Showing my work made all the difference

Written by Hannah Badenhop, Community Engagement and Branding Officer

Hannah, a communication design graduate, has been working in creative roles throughout her career. As a neurodivergent employee, Hannah shares her experiences and benefits of exploring assessment methods that showcase a candidate’s skills.

As a creative I feel that showing my work in a hands-on, tactile format is the best way to demonstrate my skills. Being able to physicaShlly bring in some of my past projects and show them to the assessors is particularly effective as I am able to speak directly to the past piece of work I have created. Some of the pieces of work I presented included past print projects, social media campaigns, and research projects.

I had an experience where I had prepared a portfolio to take to an interview for a role I had applied for. Throughout the interview, the assessors did not ask me for my portfolio. As I was passionate about this opportunity, at the very end of the interview I asked if I could show my portfolio. As I proceeded to present my work, I immediately felt a change from the assessors in the level of excitement towards my skills and past work. The panel then proceeded to look through some of my past work, and I was able to proudly explain the project and the thought and technical skills that went into making the work.

I was successful in achieving that role, and I do believe that having the courage to show my work contributed to my success. The portfolio acted as proof that I have the skills I say I have and gave me an opportunity to further explain my work.

For me, it is also a way of showing the creative side of my personality. Some of my past projects are centered around topics of interest which can give the employer an insight into your passions and values. This is what I think helped me secure the role as a key member of the panel seemed super enthusiastic about a particular piece of work. I also have an opportunity to present my work in a way that reflects my creative style.

As a neurodivergent job seeker, I found comfort in being able to have breaks in giving eye contact as the assessors were looking at my portfolio instead of directly looking at me.

I would encourage employers to look beyond the traditional recruitment methods and explore how candidates can demonstrate their skills. I think that bringing in a portfolio is applicable to many roles including hairdresser and tiler not just graphic design or photography.

Being able to bring examples of my work to an interview has allowed me to confidently demonstrate my skills and helped me secure a role I was passionate about.

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“As an employer I believe and have seen that supporting neurodiversity isn’t just about being inclusive, it’s good for business. It attracts a wider talent pool, boosts innovation, improves employee well-being, and reduces costs. In short, it strengthens your employer brand and builds a successful work environment.”

“As a small business we create policies and procedures collaboratively with staff, making sure that the policies are designed for them by them”.

“When you’re in an inclusive workplace people identify and understand the strengths you bring and accommodate work to focus on your strength areas”

“In an inclusive workplace neurodivergent employees should feel that they are understood by staff.”

“Inclusive onboarding for me really enhanced the comfort. Your first day can be really scary as you don’t know what to do, who to meet. At one place started at they told me what the plan was, who I was to meet and gave me clear instructions of where to go which helped me have a plan until the person who was collecting me arrived which made the whole thing a little bit less stressful.”

“I found work tours really helpful when they are part of the interview. It helped me sell myself during the interview as you can look at the types of equipment you will be using and get a better idea of what they want from you and the employer gets to see how you react to the environment”

“Feeling understood by my manager meant that I felt valued by the workplace, and that my unique perspective was valuable. When managers have understood me and my strengths, I have definitely felt more motivated to do my best for the business or company as a result.”

“I’ve noticed that in workplaces I’ve been in positive changes have been really successful when they come from the top down.”

“In the business I work in, to show job seekers that we are inclusive we have inclusivity statements on our website and our job ads. We also offer adjustments and accommodations as part of the recruitment process”

“The advice that I would give to businesses wanting to be inclusive is you have to start somewhere, even with something small. Be open to new ways of thinking and get input from staff to start making inclusive changes. Get it going, get it moving and let’s start doing something.”

“Your workforce needs to reflect your customer base. It really allows your customer base to feel more welcome and like they belong. I have found also that diversity of thought, skills background and knowledge also reduces bias and group think within an organisation, that’s one of the key things I have found”.

‘In an organisational setting, inclusion is seen as a means to improve performance and employee satisfaction. It improves employee loyalty, creative problem solving and teamwork.

“In my previous role I did not disclose this information because I was already having difficulties with colleagues. In my current role I have disclosed to team members I am comfortable with.”

Autism SA completed a National Survey in 2023, where 72 neurodivergent people were asked if they had disclosed during the recruitment process or in a workplace. 33% shared that they had not disclosed, 40% said that they had disclosed their diagnosis, while 26% partly disclosed.

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