Concentrate, Persist, or Maintain Pace

Dependability; able to sustain a routine and regular attendance without repeated reminders

Follow-through

Concentration or attending to a task

Initiating and performing previously learned tasks

Completing tasks in a timely manner and at a consistent pace

Focus on details

Working a full day without needing more than the allotted number or length of rest periods during the day

Flexibility and adapting to change

Working with others without interrupting or distracting them

Slowness in speech, thought & movement

Distractibility; Inability to ignore or avoid distractions while working

Do you frequently need to redirect the applicant back to the conversation or question during interviews? Does the applicant appear to be responding to internal stimuli?

Does the applicant speak too slowly or take a long time to answer questions? Or, does the applicant have rapid speech or tangential thought patterns?

Former employers can be great sources of information about the applicant’s ability to complete tasks and stay focused

Employer reports that Julie’s frequent breaks are distracting to others and her productivity is far behind others

Interviews with Julie are short, as she needs frequent breaks

When answering questions during the interview, Julie requests frequent breaks to “step outside for fresh air and calm down.”

Julie is only able to work or maintain concentration in interviews for short periods of time. She will try to focus, but after about five minutes she becomes very overwhelmed and will need to "step outside for fresh air and calm down." Julie’s supervisor has noticed a decrease in her productivity and that her need for frequent breaks are becoming disruptive to the rest of the office.

During the session, Ryan repeatedly looked at watch. As questions continued, he appeared agitated and began giving short, one-word answers.

Reports that it takes him multiple tries to leave the house due to checking the windows and doors and that he can’t sleep stating, “I’ve got to make sure that the apartment is secure.”

Asked to leave interview, stating, “Someone could have seen me leave my house and are trying to break in and take my things now. I have to go.”

Before leaving home, Ryan checks his doors and windows of his two bedroom apartment repeatedly. He reports that he does not sleep through the night because he has to “make sure that the apartment is secure." Ryan is so preoccupied with making sure that his apartment is secure that he has a difficult time concentrating on anything else. At our interview, Ryan repeatedly looked at his watch and appeared agitated. After ten minutes, he eventually asked to end the session stating, "Someone could have seen me leave my house and are trying to break in and take my things now. I have to go."

Spoke with previous employer, who described that when Joachim was expected to do a 20-minute oil change, "Joachim would work for 10 minutes or so, get confused and have to start over again. It took him almost two hours to do a simple oil change, and he wasted so many supplies! Eventually, I had to let him go."

When asked why he left his job as a mechanic, Joachim answered, “I couldn’t concentrate because people were whispering about me.” “I’m always afraid and sometimes I’m terrified. The whole crew tried to make me look bad so they could give my job to some friend of theirs.”

While working as a mechanic at age 24, Joachim became increasingly paranoid and depressed and began to hear voices. “I couldn’t concentrate because people were whispering about me.” “I’m always afraid and sometimes I’m terrified. The whole crew tried to make me look bad so they could give my job to some friend of theirs.” As a result of his symptoms, it became difficult for him to complete tasks at work. His supervisor described one time when he was expected to do an oil change, a job that should take 20 minutes. "Joachim would work for 10 minutes or so, get confused and have to start over again. It took him almost two hours to do a simple oil change, and he wasted so many supplies! Eventually, I had to let him go."