To request online interview as a reasonable adjustment

[bluecogturning]

I experience mental health issues (for which I've been prescribed medication and go to counselling) and am wondering if it would be reasonable for me to ask if it would be possible for me to attend a job interview via Teams or Zoom. In-person interviews cause me a lot of anxiety in an environment I am not familiar with, whereas I feel more comfortable and can give a much better representation of my ability when I can be in my own home during an interview.

On three previous occasions I have been offered the job when interviews were conducted remotely, and I have been less successful during onsite interviews. However, in the past it has always been the employer that has specified the remote interview format and I don't know if as the applicant I would be within my rights to request a remote interview when this time the employer would otherwise conduct the interview in person.

That’s how interviews make the majority of people feel. I had an interview online in 2021 and my fit bit had told I had ran excessively for an hour meaning my heart rate was going extremely fast for that length of time.

at the interview they want to see how you react, how you interact and if you will be a good fit for their team. I personally wouldn’t ask for online as this will make you different from other people and make you appear awkward.

Do you not actually have to be employed by them to ask for reasonable adjustments? This seems a bit of a reach..

@TokyoStories well if she got the questions in advance then she had a massively unfair advantage on any other candidate.
My work would not allow that.
You can ask but to be honest what you are describing isn't a mental health issue it's an everyday feeling for anyone been interviewed.
The fact you can do the job in person makes it even more clear this is an interview related thing not a job thing and I don't think it shows you in good light.

But that's how most people feel about interviews!

Yeah, same.
I find some interviews excruciating

@2chocolateoranges my Fitbit records interviews and presentations as high intensity cardio too 🤣

@FannyPhart My organisation has a long list of reasonable adjustments that can be made during the recruitment process and then when they join the workplace with us. No one would bat an eyelid if you asked for them, but it's likely that some would be made available to all candidates, so if seeing the interview questions beforehand helps then all candidates will get access to them before hand.

OP, 90% of people feel that way about interviews.

One of the worst things for anxiety is avoidance.

Go to the interview and you might even build up a bit of resilience and not have to flake out at every opportunity.

I honestly despair at some people (and I have medicated anxiety myself).

My posting history shows I am pretty ferocious about disabilities and the UKs pisspoor attitude and adjustments for them. And even I can't see any ableism here.

Arguably the OPs reported reaction to an interview situation is 100% neurotypical. It would be anyone who genuinely didn't feel any anxiety that would be the outlier with a hint of sociopathy ....

Last employer I had, I had an online interview which meant i could have my notes on screen - was very helpful. This wasn't a work from home position.

I guess it depends on the job but for most professional office type roles I think a big part of interviews is to determine whether the candidate can think on their feet and hold their own in a work meeting. And so someone reading their pre-prepared notes to me from a corner of their bedroom wouldn’t inspire me with confidence as an interviewer.

DD suffers from anxiety that she is medicated for. When she had her interview for where she works I had her on the phone in tears the night before. She ended up having to take some propanolol. She stormed through the interview and has been working there ever since.

@bluecogturning is this an option for you?

Absolutely not. Reasonable
adjustments can and should be made an interview stage. You are usually asked if you need adjustments when you apply.

for example I have interviewed candidates who are hearing impaired, and
reasonable adjustments can be easily made.

accessibility will be an issue which can be easily adjusted for if a candidate has mobility issues.

there should be a section on to e application form and employers should make any necessary adjustments as long as they are reasonable.

I interview for staff and we've started giving the questions to candidates an hour in advance. The reduction in anxiety I've noticed is astounding and we've hired some really excellent candidates doing this.

It started as a reasonable adjustment for dyslexia for one candidate but has been extremely successful at getting candidates to perform better, and get the best out of people who might not perform well at interview but are really good at their job.

That's really interesting. Do candidates have access to external sources of reference ie the Internet in this hour? Have you had to change the type of question you ask for this format?

OP - I would ask for a video interview but not disclose the reason. If they don't agree, I'd reach for a white lie 'can't spare the time from my current role / don't want it to be obvious I am interviewing/ I'm on leave this week visiting my aunt Mildred.

I would not disclose an anxiety disorder to a potential employer who doesn't know me from Adam. They may put you in the too hard basket before you've had a chance to show them you can do the job.

That's interesting. Some people interview well, but turn out to be a mistake. We have had a few of those at work unfortunately.

Way back in the first decade of the millennium, when I was still a headteacher and doing lots of interviews (secondary school), we decided to reduce stress for all candidates by giving them a folder in the interview with each question in a poly pocket - this enabled them to keep referring to it (how often do people forget the question, or not properly understand it when it's just given to them verbally?), not lose their place or train of thought, etc.

I commend this as an adjustment for all candidates.

@VickyEadieofThigh We do similar during Teams interviews and put the questions in the chat box, candidates have all commented on how helpful it is.

You can ask… and would be well within reason to do so. But as an employer I’d worry that those same anxieties might present an issue in you actually being able to do the job onsite…

Yes, we used to get very good feedback on this strategy - putting the questions in the chatbox being the very modern method!

@DisquietintheRanks we give out questions in advance to all candidates if one asks for it, normally 2 hours before the interview.

Our interviews are all based on capabilities and there really isn't any advantage in googling the answers as they have to be situations you have dealt with and from your own experience. Getting the questions in advance just means they can structure their STAR answers properly and reduces some of the interview jitters meaning we get the right person for the job more often instead of just those that are good at selling themselves.

Just because interviews have always been nerve wreaking in the past doesn't mean they have to stay that way. Lots and lots of people stick to jobs they hate because the interview process is just too daunting. I'm not necessarily just talking about those people with high earning potential but also those who work out on lower income jobs such as supermarket checkouts and want to move up to supervisors and could do the job but don't have the skills or experience to interview well. Making interviews more accessible benefits the company and the candidate.

I understand you have said you got your previous office based job from an online interview. Even so I think it would be a risky strategy to request an online interview if the job itself is office based.

If it's entirely WFH then it's not such a great risk.

Ultimately this is about maximising your chances of being successful. Only you can weigh up the potential downsides from asking (and I think there is potential for it to cost you the job) and the potential performance hit of going in person. A lot depends on exactly what the job entails and what the culture of the company is - neither of which you can adequately assess before the interview.

There are also some real positives to going in - just seeing what the place is like, figuring out if you want to work for them.

I might do the interview, but you would be first to be crossed off I'm afraid. I can only employ people who can cope with stuff.

Sorry.

I'm going to say something here which should/probably will be deleted - I am exactly the same, I suffer from CPTSD and GAD.

Massive social anxiety to the point that I'll cancel something I really want to go to because I'm so scared of having a panic attack and being "humiliated" in front of my peers, and the knock-on affect on my self-esteem having "failed".

I put that in "quotes" because of course it isn't failing or humiliation - it is just my fear of it.

I would recommend therapy to discuss why you feel so unusually anxious in those moments. I did it myself and it really helped. However, and now we come to the deleting part of my post!

Therapy takes a long time and hard work if you can even afford to go private, and if you are waiting on NHS then fucking forget it!

Go online and buy Alprazolam 1mg tablets. Xanax. Take half (0.5mg) about an hour before any interview and you will feel focused, calm and "real".

Please note - Benzodiazepines taken for more than about 2 weeks are highly addictive. DON'T GO THERE!! World of horror.

Once in a while for moments of pure panic/anxiety they've saved my life.

If you have a history of addiction on booze, dope, gambling, knitting, etc, please don't go there. However, some things are more important if you haven't, I couldn't have got my job without them, to get me over the interview, first week stage.

Be well.

Were the previous interviews always going to be online? Or did you ask for them to be online?

I interview and we do a lot online due to travel etc.

Even if the new job is going to be WFH, it doesn't matter. They want to interview in person and they're going to have plenty of people who won't ask for special treatment.

I'm sorry, but I agree with the majority. You could ask. Giving reasons or not. We'd say no, and move on to the candidates who are willing to make an effort.

And yes, you'd be abnormal not to be shitting yourself before an interview.