The Phone Interview

FF, on the phone in kitchen: "Yes, hello. This is he."

The prearranged morning phone interview with a major big box company gets underway. This is a first. FF usually only talks on the phone with family or people he knows, and then it's brief and to the point. So this should be interesting.

Me, listening to his end of the conversation from my mutually agreed upon spot in the living room ("I don't want any distractions, Mom."): Silence, [thump, da thump, da thump...] heart beating. [Good start.]

FF: "Okay...okay. Gotcha. I thought this was a seasonal position, for the summer. Oh, okay. Okay. Gotcha."

Me: [Gotcha??]

FF:  "I've done mostly processing. Taking things out of people's cars, and then getting them ready to be categorized and put out on the floor. But I'm looking for my first summer job."

Me: [Good answer.]

FF: "My strength would be honesty and the weakness is writing. Right. Okay."

Me: [Yes! he answered without hesitating and didn't sound embarrassed about it. So far, so good.]

FF: "Um, well. I don't really know. Let me check on that. Just a minute."

Me:  [Uh oh.]

FF: Coming into the living room with his hand over the phone."Mom! They want me to give an example of when I've worked in a team situation."

Me:  "I think you can tell them you've done that at your Restore position."

FF: To the interviewer. "I've worked with a team at my volunteer position."

Me: "You can tell them that it's the Habitat Restore."

FF: "At the Habitat Restore. I've worked with a team of people there."

FF: "Oh. Just a moment again. Turning back to me. Mom! Now they want to know if I've ever worked on a team goal. Have I?

Me: [So now the interviewer surely knows the status. At this point, I think it would probably be better for FF to tell the interviewer that he has high functioning autism and just explain that he's getting some support during the interview. But FF is not really into full disclosure at this point, so we press on.] "At the Restore you've worked with other volunteers on customer service."

FF:  "At my volunteer position, I've worked on customer service." Holding the phone away from his face, but this time forgetting to cover the receiver, "Have I ever worked to accomplish multiple goals in a short time?" Realizing who he's talking to now, and back to the phone, "Oh, sorry, just a moment again, I need to ask my mom."

Me: [Wracking my brain for something.] Just tell them you can't think of anything right now.

FF: "I can't really think of anything now."..."Um." To me. "Can I give them an example of when I've exceeded expectations?"

Me: Knowing full well this is lame, "I think you've done that at the Restore and I think you did that in your public speaking class too."

FF: "I think I've exceeded expectations at Habitat and in one of my previous classes."

At this point the interviewer asks him if he has any questions. Asking his own question during an interview is something we've prepped him for, but he came up with the question himself.

FF: "What would a typical day be like?" 

Me: [Good job! He sounds interested and engaged.] 

FF: How many hours a day would I be working?

Me: [That's fair.]

FF: "What kind of responsibilities would I have on the job?"

Me: [Okay, enough with the questions, already!]

I can tell they're beginning to wrap things up. I grab a pen and piece of paper and write, Don't forget to say "Thank you!" 

FF: "Okay. And thank you for this phone interview and for the opportunity. Okay, gotcha. Bye!"

Yes! He's very proud of himself. And I'm proud of him too. 

He got through it and for the most part he did pretty well. We certainly need to coach him on the types of questions he was asked for which he needed Mom help. But, all in all, for a first one of these screening interviews, in challenging circumstances (on the phone), he did very well. I'm just glad it wasn't a Skype interview. 

I'm intrigued by the new virtual Job Interview Training software developed by SIMmersion Inc., with a grant from the National Institute for Mental Health. FF has played around with the test version, which you can do for free, but I think it would be good if he could practice some more with "Molly." 

Will he get called for a face-to-face interview? I wish, but I recognize the reality is probably not. It was pretty evident that he may need on-the-job supports. 

If he were working with a disability service provider, his job coach or employment specialist would clue-in human resources about FF's abilities and the right job fit for him. We don't have that support, so my dilemma is: Do I intervene and call human resources to explain the situation, hoping they'll at least give him an interview and may even give him an opportunity? (This is a company that's hired other workers with disabilities.) It's a discussion I need to have with FF. For now, he'll wait a week and then we'll talk about follow-up. 

Me: "Whew!"

Need a quick list of tips to prepare your transitionee for a phone interview? Try these Top 9 Tips for Crushing Your Next Phone Interview. 

Hired!

This past Monday, son Fickle Fan put on his new khakis, his two-toned blue polo shirt, and his size 16 Sketchers, and headed off to work. Yes, work! Employment, labor, a job, the daily grind. The place from whence the bacon comes. 

With the help of his employment consultant at Stone Belt, FF interviewed at Hobby Lobby two weeks ago and landed a part-time position in the stock room. A week ago Thursday he attended a training session and signed all the necessary paperwork, and last week he worked a 4 hour and a 6 1/2 hour shift. He was one tired, but happy hombre.

The Pilgrims and Powhatans may have started the giving thanks tradition, but let me tell you, they got nothin' on us. Just days before Thanksgiving, we are so grateful to:

• Stone Belt, for its continued support;
• his Stone Belt employment consultant, Delyn, for slogging through all of the online applications,for knowing who to call, and for taking the time to get to know FF;
• Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation, for making it possible for FF to work with Stone Belt;
• Hobby Lobby, for being the kind of company willing to take a chance;
• to Hobby Lobby's managers, for saying yes to Delyn, and for starting slowly and not throwing him to the wolves on Black Friday;
• to Bloomington Transit for putting a bus stop right in front of Hobby Lobby (we're still practicing bus riding);
• and to FF--for stepping up and making it happen.  

FF's days at Hobby Lobby will be spent unpacking boxes and stocking shelves. Initially, he'll be supported by Delyn, acting as his job coach, who will back him up as he learns new skills and know when to back away as he learns to stand on his own two feet. (Great little animated video here, by the way, on how job coaching works in supported employment.)

Why would Hobby Lobby want to take a chance, giving a first job to an 18-year-old with high functioning autism who is somewhat awkward (but eager), has some pretty limiting fine motor skills, and who gives away the ending to Skyfall to a co-worker on his first day on the job? Sure there's always the altruistic "It's the right thing to do" response, but I think there's probably a more multifaceted answer to that question. First, this probably isn't the first time Hobby Lobby has hired a person with disabilities and they've probably learned a few things along the way.  

• In general people with disabilities make pretty good employees, in that they're dependable, loyal, and productive. 
• There are a number of incentives available to companies who hire employees with disabilities, including tax credits and training programs.
• Hiring an entry level employee referred from VR or a local employment consultant means the company didn't have to spend as much money recruiting applicants for that position.
• The disability community is large when you add family members and friends, which means by hiring someone with a disability, you may have  just broadened your customer base. (Feel the need to go shopping?  Hobby Lobby has 525 stores in 42 states--or just click here. And, no, they're not paying me to put in the promo!)
• Employees with disabilities can be supported by job coaches and an agency of people with expertise in training, accommodating, communicating with and successfully including people with disabilities. In other words, FF comes backed up by a pretty deep bench. 

He also comes with a couple of skills of his own that could help Hobby Lobby. Need something off a top shelf? He's 6'5" and has quite the wingspan. Can't remember what item goes where?  Give him a few months and get him interested, and chances are FF will be able to recite stock numbers and shelf locations with ease. He's got one of those memories. 

I'm sure there are things that we'll have to work through. Rest assured, the Mom Alert System is not switched off; it remains at DEFCON Yellow. But for now I'll hold down the worries about the social stuff, how easily he could annoy a co-worker, his low tolerance for frustration, how quickly he becomes bored of mundane tasks. For now, I'll do the Scarlett O'Hara and think about those things tomorrow, because today I'm smiling and doing the happy dance.

He. Has. A. Job!