Hi all. I was jobhunting when I was diagnosed last October and am on a medical certificate until mid October after which I am assuming my GP will tell me I’m fit enough to start jobhunting again. Much of my previous experience was as an Admin Manager in London and I was being interviewed for jobs of that type when this happened. I now find I’d like to just work p/t for a bit in something local and less stressful (I now live in Scotland). I’d also like to do a course soon as OH has a small business,so I’d like to combine p/t admin with helping him to run things. I need some work of my own in order to have some regular income.
I have an application form on my desk at the moment and I am not sure what I should be saying on it. On account of having my lymph nodes out with some arm and slight mobility problems do I fill in the bits about disability for instance? I also don’t know what I should be saying about time off for BC and am at a loss as to how to inform agencies about this. Until next April I am on Herceptin every 3 weeks too. The job I have on my desk would be really nice as it’s dealing with people who need support as f/t carers and as I looked after my dad when he was in the early to middle stages of dementia I know what carers face every day.
Any help from people who have applied for jobs after treatment would be greatly appreciated as I’m starting to worry about this a little bit and sometimes fear I might not be able to get employment easily.
Hi Cherub,
I don’t know where you stand legally as far as disclosing your medical history, but if you feel you have to say something, I’m sure you can couch it in positive terms, especially in the case of the particular job you are looking at. If you can sound confident and clear about how your experiences put you in a very good place to be helping others, it could be a selling point for you. Also you have a lot of very relevant experience with your Dad.
Maybe you need some professional advice about what you have to tell them, especially as you’re still having the Herceptin, and presumably will need time off sometimes for other appts.
I hope someone here can give you advice.
All the best and go for it! You are a richer and more mature person for all that you’ve been through. Now you just have to believe it!
Love Jacquie
I don’t know if my post will be of much help to you but I’ll tell you about my experience of returning to work. Like yourself I was job hunting when I was diagnosed, I had an interview, for what I thought was the best job ever, the day after my diagnosis and felt I wasn’t in a fit state mentally to attend so cancelled the interview. I then put job hunting on the back burner. Then a couple of weeks ago I saw a notice about a recruitment day so I filled in an application form and declared myself as disabled on the relevant forms. I had an interview that same day and although the interview panel did not bring up the issue of my BC, I mentioned it at the end of the interview and explained what stage I was at in my treatment (one more TAX - tomorrow hurray - and 5 weeks of radiotherapy. They were very understanding and did say that they did not discriminate against the disabled. I was then told that I had been accepted for a post and I then saw occupational health where I also told them about my BC treatment etc and told them that the only problem I envisaged was tiredness but since I am only going to be working part-time I will just have to collapse into bed when I get home
I know I have probably been very lucky and also the fact that the recruitment day was in the hospital I am being treated at probably helped too. It was a very positive experience and I felt so much better for being honest and declaring everything right from the start.
Cherub I am sure there is a job waiting out there with your name on it with a very understanding employer and I hope you don’t have too much difficulty finding it.
I have until Monday at noon to apply for this little job, so I aim to spend time on the application at the weekend. Their office is withing walking distance, so I can take it by hand (OH is in London until Monday and I’m planning to go over to Edinburgh Airport to meet him - I can deliver the application en route to the train station).
I figure I’ve got nothing to lose and if nothing else it would let me test the water as I haven’t filled in an application for a year.
Hi, wanted to wish you good luck. I’ve just been through interviews and had no problems (I’ve got secondaries). You are covered by the Disability Discrimination Act and if you feel you were turned down for a job based on your sick time or disability, you could take them to tribunal. Most decent employers know this and will only turn you down if they feel you’re not the right person for a job.
- and 5 weeks of radiotherapy. They were very understanding and did say that they did not discriminate against the disabled. I was then told that I had been accepted for a post and I then saw occupational health where I also told them about my BC treatment etc and told them that the only problem I envisaged was tiredness but since I am only going to be working part-time I will just have to collapse into bed when I get home