Getting a diploma is often the easier part. Justin Nelson says the real difficulty for many neurodiverse individuals begins the moment they try to enter the workforce, and financial firms including JP Morgan are only beginning to catch up.
Nelson serves as Managing Director and Head of the Asset Management and Financial Principals Coverage Team at JP Morgan Private Bank in Connecticut, where he leads a team overseeing more than $15 billion in client assets. He points to the handoff from school to a first job as the single hardest transition for neurodiverse candidates on the autism spectrum.
Where Good Candidates Get Stuck
“Interviews can be hard for them, so an employer has to think differently about the hiring process,” Justin Nelson JP Morgan says. Standard interview formats, built around rapid back and forth conversation, tend to filter out candidates before their actual capabilities get a fair look. “For neurodiverse candidates, the biggest challenge is typically communication, their ability to interact with people,” he explains. “Things that you and I probably take for granted, that makes it so easy for us to be having this conversation right here, it’s very hard for them.”
Outside Groups Fill the Gap
Nelson supports two organizations built specifically to smooth that transition. Adelphi University’s Bridges Program provides support systems for high functioning students on the spectrum while they are still enrolled, and the nonprofit Broad Futures works with companies once those students are ready for the job market. “They work with employers to match up people who are neurodiverse. They operate by helping employers get educated and having them run a program for them to help them select candidates,” Nelson says of Broad Futures.
Back inside JP Morgan, Nelson applies a similar mindset to onboarding and daily management, insisting that clear structure, not lowered expectations, is what turns a hard transition into a lasting career. “You have to assign tasks and ensure that they understand how this fits into a larger plan or set of rules,” he advises. See related link for additional information.
Find more information about Justin Nelson JP Morgan on https://money.usnews.com/financial-advisors/advisor/justin-nelson-4199758