Interviews keep going badly. Does that mean I can’t do the job?

Does failing an interview mean I’m not suited to work?

The result alone can’t tell you that. Interviews test how you express yourself, how you respond on the spot and your job skills — but how much those matter in the actual day-to-day job varies a lot. You might be well able to do the work but struggle to explain it clearly to strangers on the spot. Or there might be a particular skill you need to build. Work out where you got stuck first.

If “tell me about yourself” feels too broad, you can check: “Would you like me to focus on a recent project, or on experience related to this role?” If you don’t understand a task, ask them to explain it again. Getting the question clear makes it much easier to give a relevant answer than guessing which way to go.

While you prepare, look at the job itself, too. Will there be lots of urgent requests? Will you be on the phone all day? How is work handed over and prioritised? Loving the subject doesn’t mean every working condition will suit you, and you can ask the employer about all of this.

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Why the way questions are asked matters too

Not getting the job isn’t always about not preparing enough. You might remember exactly what you did but not know which part a broad question wants you to talk about. Or, while you’re listening, remembering and working out what to say all at once, you might lose the second half of the question. These are possible barriers, not a description of every autistic job-seeker. Employers can look at how they ask questions, and you can say exactly where you get stuck.

A study by Maras and colleagues was published online in December 2020 and in a journal in 2021. In the first mock interview, 25 autistic and 25 non-autistic adults took part. About six months later, 21 from each group came back for a second one. This time, questions were more specific, asked one part at a time, and printed copies of the questions and an explanation of the process were provided on the day. Recruitment professionals scored written transcripts without knowing who was autistic. Both groups’ answers scored higher, and the autistic group improved more — but differences in overall impressions didn’t entirely disappear.

These weren’t real job interviews — there was no actual vacancy, and nobody looked at how people performed in a job afterwards. Several changes were made together, so you can’t tell how much each one helped. And everyone did the standard interview first, so some improvement might just be from knowing what to expect. Questions were given out at the interview, so the study doesn’t show that sending them days in advance works. It’s a good reason to think seriously about asking clearer questions — not a promise that any particular change will work.

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How do you get across what you can do?

Pick one or two real experiences that match what the job needs. Write down what had to be done, which part you were responsible for, and how it turned out. If you once sorted out a messy set of records, explain what the mess was, how you checked and organised it, and what you ended up producing. If you don’t have work experience, you can honestly use coursework or personal projects instead.

For jobs where you can show your work, ask whether they’d like to see a sample or a demonstration. Remove anyone else’s private information and anything confidential from previous employers. For group projects, be clear about which parts you did. One small example explained clearly is far more convincing than claiming you did everything on your own.

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When you practise, ask someone you know to throw in two follow-up questions: why did you do it that way, and what did you do when something went wrong? The aim is to be able to find your own experiences and explain your thinking — not to memorise a word-perfect speech. If you need time to think, it’s fine to say, “Let me just gather my thoughts.”

The chapter on employment in The Complete Guide to Asperger’s Syndrome also suggests preparing material that shows what you’ve done before. We’re taking the idea of turning your experience into something people can see — not the book’s generalisations about careers or personality. A portfolio can help you explain, but it doesn’t automatically replace the skills an employer needs to assess.

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What can you ask about before the interview?

You can ask what format the interview will take, how long it will last, how many people will be there and whether there’s a practical task. If you need something, be specific — for example, having task instructions in writing too, or being able to ask for a broad question to be clarified. Check in advance what they can arrange rather than assuming every employer does the same.

Frame your request as: which step is hard, what you’d like changed, and what that would help you show. Here’s an example we’ve written: “When several questions are asked out loud in one go, I tend to miss part of them. Could each question also be shown in writing, and could I answer one part before you move on to the next? That would help me explain my project experience more fully.” That tells them exactly what to arrange — much more than “please accommodate my special needs.”

Get in touch with the contact named in your interview invitation early, ask for the one or two changes that matter most to you, and check who will make them happen. If they agree, make sure the interviewers themselves know on the day — not just the person who answered your email. A quiet waiting area, written questions and breaks each help with different things. You don’t need to copy a whole list, or ask for things you won’t use to fit some idea of what autistic people need.

If it involves a formal application for support, find out what information is needed and who will see it before deciding what to say about your diagnosis. Asking practical questions about the interview is not the same as sharing your health information. Check local rules, costs and legal rights with a reliable local source.

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What if they can’t do what you asked?

First find out which part they can’t do. In a made-up example, you ask for the questions in advance and the employer says they don’t give them out. You could explain that your main worry is missing parts of long spoken questions, then ask whether they could show the questions in writing during the interview, ask multi-part questions one part at a time, or let you pause briefly. Not sending questions in advance and not showing them on the day are two different things. Whether an alternative is good enough depends on whether it deals with your difficulty — you don’t have to accept something just because they’ve given a little.

If all they say is “everyone goes through the same process,” ask what that part of the interview is meant to assess, and whether you could show the same thing another way. Some jobs genuinely do need quick responses in certain situations, so not every time pressure is irrelevant. The question is what the job really needs, compared with the extra difficulty the interview itself adds.

If you still can’t find something that works, ask whether the interview could be rescheduled or passed to whoever handles access requests. Then weigh up how hard it would be to go through the process as it is, and decide whether to carry on. Keep a copy of what you asked and what they replied — it’ll help you explain what happened if you go to a local employment support service or rights adviser. We can’t tell you from one refusal whether something was legal; employers’ duties, procedures and what evidence you need vary from place to place. Not getting support doesn’t mean you didn’t deserve it.

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Stuck on a practical task? How to make your skills easier to see

A work sample or practical task shows something different from talking about yourself, but it still needs clear instructions. Before you start, check what you need to produce, how much time you have, whether you can look things up, who you can ask, and whether they care most about speed, accuracy or how you think it through. Not every test lets you use your own notes or tools, so check the rules before using methods that normally work for you.

Say the task is “tidy up this spreadsheet” and you’re not sure whether to fill in missing information. You could say something like: “I’m going to sort it by date and flag the gaps. Would you like me to fill them in myself, or list what needs checking?” That shows your thinking and raises the question at the same time. If there’s a function you genuinely don’t know how to use, be honest about the difference between “I didn’t understand the instructions” and “I haven’t learned that yet.” Don’t use a request for adjustments to cover for experience you don’t have.

If the setting or process suddenly changes, say which step it affects and ask whether the agreed arrangement can be put back. They may not be able to change it straight away. And if you’re overwhelmed, you don’t have to explain everything — one short, specific request may be enough. If you want to send something in writing afterwards, check first whether they’ll take it into account. Don’t assume sending it means you get marked again.

Didn’t get it this time? What to change next time

Ask the employer for specific feedback: was it missing experience, examples that weren’t clear, or a poor fit with the role? They may not reply, and if they don’t, leave that part as unknown. Don’t fill an unexplained rejection with “I’ll never be able to do this.”

Once you have some information, decide your next step. If you’re missing a skill, find a way to learn and practise it. If your examples weren’t clear, choose a more specific one. If the working environment really doesn’t suit you, change the kind of jobs you apply for. Change the thing that made the most difference, one at a time, and check the arrangements again before your next interview.