Hi H D.,

Thanks for writing to us! We totally understand your desire to find a job that works best for your current situation and that is better aligned with your needs. Figuring out the best path forward while in-treatment is an issue that we hear about a lot from survivors. You are thinking about and asking important questions as you consider changing jobs.

My first questions is if there's any way the administrative role you had from June through September could become a more permanent role? If you feel like hands-on patient care would be too taxing right now, that might be another alternative that would allow you to stay at your current place of employment.

If you would like to (or need to) leave your current organization, you may consider starting your job search now since – regardless or health history, past experience, etc. –  the process can take some time (varying in length from weeks to months from initial application to starting the job).  Also if you are experiencing any side effects from treatment and think that you may need reasonable accommodations at work, that is something to consider when deciding on whether a position would be a good fit. A great resource for getting ideas about accommodations is www.AskJAN.org, you can look up cancer and look up different kinds of jobs and see potential accommodations. Please note that the Americans with Disabilities Act applies to eligible job applicants and employees of a private employer with fifteen or more employees, or a state or local government of any size, so you might want to think about the size of the company as you are job searching. There are also state fair employment laws that might be helpful to consider. Some states’ laws protect individuals working for employers with fewer than 15 employees. Our partner, Triage Cancer, has a Quick Guide to Cancer-Related Laws by State available at http://triagecancer.org/resources/quickguides. 

I’d also recommend checking out FlexJobs (https://www.flexjobs.com/), which is a useful resource to learn more about the kinds of telecommuting jobs and the companies that hire for them.  They also have a very robust job board that is fully vetted and focused on those tops of roles.  Many are full-time and might provide health insurance and other benefits.  It is membership-based but you can explore everything before you commit, and if you decide to join you can enter the code CANCER when you check out to receive a 50% discount.

Here are some other resources I would recommend checking out:

• Recording of the 2019 Job Search Webinar: http://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/community/videos/bwc/job-search
  

• Job Search Toolkit (2nd Edition): https://www.cancerandcareers.org/publication_orders/new(features a advice on improving resumes, cover letters; interview and networking tips and other useful tools to help you during a job search including an entire section on flexible work)

• Resume Review: http://www.cancerandcareers.org/resume_reviews/new (free program where a professional coach will review your resume and provide feedback to help you refine it towards your current work goals)

I wanted to let you know that CAC offers a Professional Development Micro-Grant program that provides cancer patients and survivors professional development opportunities to build or enhance their skillsets. Although the application period for the 2019 grant year has closed, we would be happy to notify you when the next application opens! More information can be found here: http://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/resource/micro-grants

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.

Kind regards,

Nicole Franklin, MPH

Senior Manager of Programs

Cancer and Careers