Hi Emily,

Thank you for reaching out to Cancer and Careers. You're asking a great question and I will pass along to one of our volunteer coaches to respond.

In the meantime, I'd encourage you to think about which roles you enjoy the most, or even which specific skillsets you enjoy using. It can be helpful to identify two or three dircetions you'd like to go in, and then do some research on what existing roles are available and decide which specific experience and skills you could bring to the table. Having a plan in place for a few different options can take off some of the pressure, while still keeping you focused and your job search a bit more narrow.

Feel free to take a look at the Exploring Your Options section of our website which hosts a number of articles that may be helpful as you consider your skills and what you would ideally like to be using/doing. I'd also recommend watching the recording of our Balancing Work & Cancer webinar on First Impressions: Resumes & LinkedIn for some additional guidance on how to frame your experience and potential.

Hopefully those are helpful for now! Don't hesitate to reach out to cancerandcareers@cew.org with any additional questions or if you'd like more resources.

Warmly,

Nicole Jarvis, LMSW

Assistant Director of Programs

Cancer and Careers

Hi Emily,

Thanks for reaching out to us! Nicole's advice about thinking about the skills you would like to continue using, and doing research on specific roles is great. Since you've worked in such diverse positions, the good news is that you have a multitude of transferable skills, adaptability, and many other characteristics that will enable you to pivot into the right job and career for you. 

When I coach people who want to make a shift or transition, I encourage them to review their skills, identify industries that are appealing, evaluate functions, rank order their most important values, and think about how much money they need to gain a full picture of who they are. Then they can research jobs and careers on LinkedIn and especially by networking with people who are in these jobs and careers. 

I don't know how many years of experience you have however thinking about your level of ambition regarding promotions and progression is also a factor in your decision making.

If you have questions about this information or if you would like to share more specific information about you, please do write back.

Take care,

Julie

Hi I'm hoping you can guide me in the right direction. I have been on short term leave and expected to return to work soon. In the last several months June-Nov I have been through Chemo a double mastectomy and now radiation. I am now starting a new medication that is suppose to give me more fatigue,bone and muscle aches. I dont know if I can take much more fatigue and still work 45 plus hours every week.You see I'm a Store Manager of a high volume retail store. I have 50 plus associates and the stress never stops. As my company has been extremely helpful through my journey I am afraid I won't be able to perform like the super star I was before. I've been with them for 20 plus years and I know what kind of stress comes with the role of returning. My fatigue has me worried. I have to work to support my family. I'm really leaning on finding a remote job but don't know how to get started. What's real, what's a scam. Who can I trust and how fast can I move forward. I've only been in retail for the last 34 years and have made a career with extremely good pay. Walking away would be difficult but after this journey of health scares I'm thinking differently. So how do I get started in finding a remote job that is rewarding and has a work life balance?

Sincerely,

Adriane

Hi Adriane,

Thanks so much for posting your comment. I can absolutely see how this is a conundrum. The impact of side effects and lingering symptoms can certainly make returning to an existing job difficult, and sometimes not possible. However, with that said, before making the full decision to go elsewhere, it could be helpful to think through your current situation and any options that may be available, even if they are not entirely obvious.

Have you explored any remote opportunities that might be available in your current company? While understandably much of the associated work in retail needs to be hands-on/in-person, perhaps there are aspects of the job that can be done remotely? I’d recommend making a list of every single thing you do there, and brainstorming if/how any of that could be done more flexibly.  Given your tenure with them, and the caliber of your work, it sounds like perhaps there could be some room to negotiate with them on what could be done. For starters, with 50 associates under your management, I would imagine things like scheduling, strategizing, and more could be done from home with the right tools and set up. I encourage you to get as creative as possible with potential approaches. Try to keep in mind the only definite no is the question not asked, so it is worth really exploring every angle before making the decision to go elsewhere.

Now, if you do decide or come to the conclusion that a flexible arrangement with your current company will not be possible, there are certainly other options available to you. There are many remote opportunities that exist, it’s primarily about finding them and standing out from the other applicants. I would recommend getting active on LinkedIn, if you’re not already. If you need some guidance on how to create an eye catching and effective profile, check out our webinar recording of the First Impressions: Resumes and LinkedIn session. We have a ton of job searching tools and resources in the Looking for Work section of our website. Our Resume Review Service can be helpful if you are needing to go into a new industry or role and need to tweak your resume to best highlight the relevant skills for the new position. In addition to the tangible job searching tools like resumes and cover letters, an extremely important aspect of job hunting is networking, so I’d recommend taking a look at your network; this can include former coworkers, friends, family, neighbors, etc. and putting the word out that you’re looking for a new position. Additionally, there are plenty of online resources available for searching for remote jobs. While, yes, you should be careful and do your due diligence to ensure legitimacy of remote job postings, there are some websites that will vet the postings for you. A few sites that are rated highly: FlexJobs, Remote.co, We Work Remotely, and RemoteOK.

I hope the above is helpful and be sure to reach out to cancerandcareers@cew.org with any questions or requests for further information.

Warm regards,

Nicole Jarvis, LMSW

Assistant Director of Programs

Cancer and Careers

Hi there, I still have breast cancer but I need to reenter the workforce because my funds are running low. The facility I am getting treatment at being extremely slow and inefficient so I have been off work for a very long time with little progress. I work in healthcare and was doing temporary work prior to my diagnosis. This work does not accommodate any changes in schedule or appointments and I could never find a long term job that would accommodate my providers random scheduling/cancelations and the 2-3 more surgeries I need in addition to recovery time when I have a very physical job. I feel I need to stay in my industry because this is the only area I can make enough money to pay my bills, including a student loan that cost more than most people's mortgages. So I believe at this point I need to put my treatment on hold, which it really saddens me to say. I do have a early stage cancer, so I am at lower risk for poor outcomes.... but the risk is still there and makes me very nervous. Regardless, any job in my industry will always require a physical examination and for an employer to be able to access all of my medical records. I can pass an interview I'm sure, but I'm pretty nervous that my condition and medical history ie living with cancer will get me disqualified from any job. Plus I have to explain why I've been off work for 6 months. I'm not sure how to avoid this and what my rights are. Regardless of legality, any employer could just say that I'm not as qualified as another candidate.... that doesn't have cancer (that's the unspoken portion). If I were to be straightforward with an employer, I still think it would be challenging for anybody to offer someone a job that still needs a lot of treatment with appointments being very random and often last minute. This isn't condusive to the job. I just don't know what to do, I'm so lost. Can you offer any advice?

Hello,

 Thank you so much for reaching out and providing some insight into your circumstances. I’m sorry that you’re having to juggle the competing priorities in your life. With that said, I’m not a healthcare provider so I wouldn’t be the right person to ask about putting your treatment on hold, but in my opinion, your health should likely be your number one priority when you are considering next steps and options. This is definitely a conversation you should be having with your healthcare provider to discuss what’s safe and in the best interest of your health and future health.

In regard to your student loan payments being a major factor in your decision making process, have you by chance looked into any type of loan payment deferral? At least you wouldn’t be finding yourself delinquent in the midst of everything else if you filed for that early enough. There is a Cancer Treatment Deferment Request that may be worth looking into for you, so that you are aware that may be an option if you qualify and/or if the conditions are conducive to what you may want. I’d recommend speaking with a legal and/or financial professional to get a sense of what the best choice would be for you.

A little more insight into your profession may help me to determine what alternative options may be available to you. You’re rightfully concerned about existing biases and prejudice when applying for work with a diagnosis, but it’s not ALWAYS the case, so I think it can be a good idea to have a few plans of action that could work in the event you are met with some challenges and resistance. You mention that your position is very physical – are there any tasks associated with your role that are less so? That could be done remotely or at a desk? I understand the unpredictability of your appointments and surgeries makes it difficult to adequately plan for, but perhaps with that in mind, your number one requirement when looking into other jobs would be to research which companies are the most flexible. We have a helpful article on researching employers to help inform your job search on our site that may be helpful as you understand what to look for. Our article on Flexible Work may also spark some ideas for you and provide you with some direction when exploring what is possible/realistic for your specific situation.

I understand the apprehension around looking for work when you have a resume gap and less than a predictable need for time off. However, this is not a deal breaker, its more about finding something that works with the gray area you may find yourself in at this time with treatment and scheduling. I know it feels unlikely that an employer would be willing, but if you are able to show your potential for a job based on skills and experience, many employers may be willing to overlook other aspects. We have a ton of resources on our site about disclosure during the job search and how to navigate what the best approach for your personal circumstance may be. Some other resources that would be helpful include our sections on Networking, Interviewing, and Resumes & Cover Letters as these all cover the essentials in a job search and could give you some insight and ideas so as to alleviate some of your concerns around looking for work at this time in your life.

 I hope that some of these resources and ideas are helpful in terms of highlighting some next steps and what information you could use to make more informed decisions. Again, it’s important to speak with your healthcare provider before making any major decisions about treatment (stopping, delaying surgeries, etc.).

I’m happy to speak with you further if you’d like to schedule a call, you can reach out to cancerandcareers@cew.org.

Sincerely,
Nicole Jarvis, LMSW (she, her, hers)

Assistant Director of Programs

Cancer and Careers