A Neurodiversity Hiring Framework From JP Morgan’s Justin Nelson
Firms across financial services are competing for skilled analysts and advisors. Justin Nelson, Managing Director at JP Morgan Private Bank, has proposed a straightforward way to find more of them: build hiring and management practices that work for neurodiverse people.
Nelson heads the Asset Management and Financial Principals Coverage Team in Connecticut, which oversees more than $15 billion in assets. His framework has three parts, and each grows out of what he has seen both professionally and personally.
Redesign the Front Door
The first part concerns hiring. Communication is usually the hardest area for candidates on the autism spectrum, Nelson explains, and conventional interviews depend on it. “Interviews can be hard for them, so an employer has to think differently about the hiring process,” he says. Without that change, firms reject strong applicants without ever learning what they offer.
What do they offer? Justin Nelson JP Morgan describes neurodiverse individuals who may struggle to connect socially yet stand out in other ways, including creativity and computational skill far above the norm.
Structure the Work and Find Partners
The second part concerns daily management. Rather than handing out broad objectives, managers should assign specific tasks and show how each fits into a larger plan or set of rules. Nelson says that clarity lets neurodiverse employees work with great precision.
“If you can lay out the rules and know how to work and communicate with that group of people, you probably have some of your best employees,” he observes.
The third part involves outside expertise. Specialized organizations can educate employers and guide selection. The JP Morgan executive works with one such group, Broad Futures, which matches neurodiverse candidates with employers. He also supports Adelphi University’s Bridges Program, which provides support systems for high-functioning students on the spectrum.
Nelson stresses that the move from school to employment is the hardest stage for many neurodiverse individuals. Employers who adjust their interviews and management style can ease that transition.
The investment involved is minimal. The possible gain is access to employees with distinctive cognitive strengths, ready to contribute to wealth management and financial analysis. Refer to this article for related information.
More about Justin Nelson JP Morgan on https://tfn.tufts.edu/blog/news/2011/10/01/member-spotlight-justin-nelson-a98-opening-doors-to-students-at-jp-morgan/