Hello Juanita,

Thank you for submitting your question! It’s common for cancer survivors to be interested in more flexibility following a diagnosis. I will pass along your question to one of our career coaches for their perspective, but in the meantime it might be helpful if you could provide a bit more details on what you mean by new employment. Are you seeking a similar position at a new company? Are you looking to change your career to something new? If you were able to get the flexibility at your current job, would you then rather stay there?

We do have several resources that can help with a job search, the practical aspects of looking for a new job and some information about your legal protections:

• Resume review service: http://www.cancerandcareers.org/resume_reviews/new
  


• Our Job Search Toolkit (3^rd Edition) features advice on improving resumes, cover letters; interview and networking tips and other useful tools to help you during a job search:  http://www.cancerandcareers.org/publication_orders/new 

• Article on job-hunting after cancer treatment: https://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/looking-for-work/exploring-your-options/job-hunting-after-cancer-treatment
  


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


• Registration is open for upcoming webinars on Resumes, Networking, Enhancing Your Skills and more: https://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/community/events/webinars
  


• Information on Reasonable Accommodations in the Workplace: https://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/at-work/legal-and-financial/requesting-reasonable-accommodations
  

I hope you find some of the above resources helpful as you figure out your next steps. Please feel free to contact us as cancerandcareers@cew.org with any further questions.

Kind regards,

Nicole Jarvis, LMSW

Senior Manager of Programs

Cancer and Careers

I am seeking similar employment at many new company. My current employer allows a certain degree of flexibility but I am really looking for a position that will give more consistency with the work I do.

Hi Juanita,

As Nicole mentioned, it is difficult to give you advice about how to find a job with more flexibility when we don't know what kind of work you do now as well as what your actual skills are. So, my response is a bit more generic. 

It always makes sense to look for a job in your industry by doing research on companies that are competitors to your company and create a target list. Then you can research these on Glassdoor, Indeed, LinkedIn, or specific industry job sites to see what former employees at the companies themselves are saying about offering flexible work arrangements. 

Also, be aware that we are in the ideal job market for negotiating what you want in a job given the way the pandemic has changed the way everyone works.

If you write back and share more specific information about what exactly you do, I am happy to give more specific advice.

Take care,

Julie