Hi Debra,

Thanks for reaching out and I'm sorry to hear about your diagnosis today, but congratulations on the interview! This must feel overwhelming, there is a lot of information to think about. The first thing I would recommend that you do is talk to your healthcare team about the kinds of jobs you're interviewing for and find out what your treatment plan options are to see how these could work together. 

Also, make sure you do a little homework about laws that may protect you [http://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/at-work/Legal-and-Financial/Cancer-and-the-ADA-FMLA] because depending on the size of  the company where you're interviewing you might be covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act or a state fair employment law. Again, there are some standards that both the company and you must meet but it is important to get a sense of how the law may provide some protection. You'll also want to think through whether you want to reveal this diagnosis during the interview process, it is important to be strategic if you do choose to share the information. I would recommend that you take a look at our Job Search Toolkit (order or download for free here: http://www.cancerandcareers.org/publication_orders/new) which covers this topic, as well a ton of other relevant topics for job searching, interviewing, networking, etc. after a diagnosis. 

I just sent your question off to our coaches who should be in touch soon. 

Please feel free to reach out again at any point if you have more questions. I hope that this is helpful!

Best,

Sarah, Cancer and Careers, Associate Manager of Programs

Thanks - this has been very helpful.  I appreciate the quick response as well.  I look forward to hearing from the coaches.  I will download and look at the information too!  

Debbie

Hi Debra, I am so sorry about your diagnosis. I have to echo Sarah's advice by saying that until you know exactly what your treatment will be, it is difficult to give you counsel about whether you should go on the interview. If you choose to go, (which I am leaning toward,) you do not need to tell them anything about your diagnosis.

Do ask your healthcare team detailed questions about your treatment, how long it will be and what it entails from a time perspective. Also, ask about your stamina and ability to interview or even go back to work while going through treatment.

Good luck!

Take care, Julie