No one is out here applying for jobs to pass a slow Tuesday morning – I gather it’s a slog for most people. But the extremes of navigating a system not built for you, decision paralysis and plain ol’ mean self-talk disproportionately impact neurodivergent folks. By neurodivergent, I mean the umbrella term for brains with different processing styles beyond the “neurotypical” brain that society is structured for, such as dyslexia, autism, dyscalculia, ADHD and more.

For neurodivergent peeps, it runs deeper than resurrecting our resumés, cringing as we – heaven forbid – write without our protective self-deprecating tone or prolonged fake smiling in interviews. It’s decoding vague criteria, interpreting unspoken rules and grappling with emotional dysregulation or rejection-sensitivity dysphoria. It’s this and so much more, mixed with overwhelm and perfectionism, making it impossible to sit down and just finish the damn application.

There’s no doubt that you don’t intentionally create neurodivergent hunger games to nab your next hire – your metaphorical plate is probably full, and time seemingly evaporates. But there are some easy ways to adjust the hiring process to make it easier for neurodivergent folk. Here are five simple cost-effective ways to start putting a neuroinclusive spin on this hiring thing.

CRAFT JOB DESCRIPTIONS WITH CLEAR LANGUAGE Job descriptions are like the middle child of internal documents, and their neglect helps no one. They’re your gateway to great candidates, the basis of advertising and smoother hiring, not to mention the clarity employees need in their roles to promote psychological safety (big win).

I often come across ads for customer service representatives, business development managers, marketing coordinators and even execs, all with sweeping criteria like “good communication skills, demonstrated experience managing diverse stakeholders, proficiency in Microsoft Office suite etc.” How the heck do you know if you’re competitive for a role with criteria so vague that it’s basically non-existent? Remember those wee checklists from primary school to include who, what, when, where, why and how in your stories? Let’s (figuratively) bring those back, along with some describing words to help pin down what skills you actually need.

DITCH THE COVER LETTER Cover letters with little to no instruction can be such an excruciating mind field, they’re near impossible to start. Besides, you don’t have the time to read “To Whom it may Concern” several times over! So, let’s shake it up to help distinguish the good’uns.

Asking for short responses to a couple of targeted questions is way more equitable to guide responses and assess suitability, with short work simulations being ideal. For example, you could provide two mock emails from disgruntled clients and ask for drafted responses as the application task.

PROVIDE ACCOMMODATION EXAMPLES The vulnerability to initiate contact with a prospective employer to ask about accommodations while unaware of their understanding or offering immediately evokes fear of rejection. For folks socialised to make themselves smaller, denying support needs feels like a calculated trade-off vital for self-preservation, especially among a smorgasbord of candidates.

Normalise accommodations embedded in processes, or consider an accommodation menu. Perhaps an online form with various suggestions or a fun branded menu download, so long as there’s somewhere to indicate specific needs requests. Don’t underestimate the weight of what feels like unassuming accommodations. You could suggest things like sensory accommodations to influence location choice (away from vents, thoroughfare or bright lights and reflective surfaces), notepads to jot down fleeting thoughts, additional time to process questions, encouraging stimming tools (such as fidgets) or a flag to signal eye contact preferences.

A BIT OF WARNING, PLEASE The obligation to answer calls from unknown numbers is unnerving. Worse, if it’s not a spam call, I’m unprepared and put on the spot at work, brushing my teeth or mid-picking up my dog’s poop at the park.

Send a quick hello text, introducing yourself and request for five minutes to chat about the next steps. Better yet, tell them which number you will call from to mitigate uncertainty and avoid playing phone tag!

SHOW INTERVIEW QUESTIONS IN ADVANCE Allowing candidates to access interview questions in advance doesn’t mean they’ll be deceitful. Consider sharing with candidates in advance that they will receive the interview questions, for example, one hour beforehand. For those prone to distractable thoughts, the energy channelled into concentrating can completely oust your question from memory. This realisation mid-tangent can elicit a deep sense of shame for rejection-sensitive folks. Worse, harsh self-talk intercepting thought processes doesn’t exactly help portray confidence and expertise. The pressure and high scrutiny of interviews can be extremely anxiety-provoking – sharing the questions minimises uncertainty.

Neurodivergent candidates don’t fail the hiring process, it fails them. The good news is, change is attainable and starts with curiosity in our own small businesses.

This article was produced in partnership with The Spiky Bureau, a boutique neurodivergent consultancy specialising in assessing organisational gaps to attract, support and retain neurodivergent talent as a strategic advantage.

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