ADHD

Question

Hi folks,

I happen to be suffering from ADHD and seek a career in strategy consulting.

My question is whether I should be upfront about it BEFORE i sign a contract or only later on as an employee to my direct reports (or not at all).

I am thinking about mentioning it in the interview (e.g. if they ask about weaknesses), but I am wondering whether it might be ill-advised to do it.

There might not be a big upside to mention it, on the other hand, it could put some things on my CV in perspective (e.g. some grades).

For some context: I did not do badly and attended reputable universities and target programs. At the same time, exam design (and my lack of discipline & focus) did not necessarily reflect my potential consistently, while I managed to prove in other situations that I can be capable to keep up with the best)

Would appreciate any advice on how to navigate these kinds of situations.

Many thanks!

Answer 1

Hi there,

From my point of view, if you pass the interview process (which is meant to prove whether you have the skills required to do the job), then there's no reason to discuss your condition. The assumption is that if you successfully went through the problem-solving case in the interview, then you should also not struggle with real-life situations.

Generally, consulting firms are really proactive in trying to accommodate any issues that you might be struggling with. But I also wouldn't highlight these things unless you genuinely feel it may be in your interest to do so.

Best,
Cristian

Answer 2

Hi there,

Q: I happen to be suffering from ADHD. My question is whether I should be upfront about it BEFORE I sign a contract or only later on as an employee to my direct reports (or not at all).

If you are not required to disclose or asked specifically during interview, I don't see the reason to do so before you sign.

Whether you should disclose it later with the team depends on whether it could be useful – if it is going to help the team in terms of expectations, there is nothing wrong with letting them know.

Good luck!

Francesco

Answer 3

Hi there,

I had a colleague once at McKinsey with the same condition and I never would have guessed, had he not told me in confidence at some point. Personally, I wouldn't bring it up at any point, unless absolutely necessary.

Mentioning it up-front is a double edged sword:

Positive: You can explain some poor grades or other things standing out on your CV. It also makes for great stories when you worked hard to overcome this, which says a lot about your character and will be applauded.
Negative: Intuitively, people might think you may not be able to perform in this job. Discipline and focus are some of the basic requirements on the job and you may be filtered out (they would never tell you straight up, of course)

In my opinion, the potential negative effects outweigh the potential positive effects.

Hope this helps a bit. Best of luck!

Moritz

Answer 4

Hi

While the below answers are very useful, I'll add my quick experience.

As a fellow ADHD, I mentioned it during application (to every firm I applied to). In no instance did this cause any problems, and in fact most firms offered me additional time during online tests/ case studies, so that can even b helpful.

For reference, this in in UK (London - got offers from several Tier 2s, none from MBB, currently 2 years in the job) - I can't speak to other geographies.

But I would certainly encourage you to mention it - not least because you'll need to explain away the extenuating circumstances regarding your not-quite-perfect grades.

Best of luck

Answer 5

So my question is what you hope to get out of disclosing that you have ADHD. While firms will put in place accommodations e.g., extra time for those who are neurodiverse, the bar for getting in is still the same. At the end of the day you'll be doing a job in a team and will be expected to perform to the same standard as your peers. While you may be able to put in workarounds (e.g,. I'm dyslexic and so always work with people who are able to spell check my work - for example), these are going to be targeted interventions.

I also wouldn't look at ADHD as a weakness. I worked at McKinsey with someone with ADHD and he was a huge asset to the team - his creativity was off the charts and he was fantastic when it came to crunch time. We then helped to support him with some of the things that he struggled with - like structuring his work.

So, taking all this into account, I would recommend only bringing up in interview if you need specific accommodations, and only bringing up with your team if again, you need to put in place support to work around it. The firms are really used to having a really diverse group of people on the team, and I'm sure that they'll embrace you and all of the idiosyncrasies that you bring!

Good luck!

Answer 6

Hi there,

I personally wouldn't.

Everyone has something (a bit hyperbole, but not far off the mark). Just focus on doing your job well and managing the ADHD.

Please remember, they don't “care” if you have x, y, and z condition. If you'll be a good consultant, they want you! If you'll be a bad one, they won't! Bad grade are bad grades. Great casing is great casing. Strong networking is strong networking.

good luck!

Answer 7

Hi there,

I think this is an interesting question that may be relevant for many people. I would be happy to share my thoughts on it:

First of all, given that you are not obliged to disclose any type of illness, I do not see any necessity to disclose yours unless it would have a direct impact on your performance at work.
However, in case chances are high you would already be rejected during the initial screening phase due to low grades, you might very well consider an additional letter exclusively meant for the recruiter in which you explain the root cause of your low grades.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to address your specific situation, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Answer 8

I don't see an upside. Only a downside. So you shouldn't do it.

Answer 9

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