Very negative experience: Process - I prepared a pre-interview task followed by an in-person interview with a five-minute presentation about the task and other technical questions.
Neurodiversity: I disclosed being on the autism spectrum, and I asked for reasonable adjustments, which must be provided under the Equality Act 2010.
Before the interview, I clearly explained by email that it would help me if they could share the questions or some of the questions in advance because, due to my autism, I need extra alone time to process information in a calm environment. The answer was to send me the interview questions one hour prior to the interview “to allow you more time to prepare.” Really? I was traveling from another city by train/bus to attend the interview in the morning. How could it be helpful to receive the questions when bordering the bus to the place of the interview?
During the interview, I attended the venue 20 minutes before the time of the interview, and the time of the interview passed and I was late accessing the interview room. I did not feel welcome when they expected me to start right away without giving me time to get used to the room, accommodate my belongings, etc. They did not offer me to use the toilet either. They seemed upset when I took longer than expected during the presentation when I clearly explained that I needed more time and I did not have access to a clock. During the interview, I did not understand some of the questions, which were too general, but when I asked for clarification, they did not even try to reformulate the question. I felt that some of the interviewers behaved like bullies by not taking the time to clarify the answers and by not considering my communication differences.
Question about diversity—they even asked, “What would you do in this role to promote equality and diversity?” Hello, I am diverse on several fronts, and they did not make the effort to understand my special communication needs before the interview.
