ADHD Interview Adjustments
Introduction
There can be inadvertent roadblocks for Individuals with ADHD within the interview process. This document aims to provide some guidance on potentially useful adjustments.
However, it is important to note that everyone with ADHD is a unique individual and as such we recommend that in addition to the ideas here you speak to them about any adjustments they may personally need.
We recommend this document be read alongside our ADHD at Work Welfare Pack which includes a description of ADHD from the perspective of an employer.
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Recommendations
Being open
It is impossible for someone with any disability to know what accommodations might be reasonably needed if they are kept in the dark of the process. We therefore recommend being open about the detail of the interview and its process. Including:
- What the overall specific interview process will be.
- How many interviewers there are, who they are, and what their role is.
- What the likely questions and/or activities will be. It is acknowledged that some questions will by necessity be ad-hoc, for example in response to answers, so can’t be known beforehand. This is not a recommendation for all questions to be known and is more focused on the core questions.
Some adjustments to the interview question process
We recommend the following small adjustments to the process:
- Allowing the candidate to bring notes and be able to refer to them.
- Making questions direct and specific.
- Allowing for additional time. We recommend allowing an additional 50% of time. Please note that this is not specifically about ADHD but more about reducing interview pressure and provide more time for someone to communicate themselves to you.
Some considerations about the room
For in person meetings:
- We recommend a room with as few distractions as possible. Ideally a quiet private room with a door that can shut. A room free from external or internal noise. A room free from visual distractions such as overlooking a corridor, busy working environment or television. Ideally the candidate should face the least distracting direction e.g. facing a wall rather than a window.
- Interviews should not be conducted in a public place (e.g. a Coffee Shop or shared meeting space). The should not have other people in the vicinity who are not part of the interview.
For virtual meetings:
- We recommend minimising any distractions. Visually this includes not having movement in the interviewers background – ideally a heavily blurred or plain background. Audibly this includes minimising intrusive noise. This includes ensuring the interviewer(s) themselves are is in a quiet place and themselves free from distractions and other people. It includes turning off any device or computer noises (for example email received auditory notifications).