Neurodivergent Strategies for Job Interviews: Calming the Nervous System

Kaitlyn Boudreault
Jul 21
9 min read

Updated: Jul 23

Do job interviews leave you feeling overstimulated, anxious, or frozen?

For many neurodivergent individuals, interviews aren’t just about showcasing skills.

Interviews ask you to follow neuronormativity. You are expected to respond quickly, mask your sensory needs, force eye contact, follow unspoken social norms, or perform well under pressure.

A group of neurodivergent individuals. They are doing the following: calm your nervous system during job interviews

As a neurodivergent job seeker, you may face unique challenges. This is not because you are unqualified, but because the traditional hiring process is not designed with your brain in mind.

In these environments, where there is a mismatch between traditional interview standards and the way your neurodivergent brains function, you may experience heightened stress responses and internalized self-doubt.

With the right strategies, you can find ways to approach interviews in a way that affirms your neurodivergent identity.

The team of neurodiversity-affirming therapists, coaches, and career counsellors at Blue Sky Learning offers practical support to help you prepare for interviews and navigate your career path.

In this blog, we’ll explore what neurodivergent means, why job interviews are challenging for neurodivergent people, and strategies to support yourself before, during, and after interviews. We’ll also offer tips for employers looking to create more inclusive interview experiences.

What Does Neurodivergent Mean?

The terms ‘neurodivergent’ and ‘neurodivergence’ were coined in 2000 by Kassiane Asasumasu.

Neurodivergent refers to individuals who experience natural variations in brain development and neurocognitive functioning that differ from what society considers average or typical.

Neurodivergent people fall under the umbrella of neurodivergence and can have one or more of the following neurotypes:

ADHD
Autism
OCD
Dyspraxia
Tourette Syndrome
Dyslexia
Anxiety
Sensory Processing Disorder
Depression
Learning disabilities
Borderline Personality Disorder

If you are neurodivergent, this means that your brain may process, interpret, or respond to information in ways that are different from what society considers the norm.

These differences in neurocognitive functioning can affect your communication, attention span, sensory experiences, and emotional regulation.

Why Are Job Interviews So Challenging for Me as a Neurodivergent Person?

Traditional job interviews are structured in a format that is often rigid and reliant on unspoken expectations.

Some interviewers may be looking for eye contact, quick thinking, emotional regulation, and polished communication. These expectations may be difficult for neurodivergent individuals.

Although every neurodivergent individual experiences different challenges in job interviews, there are some common challenges, including:

Social Rules: Interviews may rely on social rules that may seem unclear or unnatural to neurodivergent individuals.
Masking: There is pressure to hide neurodivergent traits, such as sensory sensitivities, stimming, or untraditional communication styles, which can be exhausting.
Executive Dysfunction: You may be required to plan for the interview, organize thoughts, and respond to questions on the spot, or manage stress, which can be difficult.
Sensory Overload: Bright lights, background noises, uncomfortable clothing, or crowded spaces can trigger your nervous system to become dysregulated.
Processing Delays: Neurodivergent individuals may need more time to process questions or formulate responses, which can be misinterpreted as disinterest or rudeness.
Literal Thinking: Many neurodivergent people interpret information literally, which can make vague or abstract questions confusing.

If interviewers are more focused on performance in job interviews versus actual job skills, neurodivergent candidates can be unfairly excluded from opportunities.

Understanding the Stress Response

Your nervous system consists of the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems.

The sympathetic nervous system activates your fight, flight, freeze, or fawn response in response to stressful situations. Whereas, the parasympathetic nervous system allows the body to return to rest.

When preparing for job interviews, you may feel stressed, especially if past experiences have included misunderstanding, rejection, or sensory overwhelm.

As a result, your sympathetic nervous system may be activated, and you may respond by:

Fighting: Preparing for the interview by pulling an all nighter.
Flighting: Avoiding the interview preparation.
Freezing: Becoming paralyzed and unable to do anything.
Fawning: Hiding or masking your neurodivergent traits to appear more neurotypical in an attempt to be liked.

For neurodivergent folks, your stress response may be intensified due to interactions with:

Sensory sensitivities to light, sound, or uncomfortable clothing
Executive functioning challenges, like planning, memory, or task initiation
Uncertainty around social scripts or unspoken expectations
Fear of being judged for stimming, verbal delays, or atypical communication

If you are experiencing a stress response as you prepare for a job interview, know that you are not flawed.

This is your nervous system trying to protect you. Attempting to regulate your nervous system is a form of self-advocacy.

The Connection Between Interviews and Stress

Job interviews can cause anxiety for anyone because they are high-stakes situations.

When you engage in a job interview, you are meeting new people, managing uncertainty, and being evaluated. All of these can trigger your body’s fight, flight, freeze, or fawn response.

This nervous system response is heightened for neurodivergent individuals due to:

Previous invalidating or discriminatory experiences
Trauma from school, work, or healthcare systems
Differences in sensory processing or emotional regulation

If you are experiencing stress during your job interview preparation, you may be experiencing the following physical, cognitive, or psychological signs of stress.

Physical Signs of Stress

Shallow breathing
Racing heart
Shaking or trembling
Sweating or chills
Nausea, dizziness, or lightheadedness
Stomach aches
Muscle tension or body aches
Headaches
Restlessness
Changes in appetite (eating more or less)
Difficulty sleeping or nightmares
Repetitive behaviors (e.g., picking, tapping, rocking)
Increased sensitivity to noise, light, or touch

Cognitive Signs of Stress

Difficulty focusing or concentrating
Trouble recalling information
Trouble expressing thoughts
Dissociation or feeling disconnected
Hypervigilance or scanning for danger

Psychological & Emotional Signs of Stress

Emotional numbness or feeling flat
Irritability
Feeling overwhelmed or overstimulated
Crying unexpectedly or being unable to cry
Avoiding people or responsibilities
Sudden loss of motivation or interest
Withdrawing or shutting down
Heightened rejection sensitivity or insecurity

Strategies for Job Interviews as a Neurodivergent Individual

The stress response isn’t laziness. It’s a psychological reaction. Calming the nervous system can help reduce this stress response. This can be done through various strategies:

Before the Interview: Grounding & Preparation

If your nervous system is dysregulated, it can make preparing for a job interview ten times harder. You can reduce your stress response and have an easier time with job interview preparation with the right strategies, including:

Create a Calming Environment: Create a sensory-friendly space to prepare for your interview. This may include using soft lighting, soothing music, essential oils, or a weighted blanket. A calm environment can help you regulate your nervous system before the interview begins.
Practice With Support: Rehearse the interview questions with scripts or prompts. This may also involve practicing the job interview with a friend or coach.
Stimming: Movement may help to release tension or soothe the nervous system. This may involve bouncing, pacing, stretching, or using a sensory tool like a fidget spinner.
Visual Aids: Create a visual checklist for the things you can wear that are sensory friendly, or some answers to questions that feel like yourself. You can prepare bullet points to refer to during the interview.
Plan Logistics: The unknown can heighten anxiety, especially for neurodivergent individuals. To reduce anxiety, try to prepare beforehand. Pick your outfit ahead of time, plan your route, test your tech, and schedule in buffer time to avoid rushing. Knowing you’re logistically prepared can help reduce pre-interview stress.

During the Interview: Regulation & Self-Accommodation

Regulation during the job interview may involve the use of several grounding or sensory-friendly techniques or accommodations that support your neurodivergent needs. Some strategies for regulating your nervous system in an interview include:

Grounding Tools: Items like a fidget toy, water bottle, or essential oil roller can offer physical grounding and sensory comfort.
Practice Breathing Techniques: The 4-7-8 breathing technique (inhale for 4, hold for 7, exhale for 8) may be of help before answering each question. This helps regulate your nervous system.
Ask for Accommodations: If your neurodivergence is causing challenges that make the job interview harder for you, you can request accommodations, which include asking for questions in writing, turning your camera off in a virtual interview, or taking short breaks. Don’t think of accommodations as special treatment. They are about equity.
Normalize Pauses: If you don’t know what to say, use phrases that allow for a pause, such as “That’s a great question. I’d like to take a moment to think about it.” You don’t have to rush to respond. Giving yourself time shows thoughtfulness.
Use Supportive Self-Talk: Remind yourself quietly, “I am capable,” “I’ve prepared for this,” or “It’s okay to be myself.” Encouragement can help interrupt internalized shame or anxiety.

After the Interview: Recovery & Reflection

As a neurodivergent person, you may be feeling exhausted after a job interview. It’s okay to recognize this and to take time to take care of yourself and recover. Some strategies to recover from this energy low include:

Decompress: Nap, move, spend time in nature, or do your favorite stim. Allow your body to unwind after you have engaged in a job interview.
Self-Validate: Remind yourself, “That was hard, and I showed up.” You did something brave and challenging.
Journal or Voice Note: Reflect on what felt good, what was hard, and anything you’d do differently next time. This helps build self-awareness for future interviews.
Celebrate Effort: Even if the interview didn’t go perfectly, acknowledge what went well. Progress is worth celebrating.

Reframing Success for Neurodivergent Job Seekers

It can be difficult to reframe what success looks like when the world teaches neurodivergent individuals that success only looks one way, and this is not aligned with how your brain navigates the world.

It’s time to redefine what success looks like and who gets to claim it.

Traditional job interviews often measure success as performing well under pressure, answering questions quickly, small talk, and the ability to think on the spot.

But these shouldn’t be the only markers of competence.

For neurodivergent individuals, success may involve pausing before answering, communicating straightforwardly, or needing a written version of a question.

This does not mean that neurodivergent individuals are deficient on the job. It means that they simply have different ways of showing success.

If we are reframing success, this is a reminder that:

You don’t need to hide your neurodivergence to be successful. Masking who you are to fit into outdated workplace norms can lead to burnout. When you embrace your neurotype and communicate your needs, you are making space for more authentic ways of living that can lead to success.
It’s okay to ask for support. Asking for accommodations does not mean you are incompetent. Accommodations are tools to even the playing field and remove barriers. Whether you receive interview questions in writing, have extra time to respond, or use calming tools during the interview, these supports help you thrive.
Having doesn’t mean you are less qualified. Needs are human. Everyone benefits when workplaces consider diversity, equity, and inclusion. Neurodivergent workers often bring strengths like deep focus, innovation, loyalty, and creative thinking when they are given space to thrive.

Reframing success also involves being kind to yourself and changing your inner narrative. Instead of asking yourself if you behaved in the right way, try to consider if you were authentic to yourself.

How Can an Employer Create Neuro-Inclusive Interviews?

Creating an inclusive hiring practice is not something that can happen overnight. It happens through each small decision that you make. Here are some ways that you, as an employer and/or hiring manager, can better support neurodivergent candidates:

Offer accommodations proactively. Don’t wait for candidates to ask. Include a statement in your job postings that invites candidates to share any access needs. Normalize accommodations as part of the process.
Share interview questions or the agenda in advance. Providing structure helps candidates prepare more effectively and reduces stress.
Allow flexible formats. Phone, video, asynchronous, or written interviews can all offer alternatives to traditional in-person formats. Offering choice reduces barriers.
Avoid unnecessary pressure or abstract questions. Instead of “Tell me about a time you failed,” try behavior-based questions that relate directly to the job. Avoid open-ended questions that may be confusing or overly vague.
Focus on real job skills, not 'likeability.' Interviewers often unconsciously favor candidates who match their communication style. Be mindful of what the role requires and assess candidates based on core competencies.
Provide breaks and low-stimulation environments. For in-person interviews, avoid noisy or chaotic settings. Offer breaks and allow candidates to stim, use calming tools, or take a moment if needed.

Inclusive interviews help everyone feel more supported and seen. They are not just beneficial for neurodivergent candidates. By following these strategies, you can support all your job candidates in different ways.

Want to learn more? Read our blog: Neurodiversity in the Workplace: Benefits, Challenges & How to Create Neuro-Inclusive Environments.