Rosalind Joffe, Author at Job-Hunt

Avoiding Nightmare Interviews

Rosalind Joffe — Tue, 11 May 2021 17:14:37 +0000

People who live with chronic illness often tell me that they are terrified of interviewing for a job. I’ve heard more stories than I can count about horrible experiences that proved to someone that illness makes becoming employed impossible.

More often than not, the “nightmare” they’re remembering could have been avoided with some careful preparation and, more importantly, can be used as a teaching moment.

3 Interview Preparation Tips

Here are some ideas for preparing yourself for what can come up in the first interview and training yourself to use each interview as an opportunity to improve your skills.

1. Before you apply for a job, make sure you have a firm understanding of why it sounds like a good fit and why you want it.

When you make the connection in your own mind between what you offer to what they need, you will respond to questions with confidence.

Can you identify your strengths? Do you know how disabling symptoms specifically impact your work and what you need to work around this?

Just as importantly, you might want this job because it would improve your skills and be a good career move, even if it might be difficult.

On the other hand, you might want this job because it would allow you to work at a pace you can manage even if it would be a career “slide”.

2. Job interviews are typically a series of events, rather than a one shot event.

Your goal in the first interview is to get to the next step.

Complete honesty is essential but that doesn’t mean you telling your life story (such as you’ve been married three times) or disclosing chronic illness.

An easy guideline to follow is: say as much as you need to but no more than you have to.

Here are some examples –

If asked why you left your last job, which is pretty common, the first interview is never the time to describe the gory details.
Nor should you say anything negative about your last employer because it might backfire. Even if you left feeling angry at what you thought was poor treatment surrounding your illness, you might offer something vague — but true — such as, “It was no longer a good fit”.

If you know from the job description that you need specific accommodations to do this job, you might wait until you’ve done a good job showcasing your strengths before asking specifics that might make them wary.

3. View an interview as an opportunity to learn about the job and the organization.

This should be a conversation, a two-way street, in which you’re both trying to learn whether this is the right fit.

In addition, asking questions in an interview is a sign to the interviewer that you have prepared, have listened, and have thought about both the job and the organization. Demonstrate your intelligence, and learn if the organization will be a place you think you can work happily and successfully.

Note – the first interview is not the time to ask about the salary, benefits, and vacation time. Save those questions for later in the process, when you have received a job offer, for example. Asking them in the first interview may make you look desperate and not really interested in the job.

Bottom Line

Keep trying. Interviewing takes time and you’re developing your skills as you do it, particularly around how to handle the issues that come up while living with a CI.

About the author…

Rosalind Joffe is a recognized national expert on chronic illness in the workplace. As a leading career coach specializing in working with the chronically ill, she has been quoted in numerous national publications and media. Rosalind holds a Masters in Education, is a certified Mediator, and has completed the Corporate Coach University certificate program. Rosalind’s website ciCoach.com (Chronic Illness Career Coach) offers advice and resources for people working with chronic illnesses. She also publishes a widely read blog, WorkingWithChronicIllness. In addition, find more of Rosalind’s insights at Facebook.com/cicoach and on Twitter @WorkWithIllness.

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Career Planning When You Have a Chronic Illness

Rosalind Joffe — Tue, 11 May 2021 17:14:37 +0000

We’re taught that when you tell a story, you should start at the beginning. This makes it easier to follow the chain of events. But if you’re trying to get to a destination, you need to start at the end, where you want to be.

When you’re in search of a physical destination, you would use a map or, even better, a GPS. But when the destination is less concrete, such as a new career, you have to develop your own mapping system.

Chronic Illness: Career Game-Changer?

This is unfamiliar territory because most people take their first job based on what’s available. You might have an industry in mind (e.g., IT, healthcare) or have specific jobs (e.g., administrative assistant, data entry) that interest you. But most people start on a career path by choosing the first job that’s offered. For many, the job search process doesn’t get much more thoughtful or complicated throughout their career.

But chronic illness is often a game changer.

Whether difficult symptoms mean that your current career path will become a dead end or that you can no longer do the job you’ve been doing, chronic illness often leads a person to seek a new job or career. And most are unprepared.

My Story

That happened to me at age 45. I’d spent 15 years taking twists and turns on a career path trying to make working with illness possible. But when I developed a second autoimmune disease, I decided I had to do something different – both for my physical health and my mental state.

But I didn’t have a clue how or where to start. It’s taken me 15 years to reinvent myself to the point where I feel as confident and settled as I had in my former work life. In fact, in most ways, I’m much happier.

What I’ve learned from this is that illness, like any adversity, is a challenge that can be managed with motivation, clear thinking, and strategic planning.

The Career Design Process

In my work as a career coach, I’ve tried to distill my own career transformation journey into identifiable points. It seems to me that whether you’re developing a career for the first time or reinventing one, it relies on good project management. And as any project manager can tell you, start with the end point, where you want to land, and work back.

1. The End Point – design your vision.

Create a list of what you want (and need) from work – schedule, salary, environment, career potential, activities, etc.
Identify your “must-have.”
Prioritize this list so you can see what matters and where there is flexibility as you make decisions.

2. The Beginning – prepare with what you know.

Create a time frame – keep in mind deadlines you’re working within.
Create an action plan of what you need to do with a realistic time frame for each activity.
Create a list of people and resources who might help you with this process.

3. The Middle – work on specific tasks.

Job analysis —
Identify jobs and/or careers that are realistically possible for you – using brainstorming and networking techniques to expand your thinking.
Identify 2-3 best options —
Write why you believe this to be the case because it’s easy to keep this fuzzy and forget when things get tough.
Research —
- What does a job like this look like, and how does that match with your priority list?
- What is the job market like?
- What training or new skills would you need to get this job?

For a much more detailed exploration for career change, Susan Strayer’s book, The Right Job, Right Now, has some very useful models for finding a new career path. My own workbook, Keep Working With Chronic Illness Workbook, is designed specifically around the issues people with illness face, and it offers concrete ideas and systems you can use.

About the author…

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New Grads with Chronic Illness Choosing that First Job

Rosalind Joffe — Tue, 11 May 2021 17:14:37 +0000

If you’re a recent college grad, you’re probably either looking for or are in your first “real” job (aka, full time and permanent).

For most people, life post college doesn’t create major internal debate. You roll the dice and take what comes most easily. In fact, in my work with people who live with chronic illness, I’ve found that, typically, a person takes that first job for one reason: it’s good enough to get started.

Choosing that First Job Carefully

If you’re living with chronic illness, you’ve likely learned that you have to be more careful about your choices. Perhaps you’ve also become keenly aware not to put yourself in situations in which you can’t take care of your health.

Unfortunately, this means that you don’t behave like your college friends – party all night and then ready for a day of classes. I know first hand how tough this is, especially when you’re young and everyone else is healthy with no clue about what it’s like to live with illness.

Strategic Planning

In my work as a career coach for people living with chronic illness, I’ve seen that few realize how important it is to think strategically about planning a career from the outset – even healthy people. But it’s even more important when you have a chronic illness because you have, and will probably continue to have, specific needs that challenge your ability to be successful at work.

Look, I know it’s easy to ignore this when no one around you thinks this way. Certainly not the guy in the apartment next door who took that 80/hour week job because the pay is so good. Or the girl in your sorority who is going to graduate school in International Public Health so she can work in crisis communities around the world.

Of course you want to do this, too. Everyone tells you that you shouldn’t let your health be a limiting factor. They say you’re too young to ignore your dreams and you should pursue your passion.

The Thoughtful Approach

But can’t you do both – take care of your health and pursue you dreams? I suggest you can:

Be realistic –Consider what you know about yourself (your interests, competencies, values and health) as you thoughtfully explore and evaluate opportunities. No, there are no guarantees with health or career. But you can make educated guesses to expand the possibilities. No matter what your health challenges are, you’ve managed them well enough to get where you are thus far. Take what you’ve learned.Try this: Create a spread sheet that includes what you believe you need in a work situation to continue to manage your health.
Be strategic –Develop a wide net of options that allow you to maximize your flexibility with unpredictable health. No one can be sure where jobs will be opening or which markets will shrink. But you’re more ready to adapt when you obtain training in key competencies that create solid skills in a variety of settings.Try this: Do your research, and then use and expand your network to learn what you need to be successful before committing to any direction.
Be resourceful –Play to your strengths and maximize your resources. Most of us have more energy and personal flexibility and fewer commitments when we’re in our early 20’s than at age 45. This is the time to take more risks and stretch yourself as investment in the future.Try this: Create your intention, move with thought, and stay within realistic parameters.

Depending on your age at the time of disease onset, people with chronic illness face different life challenges. It’s useful to understand the intersection of developmental life, career, and illness challenges that we face.

But, planning is only a piece of the puzzle. You also want to develop your capacity for resilience so you can adjust and adapt to what comes your way.

Bottom Line

As you consider what’s ahead, consider your options, design your career plan with care and thought, and work hard to make it happen, even if it feels like sometimes you’re playing against the odds.

About the author…

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Managing a “Wavy” Employment History

Rosalind Joffe — Tue, 11 May 2021 17:14:37 +0000

For most of the 20th century, a person took a job expecting to retire or even die there. But not true, now.

It’s not unusual to lose one or more jobs for all sorts of reasons.

Job Loss Is Common Now

These days, people lose their jobs because of down-sizing, mergers, acquisitions – and poor performance. Job security and the resulting job loyalty are a thing of the past.

This is good news for you if you have a “wavy” career history for whatever reason – and especially if you live with chronic illness.

“Wavy” means that you:

Have been or are currently under-employed.
Have periods of unemployment.
Have changed jobs frequently without career improvement.

Chronic illness often leads to this kind of career path because it typically limits what a person can do.

This increases a person’s insecurity around competence and skills.

Many of my clients, folks living with chronic illness and worrying about their jobs/careers, get stuck here.

They’re unable to look for a job because they’re scared about having to explain their history.

2 Considerations

It’s easy to understand being concerned that having an imperfect employment could be difficult to explain, but ask yourself, “What can I do with what I’ve got?”

Here are two things to consider:

First, how can you use the market changes to your advantage?

It’s increasingly common for someone to opt out of traditional employment to raise children or to be self employed. There are organizations where this might be perceived as a lack of commitment. There are clearly places that want a square peg in a square hole.

But, like the parent returning to the workforce or the self-employed worker looking to get back into the corporate setting, your best bet is to look for the organization that sees opportunity in your background. Ask yourself: how can I apply this to my situation?

Second, how can you expand your search beyond the obvious?

Just recently, a client with a wavy and diverse background landed a job that she describes as “beyond her dreams.” She had spent several years to become trained in Medical Billing Coding.

After a few months of searching for a job that had the flexibility she needs, she landed a job teaching medical coding. She hadn’t thought to look for this kind of job until it showed up on a job board and even then, delayed applying because of her background. But her professionally prepared resume, years of volunteer work speaking to groups, and her training in this highly specific skill got her an interview. The rest is “history.”

3 Major Pitfalls

Over the years, I’ve identified 3 pitfalls to avoid in your resume when you live with chronic illness and have employment gaps:

Don’t include anything about illness or even visible disability on your resume – unless you are absolutely clear it is an asset in getting the job.
Don’t lie or even stretch the truth, but consider what tasks during unemployment could be viewed as career-building activities— even if you rarely left your house!
Don’t let your shame or disappointment in yourself stop you from applying for a job – even if you don’t believe you have a shot.

Bottom Line

Like anyone who has strayed from a traditional career/employment path, you can explore how to focus on what you are capable of doing now and what you believe your future holds. In most situations, your resume is your shot at wedging a toe in the door of a prospective employer. It must showcase your strengths and minimize your weaknesses.

More Information About Employment Gaps in Your Job Search:

About the author…

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