Allison Cheston joins Tara Thurber and Ellie Bright from DefinedTalent to discuss their experiences with neurodiversity (displaying or characterized by autistic or other neurologically atypical patterns of thought or behavior) and mental health challenges.

Together, the women discuss examples and provide suggestions for neurodiverse individuals (ADHA, autism, dyslexia, anxiety) to overcome challenges during the interview process.

Allison provides her Top5 Interview Tips for Neurodiverse Candidates including extensive interview preparation, reviewing interviewers on LinkedIn, familiarizing yourself with the company mission and website and preparing for questions like, "Tell me about yourself."

**Allison Cheston has spent the past 16 years advising executives and young adults as they navigate the course of their careers. Employing a marketing framework and a deep course of inquiry, Allison helps clients define their long-term goals and framework for success, translating disparate ideas into a powerful narrative that grounds them as they venture forth into new careers, new businesses, and new life plans. She helps them identify their unique value in the marketplace and their right direction, provides the tools they need to promote themselves effectively, either internally at their current organization or with prospective employers or partners, and then helps them pivot to the next phase.

Prior to founding her practice in 2005, Allison was Chief Marketing Officer of the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC), the global trade group for the executive search industry. She spent 15 years in account management and new business development for branding and design agencies, ultimately helping create and lead a network of agencies in North America, Europe and Brazil. After that she co-founded and built DesignScout.com, an early-entry marketing platform connecting branding and design firms with corporate clients. 

 In 2016 Allison created and piloted a career curriculum for Trilogy Education Services, a startup recently acquired by 2U, that provides web development and data science boot camps at universities around the country.  

A frequent speaker and writer on career development, Allison has blogged about career issues for young adults at her own blog, CareerConnector, since 2008, and has been a contributor to The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Bloomberg Businessweek, BBC, FoxNews, Business Insider, and HerMoney.com, to name a few.  

A graduate of the University of Michigan with a BA in International Relations and Romance Languages, Allison holds an MA in International Education and a Certificate in Adult Career Planning, both from New York University. She is Myers-Briggs certified, and speaks French, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish.