Discussing overcoming ADHD in elevator pitch
I have an interview coming up and was wondering if I should mention overcoming my ADHD in it? I was thinking of just talking about how I overcame this event without mentioning ADHD but a family member brought up this idea to me.
Background for firm:
They are highly diverse and have a huge emphasis on it. There is a huge influence on being progressive (which I really like).
Extra info on my topic:
Was not a good student in HS (no focus or care about school, poor study habits, etc...). Spent sometime messing around in CC until I had an epiphany. Changed my life around (spent countless hours in the library, went from failing multiple algebra courses in HS several times to taking Calc and getting an A in it in CC, having a gpa that I'm proud of, transferring to a Uni, and of course, I'm finally about to graduate). I know some of this may seem like normal college behavior but being someone that almost didn't graduate HS and am where I am right now, it was a huge jump and I'm very proud of it.
Thank you:
Thanks to all who read and took the time to reply to this, I greatly appreciate it.
Hey Honda_Accord_, I'm the WSO Monkey Bot and I'm here since nobody responded to your topic! Bummer...could just be unlucky but one of these topics will help shed some light:
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You're welcome.
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Thanks so much for your reply. I see what you're saying and I agree--the complexity is best to be saved for a strength/weakness question (along with the pity party point). I'm glad I posted this question because without doing so, I wouldn't have gotten your input, which is a totally different spin on what I originally had in mind. Cheers!
Hey, there.
Kudos to ensuring the ADHD and the anxiety do not get in your way. Use this story only and only if:
1. You have exhausted all other stories where you could have demonstrated that overcoming certain challenges helped you acquire critical skills for your job.
2. You believe the process of overcoming ADHD/anxiety has positioned you to be a better professional for the team in a demonstrable manner.
3. You are in an informational interview with someone from the team, and not the hiring manager/HR manager.
As someone who has hired people recently, interviewers take a risk management approach and not a who might be an asset approach for roles that are not very competitive. Even if you overcame hardships that come with ADHD in HS, this might not come across as an impressive feat to many (Sorry if that sounds sharp - I personally know how it feels to be on both sides of the equation). This would be completely different if - somehow - your prospective employer was working with ADHD clients (too difficult to get such information.)
I would not drink from the kool-aid and buy the progressive story. Employer branding has really come a long way. Use the keywords but do not buy the value system, corporate values, or even ESG promises they post in public media. In another life, I used to draft these for conglomerates and SMBs in the Asia Pacific and know for a fact how many eyes even saw them before they got to the corporate website. Toothless words at best; window-dressing at worst.
On the other hand, I would definitely use the story to build some rapport in the informational interviews to earn some internal referrals.
As always - feel free to discard all the advice. Good luck with your process!
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