Hi E S.,

Thanks for writing to us. Congrats on being in remission and on the upcoming job interview! It sounds like you’ve been through a lot, so it’s exciting that you’re actively job-hunting now and seeing results. You’ve posed important questions about the job search and interview process, some that are relevant to many survivors. 

The first thing I’d like to mention is that in general you are under no legal obligation to disclose your medical history and or any medical conditions to your employer (current or prospective), but ultimately it’s a personal decision. However, if you need to access a reasonable accommodation (keep in mind, taking time off may be considered a reasonable accommodation). If you do decide to disclose that you’ll need surgery during the hiring process, you want to be strategic about when you do. Typically, you won't really know what you need until you have started a job and have a sense of what your recovery post-surgery will look like, and how this may affect your job and vice versa. If you decide to tell, remember that the interview phase is part of a strategy of getting hired and the first interview is just the beginning of a relationship. The goal is to impress the prospective employer and advance to the next phrase of the hiring process, so the first interview may not be the best time to share information pertaining to your medical condition and/or needs. As you move through the various rounds of interviews, you'll want to pick a moment where you think the company is invested in you and likely to hire you, or wait until the offer comes through and then share this information as part of your discussion of salary, benefits and other related factors. To get a better understanding if issues around disclosure, I’d recommend watching this: https://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/community/videos/bwc/2019-webinar-online.

It can be a little nerve-wrecking to think about explaining what you view as “red flags” to potential employers (like not being able to get references from your previous employer), but there are definitely ways to address them (I’ve added a list of potential resources below).

Lastly, it completely makes sense that you would want to know more about the benefits a company offers (in your case, the flexibility to work from home).  It might be helpful to do a little research on the company and see if you can gain some insight into what they provide to their employees. Websites like glassdoor.com, linkedin.com, indeed.com, salary.com, simplyhired.com and payscale.com may help you identify what they are offering their employees and/or what other similar companies are offering.

I’ve reached out to our coaches for their insight but in the meantime, I’ve listed some helpful resources below:

• Managing Disclosure When Looking for a Job: https://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/looking-for-work/job-search-disclosure/managing-disclosure-when-looking-for-a-job
  

• Interviewing information: http://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/looking-for-work/interviewing
  

• Blog on gathering information before disclosure: http://www.cancerandcareers.org/blog/gathering-information-before-d
  

• Blog on Answering Tough Interview Questions: https://www.cancerandcareers.org/blog/answering-tough-interview-ques
  

• Job Search Too3rd 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)

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

I hope this is helpful. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us at cancerandcareers@cew.org or 646-929-8032.

A coach will be in touch soon!

Kind regards,

Nicole Franklin, MPH

Senior Manager of Programs

Cancer and Careers

Hi E.S.,

Congratulations for being in remission! Nicole did a great job responding to your question about whether or not to tell the interviewer that you will need time off for surgery. Timing is everything with divulging your need for time off so I suggest waiting until you receive an offer or after you accept the job. You are also automatically assuming that this will be a big deal to your employer and it may not be at all, especially if they really want you to join their company. 

As for not being able to give your previous company as a reference, is there anyone there who was a colleague or client or someone senior who left the company whom you can ask to be a reference? And believe it or not, not every company actually does references. And I know you are aware that you will need to have a response for why you left the company in case you are asked. So I would develop and practice your response to this question with your friends or family. Because you are very honest, you may decide that you can say that you were ill and maxed out your time off and this was the reason for being terminated. And be sure to spin to the fact that now you are healthy. Or if you are not going to give a your previous employer as a reference, then you can just say that there was a reorganization or that you left to take care of a personal situation. You did leave when you were ill, so this is actually true. It is important to remember that the questions you believe are daunting are always going to seem more signifcant to you then to a prospective employer. They are much more interested in knowing what you can do for their company and if you will fit into their culture.

Flexibility is the number one benefit that employees are looking for so employers are very aware of this. Nicole's advice to research the company on glassdoor as well as finding people on LinkedIn who have worked at the company whom you can reach out to and ask about the company's stance on flexibility. You can also negotiate flexible time as part of your employment agreement. 

Regardless of the question you are asked, the key is to prepare and practice your responses. Keep them brief and always spin back to something positive about you, your experience, and your eagerness to make a difference to your new employer.

Good luck in your interview!

Take care,

Julie