Hiring neurodiverse talent, in Justin Nelson’s view, starts with educating the employer before a single resume gets reviewed. That is the role played by Broad Futures, one of two outside organizations the JP Morgan Managing Director supports alongside his day job leading the Asset Management and Financial Principals Coverage Team at JP Morgan Private Bank in Connecticut.
Training Companies, Not Just Candidates
“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 nonprofit‘s model flips the usual order of operations, preparing hiring teams for what to expect rather than asking neurodiverse candidates to adapt entirely on their own.
Nelson, who leads a JP Morgan team managing more than $15 billion in client assets, says that kind of employer education addresses a problem he sees constantly: interviewers who misread communication differences as a lack of ability. “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.”
From Awareness to Everyday Management
Education alone is not enough, Justin Nelson JP Morgan adds. Once hired, employees need consistent structure to succeed. “You have to assign tasks and ensure that they understand how this fits into a larger plan or set of rules,” he advises, describing a management style he uses inside his own team as well as one he recommends to outside firms.
Nelson also supports Adelphi University’s Bridges Program, which prepares high functioning students on the spectrum for that same transition. Between the two organizations, he argues, employers and candidates finally get matched on equal footing. Read this article for more information.
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