Glynda,

 First, I want to congratulations you on getting to the interview stage! I will pass along your message to one of our career coaches, however, you’re asking a lot of good questions so I want to make sure to address some of them in the meantime.

 It sounds like you have a good sense of what your next few months will consist of, to a certain degree, so this will help you to envision a plan that will be conducive to your needs. To start, you’re correct in stating that you are not obligated to disclose your diagnosis to either a potential or current employer. It’s a personal decision that depends on various factors such as your own feelings about sharing your diagnosis, the impact your diagnosis will have on your ability to do the work, and an overall sense of what the company is like.  With that said, there are circumstances where it might be helpful to share some information, but not necessarily all, in order to get what you need.

 In regards to the one year gap on your resume, it can be helpful to craft a response that only shares what the employer would need in order have their question answered, and only provide information you are comfortable sharing. You don’t have to say you were out of work for treatment, you could simply say you were seeing to a personal matter that’s since been resolved and you’re fully ready to take on this type of role. Also, keep in mind there was a pandemic the year you were off of work that had a major impact on the economy and workforce, so it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibilities that a potential employer may just assume it had something to do with that. However, it’s not impossible they will ask you about that time so it’s good to have a response ready just in case.

 As for your question about if/when to tell them about your need for time off, this is another area where it’s helpful to get more information before sharing anything yourself. For instance, take a look at glassdoor.com to see if you can find out what past and current employees have said in regards to workplace flexibility and benefits. Do any of them say the company was willing to work with them around flexible schedules and time off? Or are they sharing that management was very rigid and getting time off was a challenge? You’re under no obligation to say that you’ll need time off prior to getting hired, but it’s a good idea to read the situation and use your intuition on when it would be best to share this information. You’ve mentioned that your treatment is only once/month for a few hours, so that might not be viewed as a big deal. Additionally, having conversations like this during the interview process can be helpful insight into what it would be like to work there. If they ask if you have any questions, this could be the opportunity for you to find out more about the culture of the workplace and ask about flexibility. Is this an environment focused on specifically a 9-5 day? Or is it a place more concerned about you meeting your project deadlines and not as worried about how you get it done? There’s no specific right way to handle this but it’s always a good idea to gather as much information before making any disclosure decisions.  

 Please feel free to reach out with any other questions regarding the above, or any other scenarios that may arise. You can feel free to email us at cancerandcareers@cew.org.

Warm regards,

Nicole Jarvis, LMSW

Senior Manager of Programs

Cancer and Careers

Hi Glynda,

I echo everything that Nicole has said to you. You are not obligated to disclose anything about your health and I agree that you really want to learn more about the company and the attorneys whom you would be supporting. Often people feel as if they are being dishonest when they don't disclose their cancer diagnosis or health issues however this is simply not so. And, in my opinion your gap is a non-issue. Just be prepared and comfortable with a simple response if you are even asked.

I am wondering if you can schedule a set day and time to receive your infusions, such as lunchtime, early morning or early evening? Also, because of the pandemic, companies are faced with needing to provide flexible schedules and work arrangements with their employees which is to your benefit. Instead of divulging your need to take a few hours off every three weeks, you may be able to compensate ahead of time for the time you need to take away from work and work earlier or later the days that you go for the infusion. And if you do get hired in this job or any other job, you may develop a trusting relationship with your manager through time and may be able to tell him/her/them about your infusions. And, you will be finished in January 2022 which is really only six months or fewer once you are hired.

So, I do believe there are a lot of options for working around what feels like a huge obstacle to you but really isn't in reality. I am not underplaying your nervousness about your situation however I think it would be great to approach it in a positive light as a situation that needs to be handled rather then a detriment to your future employment. And a paralegal is not an essential worker in a hospital.

Best of luck in your interviews! Remember that you have great experience and you will be a huge asset to any company or organization that hires you!

Take care,

Julie