Interviews

Careful preparation for job applications and interviews can help you avoid job discrimination. Make an honest assessment of your skills and job history when deciding what job to apply for. Working with a job counselor can help you prepare your résumé and practice interviewing skills. It's best to apply only for jobs you are able to do, as employers have the right to reject you if you are not qualified for the job. If you have a choice, choose to work for a company with a large workforce, as it is less likely to discriminate, and it will be easier to get life and health insurance.

I didn't mention my cancer history in my interview. But, of course, I had to during the physical after they offered me the job. I was petrified I'd lose the job, but I didn't. They didn't say anything about my cancer history and I got the good heath insurance with the job. All that worry for naught. In a smaller company I might not have been that fortunate, because one ill employee can skew the whole plan.

Unless you have specific mental or physical limitations that affect the type of work you are applying for, your cancer history should have no bearing on your qualifications for the job. An employer cannot refuse to hire you simply because you are a cancer survivor. Knowing your rights and preparing strategies for your job interview can make the difference between being hired and being rejected. The following are some suggestions from the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship on how to conduct yourself during a job interview.

• Do not volunteer information about your cancer history. Employers have the right only to determine if you are capable of performing the job. They do not have the right to ask about personal or confidential information during an interview.
• Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, employers cannot ask about medical history, require you to take a medical exam, or ask for medical records unless they have made a job offer.
• Do not lie on a job application or during an interview. You can be fired later if your dishonesty is uncovered. Instead, answer only the specific questions asked. Try to steer the conversation toward your current ability to do the job, rather than explaining your past.
• Do not ask about health insurance until you have been offered a job. Before accepting the job, get the benefits information and review them thoroughly.
• If your medical history becomes an issue after the job offer, get a letter from your physician that briefly outlines your treatment and stresses your current good health and ability to do the job. Ask the doctor to let you review the letter prior to giving it to your potential employer. Some survivors who write well prepare these letters themselves and give them to their doctors for a signature.
• Even if you have no disabilities, laws protecting disabled persons apply to most cancer survivors. Courts look to your individual circumstances to determine whether you are covered under the applicable federal or state law.
• You can go to the web site of the U.S. EEOC and look at their technical assistance documents on Pre-Employment Disability-Related Questions and Medical Examinations. They also have a document on the definition of disability used in federal civil rights (anti-discrimination) laws.
• Both federal contractors and federal aid recipients (hospitals and universities, for example) are required to engage in affirmative employment action for people with disabilities, which would include anyone with a cancer history. When you are seeking a job at one of these employers, you should inquire about their affirmative action program

I've never had a problem during job interviews. I have my experience as a camp counselor for kids with cancer, so they ask about my history and I tell the truth.

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I've had some problems getting jobs due to my cancer history. I applied for several jobs in the aircraft industry for which I was well qualified. They were enthusiastic until they did a complete medical, then they didn't hire me. It's a form of discrimination. But I didn't want to fight over it so I got another job. After that, I just didn't put it down on the application. If I was directly asked if I had ever had cancer, I said, "Yes, but I was only 9 months old."