Mental disability & IB
Hello guys, I hope life is treating you well.I came here today to ask about something that is a bit hard to share: should your employer know that you suffer cognitive disabilities?For context, I have a hispanic/latino background and suffer from ADHD and Asperger's. It hasn't conditioned my life on a functional level, as I was lucky enough to be screened and treated early: most people can tell there is something off with me, but cannot pinpoint what it is exactly.Life has been nice, and right now I'm studying a double bachelor's in data science applied to finance and economics in a national top-10 uni.Nonetheless, even if I can do it, I have always had to put a lot more effort than my peers and considered joining the support programs to avoid burnout. I was wondering wether I should tell the banks or not when I apply: I think the stigma that would come with it might outweigh the benefits.What would you do? Are you or know someone in this situation?
Hello mate,
Appreciate you sharing - never an easy thing to do, especially on a semi-anonymous website like WSO.
Can't say I know anyone officially who's been in the same situation as you (i.e. I don't know - off the top of my head - of anyone who's explicitly disclosed they're neurodiverse), however I've certainly worked with people who, as you termed, seemed slightly "off" (I term I personally wouldn't use to describe yourself or anyone else - everyone's different in their own unique way, and it's not for others to judge whether or not you fit their norms).
What I can say is that these people I've worked with have been some of the most competent professionals in their area, and it is by no means a disadvantage. You're doing all the right things by studying a relevant degree at a top university, so - on the face of it - you have all the core attributes necessary to break into finance.
In terms of applications...
I think it's a bit more tricky here. I know a lot of top banks are now targeting neurodiverse candidates to widen their talent pool and broaden diversity more generally, however a cursory view of these schemes indicates to me that these are often for professionals in risk, operations, etc. If you want to target front office roles, I think you have three options:
1) Don't disclose on any applications: will mean you don't face any possible stigma at the early stages, however - in the event you get a role - you may be met with some confusion if, down the line, you ask for support. Not to say you won't get it - and the banks should definitely provide support here - however rather than getting the immediate support and sympathy you deserve, you may instead encounter some confusion / frustration.
2) Disclose on all applications: means you may face a hurdle at the start (no matter how wrong that hurdle may be), but - in the event you get an offer - you'll have options for support immediately presented to you, and people will be far more understanding of your neurodiverse background.
3) Pick-and-choose on which applications you choose to disclose: this may mean, if you worry it might stigmatise your application, not disclosing on your top choices, but disclosing on secondary and tertiary preferences. This way, as you get further and further into applications, you get a better idea of what sort of firms are more receptive, which are not, and how to go about "gaming" the system. You could even do it on a like-for-like basis (e.g. disclose to Goldman, don't disclose to JPM, disclose to BAML, don't disclose to Citi, etc.)
I'd suggest doing some research into the firms you're looking to applying to and seeing what neurodiverse programmes (if any) they're currently offering, and for which sort of roles they apply to. If I were you, I'd probably opt for option number (3) above, as I think it provides the most flexibility and, in the long term, will help you collect the most information relevant to you.
Hope this helps - YDFoR