Planning about going back to work with a change of career
Helene S. on September 23, 2019
With a new ticket at life I am a different person and I won’t be able to hold the same position I had before. 15 years experience in outside sales, on the go 5 days a week. Legally fired after a short leave of absence. I am +/- 1 year post transplant.
-> I am considering to change career within the same industry (food service / hospitality) with limited or no travel, in purchasing, procurement, inside sale, purveyors or customer related jobs… since I have seen many aspects of those functions.
This summer, I was approached by few head hunters for similar opportunities or with a promotion. I tested myself and went as far as I could in respective hiring process. I have asked for reasonable accommodation (mostly remote/office work vs. too much time on the field) and that didn’t work.
Part time to start with, instead of full time at this time
I have read C+C Manager’s kit and few related webpages.
Would you have any recommendations given my situation on how to approach a change of career?
Thank you
2 Comments
Nicole Franklin, MPH
Oct 10, 2019
Cancer and Careers Staff Comment:
Hi Helene,
Thanks for writing to us! We often hear from cancer patients and survivors that their experience has served as a catalyst for personal and professional change in their lives. It’s great you're thinking about what may be a more suitable career path in your industry (at least currently) and are weighing different options.
It’s also important to remember that in general you are under no legal obligation to disclose your medical history and/or any medical conditions to your employer (prospective or otherwise), but ultimately it’s a personal decision. However, if you need to access a reasonable accommodation you may have to disclose some information to show you’re entitled to it, but you may choose not to disclose during the interview process and instead wait until you receive an offer to request any reasonable accommodation or even wait until you have started the job (in most cases you won’t really know what you need or what you need to ask for until you are actually in the role, experiencing the environment and the responsibilities of the job). For more information on disclosure, I recommend watching our webinar: https://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/community/videos/bwc/2019-webinar-online
If you’re interested in remote/flexible work, I would recommend checking out FlexJobs (https://www.flexjobs.com/). It’s a useful resource to learn about flexible/remote jobs and the companies that are hiring for them. They also have a very robust job board that is fully vetted and focused on those types of roles. It is membership-based, but you can explore everything before you commit. If you decide to join you can enter the code CANCER when you check out to receive a 50% discount.
I’ve reached out to our career coaches to get further insight into your situation, but in the meantime, the following resources might be helpful:
I also want to mention that CAC offers a Professional Development Micro-Grant program that provides cancer patients and survivors professional development opportunities to build or enhance their skillsets. The application period for 2020 grants is currently open (until November 15th). For more information and to apply: http://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/resource/micro-grants
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
Helene S.
Oct 18, 2019
Thank you Mrs. Franklin for your reply
post a comment
Please sign in to post a comment