worried about asking for interview questions in advance

[markymark9]

Hi all,
I’m a senior leader in the public sector (15+ years’ experience) and have ADHD and autism. I’ve got an upcoming interview with one of the London councils for a senior role.
I always struggle with thinking on the spot — especially in interviews — and I usually ask for the questions in advance as a reasonable adjustment. Legally, I know this is fine under the Equality Act, and every time I’ve asked, they have given them to me.
But here’s the issue: not once have I been offered the role after making that request. Every single time — I get the questions, attend, give solid answers, but don’t get the job. It’s making me wonder whether asking in advance creates a bias or doubt about my ability.
I’m now torn. I know I need the questions in advance to be fair to myself — but I’m scared of repeating the same cycle. I feel like I’m being punished either way: mask and underperform, or disclose and lose out.
Has anyone been in this position at senior level? Would you still ask for the questions, or approach it differently?
Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

Disagree.

Let's take a typical interview question "Tell me about a time you had to adapt to a significant change"

Having that question sprung on us in an interview would be a challenge to everyone - NT or ND - to scramble to come up with an appropriate example that addresses the question and portrays us in a good light. The ND candidate is likely to struggle more due to their disability (not understanding what the interviewer is getting at, unable to think of answers on the spot etc).

If given that question in advance, all of us (ND and NT) could come up with a really nice, targeted answer. So the ND and NT candidates would be on an equal footing, and the interviewer can make their judgement based on the quality of the answer.

Everyone having the questions in advance does not give the NT candidates any advantage over the ND candidates - it simple overcomes the disadvantage that the ND candidate has from unseen questions.

Sorry I mistyped - have a lift available.

OP is basically wanting the answers to a test

I don’t agree with this. Firstly an interview is not meant to be an exam is it – it’s supposed to be a way to find out what the person can offer to the organisation, not trying to trip them up with questions they didn't know about. Secondly the OP is not asking for the answers, just the questions!

I’m not ND and I think giving everyone the questions is a good way of levelling the playing field. Why should I have an advantage on a question like "tell me about a time when you dealt well with a tricky situation" because I have done lots of interviews and know I am likely to be asked that? My dd would be floored by that, but if she had a chance to think calmly, she could come up with something that showed how she dealt well with it. Doesn't make her a bad candidate.

If some of you want a candidate who can quickly think of an answer with no specific prep on the project and no knowledge of the process or the team they will be working with (not sure when this would be useful in the workplace tbh) then you could always say "we will also ask a couple of unexpected questions based on your earlier answers".

The issues for autistic people is not that they can't think on the spot. I think research has shown that they cam make great underpressure decisions when fully informed and no the processes. My gut feeling would that they are probably very strong at seeing the bigger picture and processing lots of data to make an informed choice underpressure . I'm stereotypically thinking of chess players !!
Interviews are all about building raport and confirming to general social Interview conventions. If an autistic person fails to do this they are deemed not to be able to so the job! Based on possibly one of there weaker skills!
Interview questions are often worded in a very confusing way. I'm not autistic and enjoy Interviews but I really bull shit my way through them! I get the gist of what the question is asking.
Autistic people struggling to get the gist of what the questions are asking and often they are terrible worded as well. Most people would not get hung up on that but autistic person could be struggling to get over the poor grammar and not see what the question is asking!!
In a day to day work situation they will have good coping strategies around this.
I am not autisticbut speaking from experience of 2 close friends who I have done Interview help with
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I think research has shown that they can make great under-pressure decisions when fully informed and know the processes.

exactly this @Sailawaygirl – and surely in most workplaces this is more likely to be the scenario? How often do any of you have to make a workplace decision in seconds without knowing much at all about what’s happening?

You're a senior leader, you know what they’re going to ask you. This isn’t your first rodeo and there aren’t going to be new or trick questions. It will be the usual stuff, relevant to the role, organisation, your experience and skill set.

The expectation would be that you’d know that and prepare accordingly. You wouldn’t be thinking on the spot, you’d be prepped and ideally talking about topics on which you’re well informed. If you’re unable or unwilling to do that, then I wouldn’t hire you for a senior role.

Genuine question for those who have asked for or given our questions in advance - how do you handle follow up?

Let’s say a question was, as someone said above “tell me about a time you made a mistake” - for competency questions will generally want to ask some follow up depending on the answer given to drill into the answer a bit more. So I perhaps in context I might want to ask one or more of - understand the specifics of the mistake better, how you learnt from it, how you helped others avoid the same pitfall, what you would have done differently with hindsight or whatever. Can you even ask these follow ups or do I just have to take the answer originally given to me and move on?

I am not public sector so we don’t have prescribed interview questions or approaches, it is viewed as up to me as hiring manager to determine what I need to ask.

It's clear you feel this is a reasonable adjustment that helps remove the barriers to interview success caused by your ND. As such, it doesn't seem right to stop asking for it ....

Perhaps, instead, you should actually proactively address the issue in one of your answers. Use your decision to ask for the adjustment as an example of your strong self knowledge and forward planning, and passionate commitment to disability rights in the work place. Make it clear from your answer that your ND will not be any barrier to your performance in this role, but that rather, the insights it gives you will prove a real strength and asset in the workplace.

(I should add the proviso that I have only ever worked in education, and don't know what things are like in the real, non-teaching world. But I have certainly interviewed many ND candidates for a variety of roles, and have always been especially impressed when those candidates have considered the ways their experience of ND will not just "not be a problem" (and of course it shouldn't be a problem if they are recieving the right work place adjustments) but will in fact positively benefit the school and it's students!

A diverse team that welcomes, accepts and understands it's diversity, is the strongest sort of team you can have. And actually, you don't want to end up working in a team when your ND and the unique perspective it gives you, is not respected and valued. Remember, you are interviewing them as well as they you. (I know it's easy to say that and more difficult to remember it sometimes, but it is true).

Good luck!

Well it obviously depends on your job/workplace but in mine it’s VERY common for us to need to make fast decisions under pressure with limited information and/or advance warning. Being able to think on your feet and use all of your past experience is essential, as is being able to read people well (and if not, ask sufficient questions until it becomes clear). An unscripted interview is actually an ideal test of how you will perform on the job for us.

Edit: just to add that I work in Financial Services and I’m ND. I suspect a significant proportion of people working in this industry are ND.

It's legally allowed but it's systemically awful. I don't understand the arrogance of thinking you should be in charge of people's working lives (and affecting society more broadly when in the public sector) if you can't even anticipate questions about yourself.

(I have ADHD)

Fair enough then for sure.

I mean I have worked in roles where I needed to make rapid decisions yes (for example on a daily newspaper deadline) but that was on the basis of having been trained for the role (by being a deputy first and in other ways) and having good experience of what decision to make; also I had a manager to check with if I felt I needed to do so.

I guess a role where there is a lot of need to make rapid decisions on the hoof with limited knowledge is not ideal for someone who is ND like my DD. There are loads of other roles where her abilities and skills are very much required. Maybe that's the way forward for the OP as well.

From the interviews you’ve already had op, has there not been a theme where many of the same questions have been asked? I would be surprised if there hasn’t. Interviews for these roles often involve how you go about doing things. Usually ones about how you went about resolving conflict or solving a problem or delivered a project, or prioritised your workload. You can always prepare for these in advance.

How do you cope usually in your current and previous roles in which you’re asked questions on the spot? For example, you have done a presentation and then colleagues ask you ad hoc questions about the subject?

There are loads of other roles where her abilities and skills are very much required.

Yes, and generally a lot of those roles won't rely on just an interview. I've had technical tests for every single interview I've attended in the last 12 years and the outcome of that is given much more importance.

I do believe that a lot of the time, interviews are not a good way to select the best person for the job. But to me, it sounds like in this case, ability to perform in an interview would be closely correlated with ability to do the job.

I guess a role where there is a lot of need to make rapid decisions on the hoof with limited knowledge is not ideal for someone who is ND like my DD. There are loads of other roles where her abilities and skills are very much required. Maybe that's the way forward for the OP as well.

I think you’re exactly right with this @clary

I was late diagnosed with ADHD but my ADHD explains why I hated my early career role in Big Four chartered accountancy (zzzz) and was inexplicably drawn to fast paced, high stress roles in investment banking front offices instead. Stress, pressure, drama, constant change, it all suits someone with ADHD down to the ground. I often look around and think everyone else I work with must have ADHD too. 😂

But I also work with other areas that need much more structured and process driven methodical people and these can be areas where other ND people can excel. It’s very much horses for courses, and if you can understand what motivates and drives you then you can try to target roles where your ND is actually a huge advantage rather than a disadvantage.

In our local authority it is becoming increasingly standard practice to provide interview questions in advance.
As I come from ND household I definitely understand this, but thinking on your feet is also important so I think there has to be a middle ground, some questions in advance and a couple of ones you won't have prepared for.
I think it is totally dependent on employer and manager as to how they will view asking for questions in advance.
I think you have to weigh up risk v benefit. If being in a ND supportive workplace is important if you ask for a reasonable adjustment and they hold it against you maybe it won't be someone you want to work for?
Did you declare ND on application form?
I'm having this was graduated DC and we're are never quiet sure if it will be held against them.
We need more visibility of ND managers and colleagues.
Good luck with your interview

I would go to an interview coach and do some work with them.
Most interviews are going to be similar questions.
Is it that you struggle of the question is slightly different than the one you prepared for? An interview coach can help you with this. I wouldn’t ask for the questions before hand. I don’t think you need them!

Part of interviewing is seeing how people react in a situation and it’s important they see how you manage. Wishing you all the best x

I have adhd and have pondered over this a lot op. I've never asked for the questions in advance even though I know I'd likely be allowed, as I just feel it would put me at a disadvantage. These days it's easier to prep for, use chat gpt to get some ideas of interview questions and examples scenarios etc. I don't actually declare my condition at interview stage, I know from experience that stigma and discrimination is still very much there with a lot of organisations and individuals.

I have autism, though at the time of joining my current company I didn’t disclose this and so didn’t get any adjustments.

I have always tried to be extremely inclusive. I have since hired a diverse set of people, including ASD, ADHD, transgender, and someone with a physical disability.

Now when I’m hiring I am looking for the most straightforward person possible. I have tried so hard to be inclusive but I have given myself a very hard to manage team who all require different support and adjustments and I just can’t cope with it anymore.

As much as my company shout EDIB etc there is very very little support for us managers, the company pass it all on to us, and we’re expected to churn out the same quality and volume of work, and my team just can’t do it.

I can’t hire anymore people that need additional adjustments, so although I’d provide you with the questions in advance, it would absolutely put me off offering you the job, because I know from experience that it’s too hard for me. I just don’t have the capacity for additional pastoral support and adjustments. I now just want to hire people who can do the job as quietly and quickly as possible and be as low maintenance as possible.

Sorry to sound so jaded, just being honest.

It wouldn’t show that you can work under pressure or make quick decisions.
Use AI instead to practise different questions related to the job spec that’s how I secured this current management role

I’m really struggling with the concept of having the questions in advance. We do a mix of technical and competency questions. For the technical ones, I’m interested in whether the candidate knows the area well and deeply enough to confidently talk about an aspect of the role off the top of their head. I’m really not interested in whether they can google / chat GPT the best answer possible. And for the competency ones it would be way too easy to lie / embellish / adjust answers if the questions were given in advance, most people find that a lot harder ad-hoc.

And as others have said, I’m really really interested in how someone thinks on their feet, the last thing I want to hear is some pre-prepared script. For me a far better adaptation would be to have more interview time so that the candidate could take a minute to think about and clarify the question before answering. I would also always prompt if a candidate misunderstands, goes off in the wrong direction or omits an entire area in their response. But my roles definitely require quick thinking and rapid on the spot decisions, and there are no adjustments that could reasonably change that without massively impacting the rest of the team.

I kinda agree with this and I have adhd myself and struggle with interviews. But I also interview others, and I know from sifting through hundreds of cvs and personal statements that so many people now clearly use ai to write these for them, they are all written in the same odd way. If we were to send out questions for interviews first I feel people would just churn it into chat gpt etc, and it wouldn't be as authentic. Some of the people I've recently interviewed looked amazing on paper but it became apparant they didn't have the communication skills or knowledge that came across in their personal statements.

Public sector ... We send questions out to all candidates in advance (2 days) routinely now.

We often run a test on the day as well (the nature of that depends on the role) and we give advance notice (ie that there is a test, and that it's a presentation on x/in-box exercise/scenario/Excel test etc etc) although obviously not the detail ... and this gives another view of people.

I wouldn't say doing all of this has made much difference to outcomes so far. You still follow up answers and probe responses.

(Obviously presentation topics go out with interview invitations, so usually 10-14 days in advance, we're not monsters).

This made me chuckle. Where I work, we’re definitely monsters.

When I interviewed for my current role, one of my (5) interviews was me (at the start of the interview, nothing in advance) being given a piece of paper with a one sentence problem statement on it and then I had 20 mins alone with just a flipchart to come up with my solution/approach and be ready to present it back to my interviewer and deal with their questions.

I'm autistic. I could cope with a follow up because we are already on the topic of my example if that makes sense. So the first question about the mistake, without knowing in advance, could throw me. I might take the question too literally, get totally overwhelmed trying to think of a good example etc. But in the case of a follow up, I'm in the zone. I'm already thinking of that and am on the same page so would be able to answer. If that makes sense? It's not that autistic people can't answer unknown questions, its more the way its interpreted, overwhelm etc

@McSpootthank you for articulating why I was baffled by what @PorkPieForStarterssaid. There are a lot of people with neurodiverse traits or other cognitive issues who aren’t, for whatever reason, diagnosed who would also struggle with thinking on the spot in a pressured situation. Removing the barrier for all is makes the playing field level for all.