AspieSaurus

It can be difficult for people on the autism spectrum to find a job that they are well suited for, as well as getting past the interview when applying for a job. Though certain aspie traits can be beneficial when choosing a career, others can hold you back. Your attention to detail can make you a valuable employee, but some employers might not even give you the chance to prove yourself. Since most aspies don't have the best social skills, making a good first impression on the interviewer can be especially difficult.

Before you can attempt to find a job, you must first determine what type of career would be best for you. This article on PsychologyToday gives some pointers on choosing a career: How To Find Your Career on the Autism Spectrum

In that article, the author gives tips on choosing the career path that is best suited for your individual needs. For example, if you are a strong visual thinker, possible career choices for you would be in the fields of computer programming, web design, photography, handcrafts, etc. If you are better with numbers and facts, you might be better suited for a career in accounting, engineering, or journalism, among others. There are also career suggestions given in the article for non-verbal autistics. The article then goes on to outline the process by which you can figure out what kind of career you would like to have, which starts with listing your obsessive interests. You will, of course, need to make sure you are qualified for your chosen career path, and may need additional education.

Once you have decided on a career path, as an aspie, you may run into road blocks while attempting to get the job. Even if your resume is impressive, the interview with make or break you. Even neurotypicals can have a lot of trouble with interviews. It doesn't matter that you have a masters degree in your chosen field; employers want employees with people skills, and will generally hire the friendly, sociable person who is as dumb as a door nob over the person who is actually a hard-worker and qualified. Employers tend to hire based on emotions rather than logic.

This article outlines some of the problems that you may run into during your job search: Young adults with Asperger's syndrome struggle to find jobs
If you are mindful of the pitfalls associated with the interview and work really hard to pull it off, you just might have a chance. It may not work with all potential employers, but if you explain during the interview that you know you don't have the best people skills, but that you know that you are probably the most qualified applicant (without seeming too arrogant), you just might have a chance. You may also want to attempt to explain to them that your "weakness" is actually a "strength" (Say things such as this: since you don't have the best social skills, you will actually get your work done, as opposed to wasting valuable company time gossiping around the water cooler. You also have a great eye for detail and your obsessive nature prevents you from making careless mistakes. Try to get them to think of you as a valuable asset to the company that they couldn't possibly do without.)

There is no guarantee that you will find a job right away. Especially in this economy, even NTs are having trouble finding work. You may have to send out dozens, possibly hundreds of resumes or applications, but if you work hard, you will eventually find a job if you really want it.