Introduction

The internet is overflowing with resources and it can be hard to know what to trust. On this page is a curated list of the very best career guidance I have found (as a qualified Career Coach and HR professional) and want to share with my fellow autistic professionals.

Please note, this page is being constantly updated with new resources and tips.

With that said, here we go! 👊

Job search

• Autistic people are known for having a strong moral code, you can search for jobs by cause here

• Only 29% of autistic people are in paid work (ONS, 2021); even fewer are in full-time work. Through her company Investing in Women, Elizabeth Willets is a recruiter specialising in part-time and flexible roles. She describes her mission as "help[ing] you find your ideal job - one that suits your life and circumstances, pushes you (in the best way), develops your skills and experience, and lets you keep climbing that career ladder."

• I've created this template to help you keep track of your job applications, because job searches can get messy quickly when we don't keep track of them. Create a copy of the template and edit it to make it work for you!

Starting a new job

• If the job is not remote, you can email the hiring manager ahead of your first day to find out about:

• Transport - nearest train station, parking situation (whatever's relevant for you)

• Dress code

• The plan for your first day

• Do you need to bring your own mug, your ID? What's happening at lunch?

• Are there any other things you need to know/do/bring?

• Look the building up on google maps to find the entrance and look at your route

Communicating at work

• Celeste Headlee talks about how to have better conversations, which can help you to build relationships at work

• Matt Abrahams talks about communication anxiety: Speak Up Without Freaking Out

• Post it prompts

• Write useful phrases on a post it (digital or physical) and keep it visible when you're in meetings to make it easier to find the right words

Reasonable adjustments

• If you know you need some adjustments at work but aren't sure where to start, go here for inspiration

• It's great to get reasonable adjustments on paper; but they're useless unless they're enforced. Start getting them enforced here

• Here are some ways you can share your reasonable adjustments with colleagues

Disclosing your autism at work

• Support can be made available, whether you disclose or not. Here are some of the different kinds of support that you might be able to access