Let's be clear: For a parent trying to break a cycle, a job interview is not about a career. It is about a lifeline. The stability you are fighting for is not just for you; it is for your child. And the brain you've been told is "chaotic" is the very same brain that has the unique strengths to win that fight.
You're sitting in the waiting room, your stomach in knots. You're not just worried about the questions. You're worried about the daycare bill. You're thinking about the ADHD tax of late fees and forgotten forms that are bleeding your budget dry. You're terrified they'll see the chaos you feel inside, the same chaos you swore you'd never repeat for your own kid.
The lie is that your struggle to "get it together" makes you a bad employee, a bad provider, a bad mom.
Here's the research on what's actually happening: girls and women use "compensatory strategies" and "masking" to hide their ADHD symptoms, which makes them harder to identify but comes at a high cost of exhaustion and burnout. You've spent your whole life performing "normal" so well that nobody — including you — saw what it was costing. That performance skill is the strength you're going to leverage.
The "User Manual" you get from our Assessments is not a list of your deficits. It is a detailed inventory of your assets. It is your private, confidential strategy guide for the war you are fighting every day.
The Neurobiological Truth Bomb
Requesting accommodations is not an admission of weakness. It is a fierce act of maternal advocacy to secure the exact conditions you need to provide a stable future for your family.
And the science backs up your strengths: dopamine is the primary driver of information-seeking motivation, curiosity, and exploration, even without immediate tangible rewards. Your "chaotic" brain isn't broken — it's wired for exploration, creative problem-solving, and thriving in high-stakes, novel situations. Like, say, the daily chaos of single parenting. The interview isn't about hiding your brain. It's about translating what it already does.
Your mission is a two-phase operation: translation and advocacy.
Phase 1: The Interview — Translating Your Assets
A hiring manager doesn't speak the clinical language of neurodiversity; they speak the language of value. Your job is to translate the skills you use every single day to manage a chaotic home.
Your User Manual Says: "Hyperfocus."
You Say in an Interview: "As a single mom, I've become an expert at tuning out chaos and maintaining intense focus on the task at hand to get the job done."
Your User Manual Says: "Creative Problem-Solving."
You Say in an Interview: "My life requires me to be incredibly resourceful. I'm used to finding unconventional solutions when the standard plan falls apart."
Your User Manual Says: "Crisis management."
You Say in an Interview: "I'm at my best when things are unpredictable. I've learned to stay calm, prioritize, and execute under pressure."
Phase 2: After the Offer — The Accommodation Script
Once you have the job, you have the leverage. It is time to advocate for the tools you need. And remember: stress and burnout are physiological states, not signs of personal or professional failure. Asking for the conditions you need to avoid burnout isn't weakness. It's professional sustainability.
Frame it Around Success: "I'm excited to be on the team. To ensure I can produce my most effective work, there are a couple of small things that help me stay organized and focused."
Be Specific and Solution-Oriented: "To make sure I don't miss any details from our meetings, would it be possible to get a quick bullet-point summary of the action items emailed afterward? I've found it's a great way to ensure everyone is on the same page." (This is an accommodation for a working memory need).
Name the Environment: "I do my best focused work in a quieter environment. Would it be possible to use a conference room for the first couple hours in the morning? I've found my output doubles when I can manage my sensory input."
You are simply and professionally advocating for the specific conditions you need to succeed. When you're ready to build your strategy guide: Start here →
Part of: Practical Guides → | Related: Our Sliding Scale · Burnout
