Hiring neurodivergent talent: what nearly 200 people told me

This October I shared on LinkedIn that I was diagnosed with ADHD at 5 and autism at 6, and that for 15 years people tried to fix me. At the end of the post I asked a simple question: what’s one thing you stopped doing that made life work better for you?

Nearly 200 of you answered. I want to share what I learned, because if you’re an employer thinking about hiring neurodivergent talent, these answers matter more than any policy document.

What people told me

Some of the answers that stuck with me:

“I stopped masking at work. Now I use that energy on the actual work.”

“It’s not my job to make you comfortable because you can’t understand how I communicate.”

“Instead of asking why can’t they be like everyone else, ask what do they need to succeed?”

The common thread is that nobody needed fixing. They needed the right environment.

That’s my story too. When I stopped trying to conform to neurotypical expectations and started asking “how do I work best?”, everything changed. That question built Neuropool.

Why hiring neurodivergent talent still goes wrong

Plenty of employers want to get this right. The problem is that a lot of hiring processes were designed around one type of brain, and they quietly filter everyone else out.

The government-backed Buckland Review of Autism Employment (2024) found that only around 3 in 10 working-age autistic people are in employment, even though most want to work. It describes autistic jobseekers dealing with vague, generic job descriptions, ambiguous interview questions and challenging sensory environments, often with more emphasis on social skills than job skills.

Read that list again and ask how many of those things are actually needed to do the job.

Five changes that make hiring more neuroinclusive

Here’s what I’d tell any employer, based on my own experience:

1. Write job adverts that say what the job is. Be specific about the tasks, the hours and what “good” looks like. Cut the generic wish lists.

2. Make interviews about the job, not the performance. Ask clear, direct questions. Consider sharing them in advance. Eye contact and small talk aren’t job skills for most roles.

3. Ask, don’t assume. Ask every candidate what would help them show their best. Then do it. Making an adjustment without asking can backfire. I once had a manager leave instructions on my desk in size 42 font in capitals without ever talking to me. She meant well, but I felt singled out.

4. Move beyond stereotypes. Not every autistic person is a coder, and not everyone with ADHD struggles with deadlines. Neurodivergent people bring strengths like hyperfocus, creativity and problem-solving to all kinds of roles.

5. Make support available to everyone. Flexible hours, clear written communication and quiet spaces help the whole team, and offering them to everyone means nobody has to disclose to benefit.

If you want the legal background, UK employers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled workers, including during recruitment, and Acas has practical guidance on neurodiversity at work.

Progress is happening

I founded Neuropool in 2019 to help neurodivergent people find meaningful work. Since then I’ve seen employers like Universal Music and BAE Systems show real commitment to inclusion through their talent programmes. More companies are encouraging people to disclose so they can adjust their interview practices, and that’s a good thing.

But the answers to my post are a reminder of how far there is to go. Nearly 200 people told me about the energy they spent trying to fit in. Imagine what they could do with that energy in a workplace built for how they think.

This is why we’re building Neuropool

Neuropool exists so neurodivergent people can work in places built for how they think, and so employers can find and support brilliant people that their current process might be missing.

If you’re an employer who wants to get this right, book a demo with Neuropool or see how we work with employers. And my DMs are always open.

Originally shared on LinkedIn: read Jack’s original post.