Hi Diane,

Thanks for writing to us. I’m happy to hear your son completed treatment and is feeling well enough to start figuring out his professional path! To start, I have a few questions that will help us think about his situation more clearly.

• Did he start pursuing a college degree and take time off for treatment? If so, what was he studying/his major? If he’s interested in working in his field of study, that might be a good indicator in terms of what he might want to do professionally.

• In terms of work, what kind of work is he interested in doing? Since he’s just starting out, he may want to consider volunteering or seeking an internship, which would help him get some experience to build his resume while still being able to set a schedule that works for him. If he’s done any of those things previously, he should include them on his resume, along with any other skills and relevant experiences that would show how great an asset he’d be to an employer.

CAC has a lot of job search content that might be useful for you and your son to look at while he thinks about his options:

• Job Search Webinar: https://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/community/videos/bwc/job-search

• Job Search Toolkit (2nd Edition): http://www.cancerandcareers.org/publication_orders/new (features advice on improving resumes, cover letters; interview and networking tips and other useful tools to help you during a job search)

• Webinar on Building a LinkedIn profile: http://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/community/videos/bwc/linkedin (note that everyone has a network on LinkedIn, it isn’t just people who have a long work history. Investing time in LinkedIn could unearth some unexpected connections and opportunities)

• Job-Search Tools: https://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/looking-for-work/exploring-your-options/job-search-tools

In addition, I would recommend checking out the Young Adults with Cancer section on our website: https://www.cancerandcareers.org/resources/categories/resources-for-young-adults. The SAMFund, Stupid Cancer and the Ulman Foundation might be especially relevant to you son’s situation).

I look forward to hearing back from you soon!   

Kind regards,

Nicole Franklin, MPH

Senior Manager of Programs

Cancer and Careers