I have ADHD inattentive. Severe diagnosis. Really impairs short term memory, memory recall and speed of problem solving. This makes coding interviews with whiteboarding or code pairing challenges excruciating. My brain simply does not have the speed or bandwidth to handle spontaneous problem solving or 'instant' detailed memory recall. If forced, information will be incorrect or incomplete. But I'm a great senior coder. In normal circumstances, I'll go through GitHub issue and take the time I need to formulate a plan and execute. Anyone here have any advice or feedback on approaching interviews when you have a disability? Previously when I've tried to gently ask what options for accommodation are available due to a disability in an interview, I'm dropped like a hot potato about 60-70% of the time. Honestly I think they just freak out and wash their hands of it to keep things simple. How do I approach this subject at interviews?
I have no idea how you could code without short term memory.
lots of writing of logic and pseudo code on paper instead of in my head.
You should make a claim for ever one of those 60-70% of companies that dropped you like a hot potato and then you wouldn’t need to work anymore. Bastards
that would be a ton of claims. I dont bother. can only fight for so much. have a family I need to support so I just need to go where I am welcomed. but I prefer to just find a team where I can be disabled and do what I love which is code.
I should point out that I'm fine on the parts when explain a project I've done cause it is in long term memory at that point. issue for me is how to get accommodations to avoid types of interview activities that are wholly incompatible with an ADHD brain without getting dropped like a hot potato
Messed up part is that if I rolled into an interview with a wheelchair people would go out of their way to accommodate without blinking an eye. Or if I was partially blind or partially hearing impaired, people would be more willing to figure it out. Neurological impairment, Not so much.
Maybe it’s a good thing for you in the long run. It’ll make it tough in the short run, but it will force you to get better and tougher which is an advantage
No it's not
Don’t forget that you are interviewing the company just as much, if not more, than they are interviewing you.
He is not in that position
I don't think you are disabled. You are just making it up to gain sympathy here. Suck it up and memorize Leetcode like the rest of us so that you can code from memory which is expected now. Days are gone when you are actually given time to solve a new 'unseen' problem lol
You have no idea what I have been through living with this for 50 years. Sympathy? no. People that suggest that people living with disabilities are faking it just trying to gain sympathy are just uneducated. Not everyone is wired the same sir/madam
First of all: way to invalidate lived experience, bro. Second of all: rote memorization will probably only work in a limited context; there's only so many Leetcode problems and if the hiring team is looking for someone to solve a specific type of problem it's not going to hack it. Third of all: that's not how ADHD works.
Thanks for all the responses. Had an interview last week for an internal role at a different team and was transparent with the recruiter about what types of interview styles were going to be most difficult (I had disclosed Adhd to HR months earlier for something different). Got a note today that hiring manager would like to sync up so I suppose that is a positive step. If someone in my shoes is reading this I would suggest explaining the circumstances and make some suggestions on what types of interview processes would be workable that would allow the interviewers to assess your knowledge.
I found this post because I'd been racking my brain on the disconnect between my talent and how I perform in technical interviews and it only just occurred to me that maybe they are not a super productive environment for my ADHD.
I’ve faced the same problems with whiteboard interviews and it almost pushed me out of industry. I’m a high performer with an extreme hyperfocus in a particular domain. I’m strategic and a creative problem solver. Being asked to quickly recall random leetcode solutions that are of zero interest in my day to day work is my worst nightmare. I’m pretty open about my ADHD in my current environment to be transparent about my strengths and weaknesses, but I haven’t felt comfortable enough to disclose it during an interview. Enough neurodivergent folks excel in FAANG, I wish it wasn’t still a risk to disclose.
Adderall before interview if you have that prescribed and grind leetcode so much that you get similar questions on the interview. ADHD usually gives you a nice energetic personality so you have that going
Unfortunately meds in general dont help me in that way.. they don't reduce symptoms significantly. just make it clearer to think.
grind works if they ask what I've retained. problem is I can only access a small amount of memory. I can only 'frontload' so much.