Jobs for autistic introverts
One of my biggest struggles in life has been adhering to a structured work environment. In school, my teachers and I were always at odds. I was a bit of an eccentric troublemaker and experienced a lot of anger, sadness and pain trying to do what was expected of me. I really hope the world of the job catches up and continues to learn how to embrace and accommodate those who have struggled rather than expecting neurotypical traits to be a given in their employees. At the time being, here are my thoughts on two very good alternative career paths for introverts, including any of us on the Spectrum, those of us with mental illness, those of us with anxiety, or any of us who struggle with interpersonal interaction in general:. Ultimately, the most important thing is for families to not give up on their loved ones on the spectrum or those who are suffering from depression or any mental illness.
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10 Career Tips for Adults With Autism
People don't believe me when I say that because I'm loud, and enthusiastic. But being loud and enthusiastic is not the same thing as being extroverted. If you spend more than an hour with me in a social situation, you'll see the life drain from my eyes as my internal batteries release their last burst of energy.
I wish I was kidding, but I am not. I also happen to be an introvert surrounded by extroverts, an internal processor surrounded by external processors, an avoider of smalltalk surrounded by people who love small talk.
It's a tricky situation. Who are these people? They're my team members and among them my husband. Sean, and I often joke about how unfortunate it is that I've ended up with so many extroverts in my life.
Not because there's anything wrong with extroverts, of course, but just because it can be exhausting to me. My friend, Annie Schuessler asked if I'd be willing to talk about managing a team as an introvert and I jumped at the chance. I've learned so much about team building in general over the last five years, but I've also learned a bunch about how to put guardrails in place on my own energy and bandwidth as I work with my teams.
Now, since recording this interview, I've also started to talk publicly about how the way I work and relate to others is filtered through the lens of autism.
So many of the things I've always thought of as a result of introversion and social anxiety are present because of my autism. I'm introverted and I do have social anxiety and I'm autistic.
And that's a pretty thick soup to be wading through as a manager. And the main reason I wanted to share that before you hear this interview is because my experiences as an introverted boss might be quite different from your experiences if you're an introverted boss. The other reason I wanted to share that is because before I had the framework of autism to make sense of my life, I was constantly working against myself in an effort to fix things that I perceived of as problems and deficiencies.
And while I'm still working to become a better manager and leader, I'm also looking much more objectively at how I can build structures that don't require me to work against my nature quite so often.
In so many ways, my autism is a strength for business building, writing and podcasting, and team-building. But it takes work to embrace those strengths when they're so different from what other people expect. All right, here's what you're going to hear in this interview. Annie and I talk about how I find team members, why you need to know what you're really hiring for before you start looking, how I'm onboarding new hires now, and why you don't want to clone yourself.
Keep listening to hear me share what works for me on The Rebel Therapist podcast with Annie Schuessler. Giving people something to work on that they're proud of that they're engaged with, that's the responsibility that I'm talking about.
And I think having employees is one of the best ways to tap into that for yourself. And I think that kind of responsibility is really key to building a great strong business. Annie Schuessler: This is Rebel Therapist, a podcast for entrepreneurs who are trained as therapists and who want to level up their businesses, make a bigger impact, feel fulfilled and be very well paid.
I'm your host, Annie Schuessler. We're talking about building your team today. Have you experienced a nightmare with hiring or managing a team member, or are you imagining a future nightmare because of what you've heard from your peers?
Are you confused about what role you should be hiring for, or whether it's time to hire? Our guest Tara McMullin leads two successful companies and she's about to share her experiences building and managing both of those teams. A bonus treat for me is that she's an introvert like me. So we get to lean into some particular challenges and solutions for introverted bosses.
If you want to hear an earlier episode with Tara from two years ago, head to episode of Rebel Therapist, which I'll link too in the show notes. A little more about Tara, Tara McMullin is a business strategist, podcaster, writer, and producer. She's the founder and host of What Works, a platform for small business owners building stronger businesses.
She's also the co-founder of Yellow House Media, a podcast production agency that helps small business owners produce standout podcasts to grow their businesses. Welcome Tara, thank you so much for coming back.
Annie Schuessler: Yes. So let's jump right into it. When you are hiring a team member, how do you usually find them? Tara McMullin: So I have found team members predominantly in two ways. The first way, is that I know people and they need a job and they have skills or a personality that I also need. And I say, "Hey, have you ever thought about working for me? This is the job I in mind.
I had worked with Shannon years and years ago at Borders Books and Music. We were co-managers together for a while. And when she got laid off from her previous job, I was, "Oh, this, this woman would be good at this job.
She knows nothing about it, or how to do it, but I can teach her because she would be perfect. And then that's worked out like that a couple of other times as well. The other way that I predominantly find a great fit folks is through my network. So I might put a job description out on social media to my audience.
I might take a job description and think about the people I know who might know someone, or maybe they know a little bit more about the job than your average social media follower, and I trust that sort of insight that they have. And so I ask for referrals that way. But I have never tried to look for someone in that way and not come up with great candidates really quickly. So I haven't had to do, I don't know, does monster.
I haven't had to do like an online resume kind of situation before. It's always been through my network, through people I know, whether it's one degree of separation or three degrees of separation, I can find somebody like that, no problem. And they've been amazing. Annie Schuessler: I mean, I've seen it. They have been amazing. So I'm so in love with your answers. And a lot of times people who I'm working with ask about what VA agencies they should get started with.
And I always say don't, I always say, start with, and so I'm talking specifically in this moment about hiring a virtual assistant, which can mean, I know a million different things but is a very varied kind of job.
But I always recommend that people don't go through a VA agency, they at least try doing what you just described of looking at what do I actually want this person to be doing in my business, describe that, and create a job description around this person loves doing this kind of work and that it's more about their preferences and their intelligence and their personality, more than they are super familiar with convert kit or with this or that platform.
What do you think about that? I hear from a lot of folks who say, "I know I should hire a VA so that I can save time," but they don't entirely understand what a VA does. It's well, before you hire anybody, you have to figure out what you actually need. And I would venture to say that as much as nine times out of 10, maybe eight times out of 10 is not a virtual assistant. Sometimes it is. But most of the time I would say that it is not, and which is not to put any virtual assistants out of business, right?
There is a place for that and I think it can be a solid business to be in, but most businesses have specialized needs and virtual assistants can only make that business model work by delivering some sort of standardized service.
And unless your needs meet that standardized service, and that only applies more when we're talking about a VA agency, as opposed to working with an individual VA, unless your specific needs meet that specific set of standardized services, you're not going to actually get the support that you really need.
So instead, I find that a lot of folks need support with customers and scheduling or clients and scheduling. And yes, a VA can do that, and lots of other people can do that as well. And there is probably someone that you can find who will be a great fit for you, a great fit for your business, a great fit for your clients, pay them a really good wage and get out cheaper than if you were to hire a virtual assistant who is managing their time and money in a different way.
And so I just want to underscore, or one of the other things that you talked about, which was writing a job description. And I think one of the things that hiring virtual assistants has allowed people to do is get out of writing job descriptions, because a VA by design is going to tell you, "Here's what I do for you. And that can work, but again, unless what you need is that package, you're hiring extra, you're hiring not enough, and so you're either overpaying, or you're underpaying, underserviced, and it's just not good for anyone.
And I think that's why so often I hear the horror stories about virtual assistants. It's not a virtual assistants that are the problem most of the time, it's the business owners. And it's not because the business owners are bad people, but it's because the business owners don't understand what they need because they didn't pause and write a job description based on what's actually happening in their business, what they actually need support on, and the type of person that they're actually looking to bring onto their team.
Annie Schuessler: A lot of times I see people wanting to hire a VA when what's going on is that things are messy in their business. And I think sometimes that doesn't mean hiring a VA. I think sometimes that can mean simplifying things. I mean, I know you're all about that. We could talk about that for another hour, so I should probably keep us going with your wisdom around building teams.
Tara McMullin: I really could talk about that for a whole hour. I am planning on it when we talk about team building in June. Annie Schuessler: This is a huge topic, but can you tell us about something that you found that you do now when you onboard new people that maybe you didn't do in the past and you're glad that you kind of figured this out? Tara McMullin: Yes. As we were talking about before we hit record, I literally sent an onboarding email to someone yesterday. A new employee at Yellow House Media, a new production assistant that we're super excited about.
And most of my recent hiring experiences on that side of things at What Works are the people who have been with us have been with us for years and so all of the things that I didn't do properly at What Works in terms of onboarding people, I have not had the opportunity to fix, but I have fixed them at Yellow House or I'm getting there at Yellow House.
So some things that I would have loved in the past to have had a better system for is one, introducing a new team member to the business itself. So what is this business about? Why do we exist?
Careers For Adults With Autism
The team is good, but the best bit is the work itself. As an Aspie, with chronic social-skill failure and lack of confidence, I got stuck in a loop of taking crappy low-paid customer service roles that made my brain feel like it might as well go on permanent vacation. And the stress levels were horrendous! Now, part-timer and relative newbie though I am at the grand old age of 36 I am starting to get ideas.
Collegiality and Academia
Are you interested in a career in teaching or nursing children, or considering becoming a paediatrician, child psychiatrist, social worker or playworker? Many careers involve working with children and not all of them require a degree. Read on to find out how to get into some of the most popular careers with children and hear what these jobs are like from people who are doing them. Would-be teachers have plenty of choice about the subject and age group they want to teach and where they want to work. You could specialise in one or two subjects that you particularly enjoy as a secondary school teacher, or teach a bit of everything in a primary school. And if you don't want to work in a school at all, how about teaching children who are in hospital or a young offenders' institution? To become a teacher you need a degree. You can either study for a degree that qualifies you as a teacher straight away, or take any subject and then do a postgraduate teaching qualification afterwards. As well as the academic element you play a major part in teaching the child social and personal skills.
Be part of something big.
Individuals with high-functioning autism have different and unique abilities compared to the general population. Some of the characteristics that make them unique can attract them to certain career opportunities. It can be difficult for those with autism to perform well in a workplace that places so much value on extroversion, collaboration, and competition. For example, making small talk by the water cooler and on the elevator ride up to the office can be daunting for those with autism—even those without!
31 Great Jobs for Autistic People in a Huge Range of Industries
People with a social anxiety disorder, when in social settings, may experience fear, self-consciousness, and embarrassment for no specific reason. Symptoms may also include fear of situations in which they may be judged, worrying about being embarrassed or humiliated, and being concerned about offending someone. As you may be able to imagine, it can be difficult for a person with this disorder to find and hold onto a job. Social anxiety disorder SAD can affect your performance at work as well as your relationships with coworkers and supervisors. SAD can also make it difficult for you to find a job, considering the anxiety that a job interview can produce. However, some of the best jobs out there for people with social anxiety may catch you by surprise.
The pandemic, according to an autistic introvert with MS
Can your teenager with an autism spectrum disorder ASD enjoy a rewarding, fulfilling career? The answer is most likely yes. By paying attention to their interests and proficiencies now, you can increase their chances of finding a suitable job in the future. In this post, we will discuss possible careers for people with autism and highlight five prominent individuals with ASD who have made significant contributions to their professions. However, many people with ASD demonstrate one or more of the following career proficiencies:. Experts have speculated that many famous historical figures including Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin, Emily Dickinson and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart may have been on the autism spectrum. However, modern psychology has only recognized a formal diagnosis of autism since the mid-twentieth century, so it is impossible to know for sure whether those individuals were affected.
Romance 101: Dating for Autistic Adults
This blog was written by Jack, one of our recently hired Peer Researchers through the Kickstart Scheme. Here he talks about how traditional job interviews disadvantage those on the Autism spectrum and draws on his own experience seeking employment. Find out more about our Kickstart Scheme project here. Job interviews are a standard process job applicants are required to go through to be assessed for their competency for a given job role.
I attended a large and important meeting this week. Lots of very senior people were there: heads of NSLA libraries, university librarians, people on assorted committees, people whose opinions are considered particularly valuable. A handful of people reading this blog would have attended this meeting. I was initially quite anxious about attending a meeting full of senior managers one of them being my own. Turns out that was the least of my worries.
I realized I was looking at his eyes as he said that. Not making eye contact per se, but looking at his eyes to read them, to see what he was thinking. It took about 15 minutes for all the information I got in that moment to percolate through my brain, so that as I was driving home from this encounter , I understood what had happened. They assume I do it just as easily as they do. I always do when I have to deal with people in a professional setting. I can fake it long enough to get through an interview.
While autism remains relatively misunderstood, one thing is for certain; those with autism are just as capable as anyone else of achieving incredible success. The proof? These famous people with autism: 30 incredibly successful people on the spectrum.
you have been wrong, this is evident.
Not an expert, by any chance?
It is the excellent idea. It is ready to support you.