5.4 Interviewing

The fourth step to evaluate when hiring dyslexic thinking talent is interviewing. Dyslexics are brilliant communicators. While we may struggle to get our ideas down on paper, we are often skilled at communicating verbally. This should help us to positively shine in interviews.

But when it comes to hiring dyslexic thinkers, it's important to value our strengths and understand our challenges. Dyslexics process information differently. This is clear to see when you look at a dyslexic cognitive skills profile, compared to someone who is not dyslexic.

We score very highly in some things, often in the top percentiles, but in areas we find challenging, we score very low, often in the bottom percentiles. We call this a spiky profile.

Each dyslexic will have a different pattern of strengths and challenges. It's vital that interviewers are trained to spot and understand these as part of our profile.

For example, many dyslexics are highly creative thinkers and have lots of ideas, which means it can take us longer to process these thoughts and ideas.

In an interview scenario, this means it can take us longer to process the questions we've been asked, and to formulate the answers, and demonstrate our skills and understanding.

A simple way around this is to provide dyslexic candidates, or all candidates, with the interview questions in advance, and to allow extra time to answer each question. This is particularly important if any part of the interview process is automated and video-based.

I recently met a brilliant dyslexic thinker, who worked for a global bank. during the recruitment process, she had to complete an interview stage online. In this scenario, questions appeared on screen, and candidates had limited time to reply.

While this method may be efficient for organisations, it plays to all dyslexic challenges. Reading instructions at speed and performing against the clock are kryptonite for dyslexic thinkers. This method doesn't allow us to show the valuable skills we have. It also risks missing out on the very thinkers who could move your business forward.

For others, a shorter working memory means that while we're brilliant at strategically joining the dots and seeing the big picture, we may struggle to recall exact facts and figures or dates and names. It's important not to misunderstand this as a reflection of our intelligence or competency to do the job, but as part of our different way of thinking, and to understand our wider pattern of strengths and challenges. An easy way around this is to allow candidates to refer to notes during the interview.

Here's Matt to explain more.

If the aim of the interview is to find the best person for the job, the job of the interviewer is to create the right conditions for candidates to show their best selves. It's easier than you think, and small changes can make a big difference.

First, train interviewers to recognise and value dyslexic thinking, so they can spot the valuable strengths and accommodate the challenges. Each dyslexic has a different pattern of strengths and challenges, so you should work to build up an accurate picture of their profile and assess how accurately this fits the need of the job.

Secondly, don't rely on traditional interview formats to assess the potential of dyslexic candidates. Instead, incorporate real-world scenarios to assess creativity, problem solving, and strategic thinking. Project-based assessments, skills demonstrations, or video submissions are all brilliant ways for candidates to showcase their abilities in ways that play to their dyslexic strengths.

And lastly, when it comes to the platform you use to interview candidates, allow for multiple communication formats, such as visual aids or collaborative exercises. The organisation that leads the way in recruiting dyslexic thinkers is the UK's Intelligence Agency, GCHQ. For over 100 years, they've sought out dyslexic thinkers. They've put in place, simple adjustments to the interview process to help dyslexic minds to thrive.

Before the interview, they put candidates at ease by letting them know, they want to see candidates best selves, and asking, what do you need to ensure we see that? They provide the interview questions in advance to allow people to prepare. And when it comes to the interview, they look for ways to make the experience easier.

Understanding our shorter working memory, they allow people to park questions, if they're not ready to answer them. They give people extra time to allow them to think and process questions.

Here's GCHQ to explain more.

GCHQ are proud to be recognised as a disability confident leader, demonstrating our unwavering commitment to creating an inclusive and supportive environment for all.

So, at the point of application, we provide candidates with a link to a bespoke brochure on disability, neurodiversity, and reasonable adjustments that highlights the many ways that we can provide support to candidates, including those with dyslexia. Our recruitment teams are provided with training to ensure that they understand how to create an equitable and accommodating interview environment for candidates, including with specific resources on dyslexia and reasonable adjustments.

Specific adjustments that we might make include, for example, some extra time for interviews and assessments, providing questions in advance, so candidates have a chance to read and think about the question before they arrive, and also, printing text onto different coloured paper, making it more accessible for some dyslexic candidates.

We also understand that traditional tests might not bring out a dyslexic candidate's full strengths, and so we make sure that we offer a blended range of skills-based and interview through the assessment process. And we also offer many of these virtually, instead of in-person interviews, so that candidates can use any assistive technology, speech-to-text, or screen readers, that they might need to help them be their best.

So to summarise, when it comes to evaluating your interview stage, here are three key takeaways. One, train interviewers to recognise and value dyslexic thinking and provide adjustments. Two, incorporate real-world scenarios to assess creativity, problem solving, and strategic thinking. Three, allow for multiple communication formats, such as visual aids or collaborative exercises.