One look at figures for how often autistic people get to the interview stage will show that, when it comes to applying for jobs, many autistic people are missing out.
In many cases, this is due to hundreds of unspoken rules and secret tricks that are assumed as common knowledge in applicants, so I brought in a friend of mine: professional recruiter and keeper of these secrets, Jordan, who can share advice on how to optimise any application.
How to write a curriculum vitae (CV)
Writing a CV can seem daunting (especially when you consider that curriculum vitae is Latin for “course of life” – so you are literally condensing your entire life into 1 or 2 pages). Nevertheless, daunting doesn’t have to mean difficult as, according to Jordan, when it comes to writing your CV it’s best to keep things clean and concise.
This is because, while you may have all the time in the world to pad out the varying sections on a CV, employers only have a short allotted period to get through candidates and so, it’s better to be pithy and memorable rather than thorough and lengthy.
For people in the autism community, this can be a challenge as, due to the limited opportunities we have received, we may feel we need to elaborate to avoid the page looking bare. Nevertheless, stretching something which can be condensed to a bullet point is ill-advised, as it often has the adverse effect; drawing attention to any shortcomings and making them look even shorter than the Hulk’s temper.
Thankfully, with some creative structuring you can more than make up for a lack of experience, which is why I highly recommend tailoring your CV to the layout outlined below – and, remember, while a couple of years ago writing in third person was the norm, it’s now a no-go, as most potential employers want to hear from you and not the weird disconnected voice of your imaginary narrator.
A small personal blurb
In most cases, every CV should start with a small personal blurb which, depending on where you are in your career will differ e.g for those who are looking to jump on the job path, this is an opportunity to explain who you want to be and how you plan to get there. However, for those more seasoned professionals, it’s an opportunity to celebrate all you have achieved.
Regardless of which camp you fall into, the important thing here is to give a true reflection of yourself, locking on to 3-4 words that describe you and explaining why you believe this will make/has made you an asset in your chosen field. This should be no longer than one paragraph (roughly 25-30 words) and can be inspired by that list of strengths created earlier.
Contact information
This one is fairly self-explanatory. Just ensure that you have included the following information below and you will be good to go:
- Name
- Phone number
- A link to any relevant portfolios (this isn’t always required)
- Social media (once again, only include this if relevant i.e. for a job in marketing)
Skills
For the skills section, a bullet point list should more than suffice but, if you’re light on past experience, consider giving short examples of when you have displayed these skills in life (and be sure to back this information with figures i.e. ‘Innovative thinker – I raised £X for a local charity by hosting a sale at the local town hall’).
Experience
It’s unquestionable that, when it comes to the dread associated with creating a CV, most people are worried about how to represent their job experience to make themselves stand out. In truth, there are lots of extravagant ways to do this, but this doesn’t change the fact that keeping things brief and factual will still be best received. As such, try keeping to the following structure for each past role and list your roles from the most recent position and work backwards:
- Job title
- Company
- Dates you worked there (make sure to include the years AND months)
- 5-6 bullet points of activities the role included (don’t just give one-word responses, particularly where the job role isn’t self-explanatory, but say how the role helped the organisation and, once again, provide figures if possible)
Education
Last but not least, it’s time to share your history during the hardest years of our lives: school. Keeping to the format outline so far, this one should be a cinch and just remember to work from your most recent experience backwards (although don’t go so far back that you’re listing the grades you got for finger painting in nursery).
- Name of the school/college/university
- Subjects studied (with grade if you scored highly)
- Years studied
- Additional certifications and relevant achievements you may hold
When you have finished your CV, it is crucial that you have a trusted friend/family member read it over before submitting it. This will help to spot any areas which might need further clarification or, more importantly, the spotting and removal of any spelling or grammatical errors.
More information
This article is part of James’ ‘Complete guide to autism and employment.’ Also featured in the series are:
