Career Advice for ADHD Adults: Job Search Tips

Wanted:

The best jobs for ADHD brains.

Applicant Requirements:

Must be creative, energetic, hands-on, intensely engaged (aka hyperfocused), and demonstrate outside-the-box thinking and ingenious problem-solving skills.

Sound like you? Sure, a person’s ADHD-fueled passion can help them shine in that just-right job. The opposite is also true. When a worker’s skill set and job are mismatched – say, a role that requires long hours at a desk, performing repetitive tasks day after day – experts report that ADHD symptoms (inattention, lack of focus, disinterest) can worsen and become impairing.

Career Advice for Adults with ADHD

If you’re on the hunt for an ADHD-friendly job that aligns with your unique strengths, consider the following:

• Emergency first responder: ADHD brains kick into high gear in adrenaline-pumping, high-stakes settings. Think: EMTs, firefighters, police officers, and hospital emergency room staff.
• Nurse: Caring for patients with different needs and demands appeals to the empathy and novelty of ADHD brains.
• Chef: The creativity, tight deadlines, and real-time problem-solving skills required in a professional kitchen leverage many ADHD-related strengths.
• Dog groomer or trainer: You love animals, it’s hands-on, and you get to make friends with dogs.
• Entrepreneur: Tap into your passion by starting a small business. Be your own boss and do important work that changes every day.
• High-tech job: The always-changing tech industry rewards novel solutions to tough problems, which is stimulating for ADHD brains.
• Creative fields: People with ADHD explode with originality, so working as a television producer, party planner, graphic designer, painter, or other inspired job is ideal for many.
• Jobs that require movement: Working as a personal trainer, dog walker, postal carrier, sales clerk, or barista might appeal to some.

[Free Download: 8 Dream Jobs for Adults with ADHD]

Career Ideas from ADDitude Readers

People with ADHD told ADDitude magazine about the jobs they liked best.

“I am a school psychologist. My job is full of variety and change, which keeps my interest and motivation. Although some of my job involves research, paperwork, and meetings, I also have opportunities for challenge and movement when I’m dealing with children and their behaviors.”

“I drive the elderly and disabled to and from appointments. I love it.”

“The monotonous nature of auditing and contract management means I can go into hyperfocus and not have to think. Also, I can spot errors a mile off and develop ideas and solutions where necessary.”

“I’m a middle school and high school teacher, and I absolutely love my job. It allows me to be creative, move around in class, and do different things. I use ChatGPT to help whip up lesson materials whenever I have a really cool idea.”

“Working from home has been my salvation — no more rushing to the car or bus stop, no lost keys, and no forgotten lunch.”

“I work in a shelter. I get to work with a neurodivergent population (both staff and clients), and there’s always something to do.”

“My husband and I nearly destroyed ourselves mentally and physically working at the wrong jobs. Fortunately, we found our niches. I work from home as a hospital billing team lead. It plays into my strengths. My hubby is self-employed.”

Career Advice for Adults with ADHD: Next Steps

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