By: Kim Pulliam
As a hiring professional, you may have been hearing the description “Neurodiverse” more and more these days. According to a 2022 paper produced by Deloitte, one in five people identify as neurodivergent. Fortunately, we live in a time where the unique traits of those who have neurological differences – such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, OCD and others – are more appreciated and offer benefits to work environments where once they were misunderstood.
Diverse skill-sets offer major problem solving advantages
Seeking out neurodiverse talent is a strategy that not only helps individuals who would otherwise have had difficulties going through the traditional hiring process, but also offers the employer multiple benefits that in the past were overlooked. Many neurodivergent people can become hyper-focused on a task whereas individuals who become saturated more quickly would walk away from before they exhausted all options. Including neurodiverse individuals in your work teams allows for different viewpoints and problem-solving techniques. By viewing a challenge from a non-traditional angle, many overlooked or misconstrued ideas can be researched and potentially successfully implemented resulting in profitable outcomes.
Hiring talent specific to certain areas can be beneficial
According to a 2017 Harvard Business Review article, many who identify as neurodivergent benefit from higher-than-average abilities in pattern recognition, memory and mathematics. Companies that are seeking employees to work with coding, data research and analysis prosper with neurodiverse individuals eager to find a career, but struggle with interviewing and even once hired, being misunderstood with some of the behaviors that fall outside more traditional workplace conduct.
Diversity and Inclusion
Lastly, but certainly not least, by hiring neurodiverse employees, a company demonstrates to their entire workforce and shareholders they are committed to fostering inclusivity and diversity. Integrating neurodivergent team members can give your organization a competitive advantage. Open the door to possibilities with potential benefits for everyone!
If you are interested in connecting with job seekers who identify as neurodiverse, register to recruit in the May 15th Neurodiversity Virtual Career Fair hosted by CareerEco Virtual Events. Maintain access to all candidates’ uploaded information indefinitely. Take advantage of the ability to connect in an audio or video one to one meeting built into the event platform for a more comfortable exchange with candidates.
To learn more and register, click here.