A college senior with Autism Spectrum Disorder and ADHD was in her last semester of college when her father contacted us about coaching her. She had a 3.5 GPA and was on the Dean’s List. However, she had not lined up a job for post-graduation. She didn’t know how to go about finding a full time professional job and also was not clear about the kind of work she wanted to do. Additionally, due to her autism challenges, she was not good at networking. We had her take the SchoolPlace Big Five personality assessment, review a Career Guider Report, and complete a step-by-step guide to choosing a career and finding a job. She discovered that she was interested in working with children who have autism spectrum disorder, but did not know how to find a job in this field. We coached her to overcome her nervousness about making cold calls and having informational interviews. We also helped her edit her cover letter and resume for several job openings. Within two weeks of applying for jobs in her newly-chosen field, she had three job offers and accepted one of them! During the first few weeks on the new job, she was stressed about some of her assignments. We coached her on how to talk to her new boss, who lightened up her schedule until she got used to her new responsibilities. Coaching empowered this young woman to decide upon the type of job she wanted, to have successful informational interviews, and to land a job that was perfect for her new career!
