| There’s no need to fluff anything up, focus on what makes you great—your technical skills and achievements. I am not sure anyone is rejecting you based on awkwardness or autism masking. My advice is not to worry about this or think about it. Thinking about things you can’t control or have difficulty controlling will make you anxious. A hiring manager or peer interviewer will try to discern two main things (speaking as both a candidate and someone who has interviewed others to be hired): 1) is this person technically capable of performing the work? 2) how will this person be as a co-worker or employee? For (1), just focus on being able to tell the highlights of your technical accomplishments. What you did, why it was important to the org or project, what you learned etc. For (2), have stories of being a good person to work with. For example, someone gave me a critique and this is how I handled it. Or when we had a really challenging situation, this is what I did. No one is looking for a hero (being a hero isn’t desirable in all situations or roles). But people want to know that the person they’re hiring is someone who will listen to them, provide knowledgeable suggestions, and be flexible to pivoting when the situation needs it. Most of all, they’re looking for someone who can help get things done. What levels are you aiming for? I am guessing junior or mid? |