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I'm building a job board for the ADHD version of this. Not quite 100% ready but I received more interest in this than anything else I've ever built (1,300 candi

I'm building a job board for the ADHD version of this. Not quite 100% ready but I received more interest in this than anything else I've ever built (1,300 candidate signups in 48hrs). It's to the point that I'm scrambling to supply enough jobs because they keep getting filled. Calling it "Wildcard People" removed the gatekeeping/"medical" aspect while maintaining expectations of how these candidates end up doing their work. https://beta.wildcardpeople.com/ https://beta.wildcardpeople.com/

kortex 5y ago
This is excellent! I love the branding. There's such a niche for this sort of thing. I used to feel like I didn't "fit it" at most companies, because I tend to be such a generalist and resist being typecast. I can see this as super empowering for many folks.
- robmerki 5y ago
  Thank you! Not going to lie - I got very emotional when I found out the first person got hired to be exactly who they are from my site. The most rewarding thing I've ever worked on.
- dimitrios1 5y ago
  Oh wow is this a trait? I had an adult ADHD diagnosis a few years ago, but not much has come of it since (still struggling with "typical" work arrangements). In fact I just interviewed with a company today where I expressed my resistance being pigeonholed in my own words. Speaking of being a generalist, the book "Range" by David Epstein gave me some hope.
  - robmerki 5y ago
    I'm hesitant to say it's a trait, but he pattern is pretty consistent amongst the dozens of ADHDers I've spoken to. Will read that book, thanks for the recommendation.
honie 5y ago
I'm only asking because this looks like a great initiative, and it's something I care about: how do you plan to keep yourself accountable in the process? I have seen a lot of job boards catering to various niches popping up in recently years, and they all eventually become just a regular job board that generates passive income for the creator without much curation.
- robmerki 5y ago
  That's a good question. The real answer is I don't really know. Right now I've been able to speak directly with hiring managers/CEOs who are instantly on-board and "get it" after reading the blog post. My hope is that the clear messaging is actively driving away people who want to hire non-Wildcards. I make it clear on the Job Creation page that you will only receive applicants of a certain type. But that's just what I'm hoping happens. If it starts to drift away from that, I'll have to figure out how to vet employers better. I don't want people like me getting jobs that cause suffering. I'd rather make 10x less money than compromise on the mission.
  - honie 5y ago
    Thank you very much for taking the time to address my question! I feel that the system you already have at the moment actually works quite well, and investing the time to "speak directly with hiring managers/CEOs" is, I guess, something that most people don't do because it doesn't scale (?). If nothing else: > I don't want people like me getting jobs that cause suffering. > I'd rather make 10x less money than compromise on the mission. I feel that by saying those you have answered my questions already! :) It's quite possible that your answer is somewhere in there, too! All the best with it! P.S. The "Why you shouldn't" section for the Pallet role is great. At least it makes me feel like it's a frank conversation about what both sides want.
brailsafe 5y ago
Damn, I had this idea recently but failed to execute on it for some reason ;) ADHD people, from what I've read, are some of the most chronically underemployed, including myself. I think it's been a massive uphill battle for me as someone in programming, but who burns out easily, shows up late, and has crazy gaps on their resume. I hope you find success with this and will keep an eye on it.
nicbou 5y ago
Calling someone a wildcard is usually pejorative, if I'm not mistaken. It rubs me the wrong way, although I wouldn't lose sleep over it. Can I ask you what an Adhd-friendly job entails?
- robmerki 5y ago
  I was a bit worried about this too, but evidently people love it. Personally, it just describes me so perfectly and for whatever reason people agree. ADHD is different for everyone, but basically an ADHD-friendly job is one where "maintenance" or "routine" tasks are not an expectation. I.e. keeping API documentation up-to-date every week is not a good Wildcard task. If you need someone to do that work, don't hire a Wildcard. If you need someone to do a little bit of everything (i.e. Chief of Staff type role) then it's a better fit.
hycaria 5y ago
Reading the definition of a wildcard on your site, I’m not sure how that workplace behavior (ie being a jack of all trades) would fit adhd people specifically.
- StevenWaterman 5y ago
  One of the core issues with ADHD is that the things that motivate you are different to a neurotypical person: > First, neurotypical people (those without ADHD) make decisions based on three factors: Importance, Rewards, and Consequences. (e.g. I think it's important. Someone I [love, like, fear or respect] thinks it's important. Or, there are consequences and rewards > People with ADHD, rarely, if ever, make decisions based on these things. Dodson says (and I agree wholeheartedly), that people with ADHD make decisions based on different criteria: Interest, Challenge, Novelty, Urgency (ICNU). (https://www.oaktreecounselor.com/blog/adult-adhd-lazy https://www.oaktreecounselor.com/blog/adult-adhd-lazy) That difference in motivators makes it likely that people with ADHD will constantly jump between different tasks, which over time builds up into becoming an expert at learning new things, and a broad knowledge about many things within their domain.
brailsafe 5y ago
After reading through some of the job descriptions, I get an impression that there's a disconnect between what job posters want and what an actual wildcard might be. Can't quite put my finger on it, but the following doesn't really feel like they're looking for someone potentially chaotic. > Manage products from concept to design, requirements, testing, pricing, promotion, and support. > Prioritize thousands of bugs and feature requests using a ruthless focus on both quantitative and qualitative criteria towards defined goals > 5+ years of SaaS product management experience working within the financial sector I get that's for a Senior position, but let's be real, they're looking for someone with specific skills in a specific domain that have been applied in a somewhat linear fashion for years. Is my impression off? Your FAQ describes someone who might be doing a tradeshow one week, while probably not also being responsible for programming some feature, nor do they have unlimited time and energy. But those job postings read like they just want someone to be responsible for everything all the time, because everything is arbitrarily urgent, and manage it well. I don't know quite what I'd expect to see, maybe I'm just too far gone from being in a job, but I feel like just short term contracting might be the thing to do.
- robmerki 5y ago
  Fair point. Not all job descriptions align perfectly with the FAQ, it's a work in progress.
  - brailsafe 5y ago
    Absolutely, I didn't mean to be insulting, just provide some feedback as someone who could really find it useful. On the surface, it just seems like a job board with a checkbox for wildcard and an Faq, but how do you model what a wildcard job is exactly?

kortex 5y ago

This is excellent! I love the branding. There's such a niche for this sort of thing. I used to feel like I didn't "fit it" at most companies, because I tend to be such a generalist and resist being typecast. I can see this as super empowering for many folks.

robmerki 5y ago
Thank you! Not going to lie - I got very emotional when I found out the first person got hired to be exactly who they are from my site. The most rewarding thing I've ever worked on.
dimitrios1 5y ago
Oh wow is this a trait? I had an adult ADHD diagnosis a few years ago, but not much has come of it since (still struggling with "typical" work arrangements). In fact I just interviewed with a company today where I expressed my resistance being pigeonholed in my own words. Speaking of being a generalist, the book "Range" by David Epstein gave me some hope.
- robmerki 5y ago
  I'm hesitant to say it's a trait, but he pattern is pretty consistent amongst the dozens of ADHDers I've spoken to. Will read that book, thanks for the recommendation.

honie 5y ago

I'm only asking because this looks like a great initiative, and it's something I care about: how do you plan to keep yourself accountable in the process? I have seen a lot of job boards catering to various niches popping up in recently years, and they all eventually become just a regular job board that generates passive income for the creator without much curation.

robmerki 5y ago
That's a good question. The real answer is I don't really know. Right now I've been able to speak directly with hiring managers/CEOs who are instantly on-board and "get it" after reading the blog post. My hope is that the clear messaging is actively driving away people who want to hire non-Wildcards. I make it clear on the Job Creation page that you will only receive applicants of a certain type. But that's just what I'm hoping happens. If it starts to drift away from that, I'll have to figure out how to vet employers better. I don't want people like me getting jobs that cause suffering. I'd rather make 10x less money than compromise on the mission.
- honie 5y ago
  Thank you very much for taking the time to address my question! I feel that the system you already have at the moment actually works quite well, and investing the time to "speak directly with hiring managers/CEOs" is, I guess, something that most people don't do because it doesn't scale (?). If nothing else: > I don't want people like me getting jobs that cause suffering. > I'd rather make 10x less money than compromise on the mission. I feel that by saying those you have answered my questions already! :) It's quite possible that your answer is somewhere in there, too! All the best with it! P.S. The "Why you shouldn't" section for the Pallet role is great. At least it makes me feel like it's a frank conversation about what both sides want.

brailsafe 5y ago

Damn, I had this idea recently but failed to execute on it for some reason ;) ADHD people, from what I've read, are some of the most chronically underemployed, including myself. I think it's been a massive uphill battle for me as someone in programming, but who burns out easily, shows up late, and has crazy gaps on their resume. I hope you find success with this and will keep an eye on it.

nicbou 5y ago

Calling someone a wildcard is usually pejorative, if I'm not mistaken. It rubs me the wrong way, although I wouldn't lose sleep over it. Can I ask you what an Adhd-friendly job entails?

robmerki 5y ago
I was a bit worried about this too, but evidently people love it. Personally, it just describes me so perfectly and for whatever reason people agree. ADHD is different for everyone, but basically an ADHD-friendly job is one where "maintenance" or "routine" tasks are not an expectation. I.e. keeping API documentation up-to-date every week is not a good Wildcard task. If you need someone to do that work, don't hire a Wildcard. If you need someone to do a little bit of everything (i.e. Chief of Staff type role) then it's a better fit.

hycaria 5y ago

Reading the definition of a wildcard on your site, I’m not sure how that workplace behavior (ie being a jack of all trades) would fit adhd people specifically.

StevenWaterman 5y ago
One of the core issues with ADHD is that the things that motivate you are different to a neurotypical person: > First, neurotypical people (those without ADHD) make decisions based on three factors: Importance, Rewards, and Consequences. (e.g. I think it's important. Someone I [love, like, fear or respect] thinks it's important. Or, there are consequences and rewards > People with ADHD, rarely, if ever, make decisions based on these things. Dodson says (and I agree wholeheartedly), that people with ADHD make decisions based on different criteria: Interest, Challenge, Novelty, Urgency (ICNU). (https://www.oaktreecounselor.com/blog/adult-adhd-lazy https://www.oaktreecounselor.com/blog/adult-adhd-lazy) That difference in motivators makes it likely that people with ADHD will constantly jump between different tasks, which over time builds up into becoming an expert at learning new things, and a broad knowledge about many things within their domain.

brailsafe 5y ago

After reading through some of the job descriptions, I get an impression that there's a disconnect between what job posters want and what an actual wildcard might be. Can't quite put my finger on it, but the following doesn't really feel like they're looking for someone potentially chaotic. > Manage products from concept to design, requirements, testing, pricing, promotion, and support. > Prioritize thousands of bugs and feature requests using a ruthless focus on both quantitative and qualitative criteria towards defined goals > 5+ years of SaaS product management experience working within the financial sector I get that's for a Senior position, but let's be real, they're looking for someone with specific skills in a specific domain that have been applied in a somewhat linear fashion for years. Is my impression off? Your FAQ describes someone who might be doing a tradeshow one week, while probably not also being responsible for programming some feature, nor do they have unlimited time and energy. But those job postings read like they just want someone to be responsible for everything all the time, because everything is arbitrarily urgent, and manage it well. I don't know quite what I'd expect to see, maybe I'm just too far gone from being in a job, but I feel like just short term contracting might be the thing to do.

robmerki 5y ago
Fair point. Not all job descriptions align perfectly with the FAQ, it's a work in progress.
- brailsafe 5y ago
  Absolutely, I didn't mean to be insulting, just provide some feedback as someone who could really find it useful. On the surface, it just seems like a job board with a checkbox for wildcard and an Faq, but how do you model what a wildcard job is exactly?