won't take kindly to you doing this.

Refining and polishing your ideas and trying to condense them to the essence of what matters is key.  An over-long email will lose the reader, perhaps even before she starts to read it.  Asking someone that you have some rapport with if you can send them some ideas you had is a reasonable request, and they'll probably reply "Yes, sure!"  When that happens, make sure these early emails are about topics that the person can understand (don't fire ideas about marketing to a person that is in human resources, or if you do, make sure you are actually asking them "Who should I send this to in marketing, in your view?"), and that they are not too long and involved and tangential...like I mentioned, refine and polish your thoughts.  Use bullet points, not long paragraphs, to make it easier to read and give a sense of organization when they open the email.

I'm mentioning email because it's a mode of communication that the person can open when the time is right, can come back to if they are interrupted, and they don't have to add the oddity of you watching their reaction to your ideas as they are formulating responses.  Give them the courtesy of letting your ideas percolate a bit before any response is given, they might have deeper reactions after thinking about it for a few days.  If you fire ideas at someone, they might have a hard time processing the various topics, get confused that things are separate ideas are merged when you really have not combined them, and generally lose the thread and specifics of what you are trying to say.  Let them get to know you via the written word, which is easier for the message to ring clearly in.

Perhaps after reading your message, they'll have ideas who else to send the email to: if so, that's excellent!  Or maybe they'll advise you to clean the email up even more or narrow it to one idea or another edit: take their advice to show you are really listening and are an appreciative person.  The ideas that are not being concentrated on are not gone, you can just save them for future use sometime.  Maybe they'll agree to forward it to someone else with their comment like "Hey Jim, take a look at the idea Mark had about advertising...possible way to save money?" and then you'll have to see what the next person has to say.  Whether or not the idea gets used, showing your co-workers that you have an active mind and know how to present your ideas will only pay dividends for you, and you'll lay a foundation for broader success as you go! 

Be open-minded about jobs that are related to "the perfect one" SEE THE UNIVERSE, NOT ONE PLANET

Is there just one job out there for you that is of interest?  If so, you are setting yourself up for disappointment and frustration by just going after that one position with no "bigger mind" realization that there are plenty of jobs out there related to the one you have in mind, ones that might allow you to gain experience to be a better candidate for the "perfect job" that you have narrowed it down to.  There is nothing wrong with having aspirations for a certain position, but you have to allow some room for learning and growth that will prepare you to be a stronger candidate for the position that you believe is just right for you.

Focusing on working in the general industry that you want to concentrate on is a very worthwhile goal, and one that you should pursue!  Doing this will expose you to other positions that you may not have ever heard of, ones that meet your needs and ask things of you that you are glad to provide, and offer career growth and security.  Having the mindset that "there is just ONE perfect job for me, and if I can't have that I won't even THINK about something related" is a hurdle you have constructed for yourself rather than a ladder that leads to the start of success.  This rigidity is hard for some people "on the Spectrum" to realize and overcome, but allowing yourself some alternatives that are still closely-related to the career you are set on is a wise choice and one that leads to more chances for success and progress.

For instance, many people are interested in gaming, and maybe being a game designer is your "perfect job."  Okay, but did you realize that there are relatively few game design positions for beginners?  Working on game design on your own and getting prototypes out there is one way to gain experience, but do you know how to do this?  If not, consider all the related jobs to game design!  For starters, how about marketing, advertising, voice work, game reviews for blogs and magazines and websites, publishing a site that deals with gaming, comparing and contrasting games and series, "how to play" advice?  Doing these tasks will expose you to the gaming world and let you establish "on the job" experience that you can later apply to trying to design games, with your past work guiding your new work.  Isn't it a decent idea to learn and earn and build skills rather than try to start at the top? (HINT yes, it's a decent idea! :-)

Be broad-minded about the work and industry you are shooting for, and use job and career guides that will list related jobs to ones you already know about for inspiration.  See what these jobs need, and how to gain the experience in a way that will broaden you and make you a stronger candidate with a variety of skills employers will value.  YOU CAN DO IT, bit by bit!

What should potential employers know about your diagnosis, and when should they know this?

Often, clients have a fear how to appropriately express their conditions/diagnosis/uniqueness to possible employers, worried that once they know this, an employer won't value them as highly or make them do work that isn't exactly the kind of work the client wants to do.  This is a highly personal thing, but as the years have gone by and the general awareness and understanding of the Autism Spectrum has grown, I do sense a better climate for uniquely-abled workers to be forthright about what they are good at and not so good at, and to be clear about the kind of accommodations that they would benefit from at work.  Also, if you want to get technical and legal about it, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the amendments passed in 2009 mandate that employers make these accommodations for workers.  This combination of the legal requirements and the general awareness and acceptance of diagnosed conditions certainly have made the climate more conducive to people on the Spectrum being more open about their needs when looking for work than in decades past.

Practicing being clear and concise about what you have been diagnosed with is absolutely necessary; for one big thing, having "the speech" down and ready for use rather than fumbling with a million thoughts will show the person you are speaking with a small example of you dealing with your condition in a positive, businesslike way.  That said, I'm not sure I'd start the conversation with this topic, let it come up as the interview progresses, perhaps after they ask you (as an interviewer always does!) if you have any questions for them.  "Yes, I do" you might say, "Have you had much experience with people with Asperger's Syndrome (or whatever your condition is) in the past?"  See how they answer, and be ready for a quick follow up such as, "Well, I have Asperger's, and as such, sometimes I have trouble recognizing social cues, body language, and other non-verbal communication."  Let them respond, but also have the positive ready, like "However, with Asperger's, I also have tremendous attention to detail and deep focus, and will really dig in deeply to the tasks I am assigned and get you the kind of results that help the company!"  Again, practicing your conversational and informational bits will really stand you in good stead and help you be comfortable going in.

As for when to disclose, I think "the earlier the better," but would also include "the more comfortable the better," meaning be comfortable with the moment first, and that's hopefully sooner than later.  Some want to wait until there is a job offer on the table, and while that would give you great leverage, I think the person who has been evaluating you might feel a bit taken advantage of if you did it in that way.  Plus, I think you'd want to let them know about yourself and see how they react and see if they have had other workers that they have made accommodations for in the past, etc.  Look, they are hiring all of you, so let them know what "all of you" really means, and then when you do get the gig, you'll know that they are welcoming the entire package! 

Developing executive function skills...start a task and see it ALL THE WAY to end!

To really develop the sometimes elusive executive function skills (sidenote: I've always thought it should be intentionally mis-pronounced "EXECUTE-ive function," as in, executing and getting things all the way done...make sense?), working with clients to start and task, break it down to manageable chunks, have a formalized schedule written down (or saved digitally with recurring reminders, or whatever the best application of schedule is), get these chunks accomplished on schedule, AND THEN HAVE A DEFINED "FINISH" TO THE TASK is key.  Even if the task is recurring, having someone see the start to finish routine and grasping that it's not accomplished when "oh, most of the work is done," or "Yeah, it's going fine" is the answer to queries about the completion. 

I have seen too many crumpled homework assignments pulled from the depths of backpacks or incorrectly-saved/misfiled/mislabeled work products suddenly unearthed when using a computer or checking a memory stick for something else, along with the requisite "Oh, there that is!"  Yeah, there it is, 99% of the way done, with time and effort having been devoted to it weeks ago, only to have it languish somewhere and the TASK NOT BE DONE.  Bosses and teachers have blank spaces for the work, or perhaps the person had to half-bake a replacement and turn it in late with the usual sturm und drang and frenzy that has come to often characterize their work or academic life. 

Getting rid of that unneeded frenzy and smoothing things out is a beneficial side-effect to perfecting the entire cycle of EXECUTE-ive function, and a calmness that once it becomes noticed is something that clients like and can work towards.  Having examples of getting tasks all the way done and the positive effects it has on life, work results, grades, interpersonal relationships, extra time reserves, etc., is a feeling that is pretty positive and one that I can mention in retrospect as "let's head for the way you did the work and got it turned in on time like the FULLY DONE WORK NAME HERE from last month, okay?"

That concrete example of something that THEY DID is crucial, and to get it you may have to really dig in on an assignment and be involved and re-emphasize chunk deadlines and assembly and other bits and pieces.  However, once it's been accomplished, it can be use again and again for an example of a time when the person completed the cycle and reaped the benefits of the effort, and as a building block for getting better at the completion skills that are sometimes elusive but so needed!

"Effective speed" The more you do it, the better you get at it = the more you'll say "YES" to doing it!

There is a remarkable guy in the Bay Area, Hans Florine,( http://hansflorine.com/indexredirect.html ) and a theme that he speaks about has really resonated with me over the years after just reading it once in a magazine.  In my way of saying it, the more we wholeheartedly do something, the better we get at it, and thus, the more we'll say "YES!" to doing it.  This approach is useful for any person, but especially helpful for folks who are sometimes set in their ways and not enthused about trying something new, avoiding the new for any number of reasons.  That sucks, it won't work, I don't do it that way, I don't have time, I do things this way only, I've never done it...the list goes on.

However, explaining to a client that something that is new can soon be something that is tried and true can sometimes weaken that resolve, and occasionally going "all in" and picking a need as "a hill to die on" to get them to try it is worthwhile.  When doing that, make sure the skill and the client are indeed well-suited to each other, and provide support that perhaps goes above and beyond in order to make this experience work.  Getting real buy in is key, the wholeheartedly thing, because half-baked work and then "See, it didn't work" will stunt the message and growth and the willingness to try other new things.  As always, pointing out even small advances and improved abilities is crucial, giving the client "props" for doing something new and getting better at it, and generally boosting self-confidence and self-awareness with things they have done and have control over is a important tool.

Reading about what colleges to apply to can be boring and intimidating, working on improving job skills while away from work can require extra effort and concentration, searching out possible jobs and crafting cover letters and targeted resumes can be a drag, and asking people to write letters of recommendation or serve as references can take time and effort and be a bit embarrassing, but these are tasks that probably MUST be undertaken sooner than later if people want to keep positive inertia in their lives.  That said, the mental acceptance approach that Hans writes and speaks about and frankly embodies (the guy is a world-class mountain speed climber, among other things) is worth keeping aware of, and perhaps mentioning to clients or people that are struggling with new ways of doing things.  It's pretty simple, but very true, as the best teaching moments often are!

Easy to uncover TREASURE TROVES of helpful information are right there for you!

For cover letters, inquiry emails, informational interviews, or preparing for interviews (in person or over the phone), few things can provide as much pertinent information as reading a company's "news," "press releases," or "information"website sections, or doing an internet search with the company's name or name of some of the company leaders.  This kind of "intel" can really open up great lines of communication and conversation, and show that you are putting in the kind of effort and thought that would be worthwhile having as part of the company.

That said, just tossing out facts and figures with no context is a pretty unsubtle move.  What you want to do is connect your talents, experience, and interests with things that are current and happening with the company.  Working this into a cover letter or conversation by communicating something like "I noticed that your company is starting to expand into new markets via an online club membership effort, and I have three years of experience setting up and maintaining loyalty club outreach work, as you may have seen on my resume."  Or, "I read that (the company) is trying to expand the territory that salespeople will cover, and that reminds of the work that I did introducing (your old company) to new potential clients via cold-calling and targeted outreach to individuals and companies that I researched and put into a detailed data base."  Linking what's coming up or important to the company that you would like to be hired by with your own experience and demonstrated talents slowing edges you away from "unknown commodity" status toward the "worth hiring" category.  Enough of these nudges and you'll be talking to HR and filling out new hire paperwork...isn't that a nice moment to imagine?

Read the press releases the company puts out, search what newspapers or bloggers might have to say, know industry trends that might affect the company and bring these details out when the moment presents itself.  If nothing else, in an interview, using this info during the "So, do you have any questions for me?" time is worthwhile.  Better still is doing that linking of you and their needs when they start with the reliable "Tell me a little bit about yourself" interview gambit, and doing it then will give you momentum and confidence as the interview picks up speed. 

Knowing the history of the company, some information about the person you might be speaking to in an interview, and the most up to date news on the company is information that you can process and think about and deploy when the time is right...and the right time is always sooner than later!

Interview specifics...GET THE JOB BY BEING READY FOR THE INTERVIEW!

Interviews by telephone and those in person are both chances for you to shine, and with a bit of preparation and anticipation they can be things that add a sense of urgency to the mind of a potential employer about the need to hire you/keep the interview process going.  Many parts of the interview are things you can successfully anticipate and practice for, and devoting some time to the predictable ingredients is well worth the time and effort!  This post imagines a scenario when it is a one on one interview, but I'll post a blog about panel interview dynamics in the near future.

For telephone interviews, I ALWAYS encourage clients to have a page with as many possible comfortable answers to the predictable questions on it, answers that address the exact question and play up your candidacy with action words and experience examples that will help.  Why NOT do this?  You should practice delivering these answers so they don't wind on too long, or just give clipped, non-interesting responses when more is called for.  Ideally, have someone who has had some interview experience listen to your answers and give you some feedback on both content and length.  Of course, it shouldn't sound as if you are reading from a sheet, so that's something to practice, as well.  What clients have often found is that by practicing and having the sheet with them, they didn't refer to it much, but having it there gave them a sense of comfort and if they got flustered or nervous, there it was for easy reference. Info about the company that you have located through your own research is also a super idea to have on this sheet, you are ready with gentle "arrows in the quiver" to expand the conversation with related information YOU bring up. 

First off, getting the greeting and introductory phase of the interview set is the way to set a launch pad for the rest of it being successful.  Make sure you are clear on the person's name and use the name every so often, but not every sentence! The interviewer will ask how you are, and having a planned, pleasant and easy response to this basic query is important, to give you a chance to settle in to the interview and to mentally clue the interviewer in that you understand what's expected of you.  Asking them in a similar fashion how they are (and waiting for them to answer and then responding briefly) is also a type of social convention that the more you engage in, the interviewer continues to think "Yes on hiring this person." 

Moving into the heart of the interview, there will probably be early questions about why you think you should work for the company.  Being prepared to show you know your own strengths is critical, and weaving some information about the company needs that shows you have looked at their website and their upcoming events and press releases or news stories about them and can give this information back in a concise fashion will continue to burnish your image with the person you are speaking to.  Here is where you are not boastful but confident and secure in your abilities and past work, and can speak about it without embarrassment or reluctance.  If you can't give them reasons to hire you, who can?

Working in bits and pieces of the research you did about the company is also a key move.  Don't just talk about what they bring up about the company, show that you went out on your own to find out more and that you can bring up items that relate to what's being talked about at the pertinent times.  I'm not saying you should ignore their questions and control the conversation, I'm saying that having command of a wide range of topics that relate to the company and their past, present, and future is a characteristic that will separate you from other people who are not as resourceful and forward-thinking.  These things fit well on the prep page I mentioned earlier, by the way.

You will be asked "Do you have any questions for me?"  HAVE SOME!  If the interview has gone on a long time, maybe one or two are enough.  If it's been short-ish, here is where you control the extension of time and your exposure.  Questions about the extra information you found out through research before the interview can be used here, and also a variation on "Well, in your experience at COMPANY, what are some personal qualities (or work style characteristics, or personal values, or habits, etc) that successful people at COMPANY have had?"  Then, when they answer, follow up by connecting your qualities/characteristics/values/habits with the ones they mentioned, with examples of you exhibiting them if possible.  By doing this, you get some personal insights from the person, and then align yourself with things that mattered to them...more "Yes on hiring this person."

When they signal that the interview is winding down, be clear on what the next steps might be, whether they need anything else from you, and if you have mentioned something about your past and sending some sort of report copy or work product to them be sure to get the right email or mailing address so you can do this promptly.  Be clear on when you can expect to hear from them, or if they are waiting for something from you. Thank them for the time and attention, and sign off.  IT'S NOT OVER, HOWEVER!  Sending a thank you note (ideally handwritten, but emailed is better than nothing) right away is crucial!  Don't start with "Thank you for ...," start with something like "I was happy to speak with you earlier today about the POSITION NAME..." and then go on, with a thank you somewhere later.  Mention something that was helpful about the conversation, or something that impressed you about the talk, or a factoid that came up, so that it is clear that the note was written after the interview and that you were paying attention.  Get it sent, then wait for the next communication that the interview indicated, and give it "some time to breathe."

Congratulate yourself on a job well done, and then get to work applying for another gig and setting up another interview with another company rather than resting on your achievement...you are HOT and in a groove...stay that way with continued effort until a job offer than you accept comes to you!  DON'T LET UP!