January is a time for fresh starts. This could include looking for a new job. If you’ve had a cancer diagnosis, you might feel concerned about finding employment. You may have worries about the recruitment process. It can sometimes feel difficult to talk about cancer, especially to a potential new employer. Stacey, one of our Work Support Advisers at Macmillan, is here to help. Stacey has guidance and support around finding the right job for you, alongside the application process and getting through the job interview.
The experience of seeking new work can be stressful and challenging but the rewards can be life changing. Hopefully, this article will give you some tips and suggestions that can help.
Here are some scenarios that might apply to you:
You can’t believe that you are back in the job market again after so long. Now, after having cancer treatment, it may seem daunting. Or you may be new to the job market and wondering where to look. You may wonder if there is anyone who can help and support you in finding a job.
You might have been in a job for years but after your cancer treatment, your original job just doesn’t suit any more. You want to take the time to look for something more suitable whilst in your current post. Or your employer may have decided to dismiss you. They may feel that you are no longer capable of doing your job and they can’t offer you an alternative. You may have taken that decision to leave yourself.
Were you aware that a cancer diagnosis is classed as a disability under the Equality Act 2010 if you live in England, Scotland or Wales? This also applies under the Disability Discrimination Act in Northern Ireland 1995. The acts provide some protection to job applicants who have a disability. The information in our Work and Cancer booklet describes your protection in greater detail.
The protection is there through the whole job seeking process.
Looking for work already? Find what you're looking for:
Under the Equality Act 2010, you do not need to tell an employer about your cancer diagnosis. An employer should only ask questions about your health for the following reasons:
1) They have a positive discrimination policy and want to ensure that they are being inclusive.
2) They need to check if the applicant needs any reasonable adjustments to attend the interview – for example, needing a ground floor room. (There is also an Access to Work Service where a grant can be used to support people with a disability or health condition to access their job interviews.)
3) They need to ensure that the person can carry out an essential part of the job.
In Northern Ireland, employers can ask a person about their health. However, under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, they cannot discriminate against you because of having a disability.
On application, you can find that there is a separate Equal Opportunities monitoring form to complete. Again, it is your decision as to whether you declare that you have a disability, but sometimes it can be helpful to say so. The interview panel often do not have access to the information on the form and so may not be aware of your condition. If they have declared themselves to be a ‘Disability Confident’ employer (there is usually a symbol displayed in the advert ) you can be selected for an interview if you can match the stated criteria for the job.
Sometimes an employer will ask for a CV. Alternatively, there can be an application form to complete before you get to the stage of being offered an interview. If you have had some time off for cancer treatment – how should you fill the time gap? Surely an employer will ask about this should you get to interview stage?
Firstly, a CV offers you a lot of flexibility on how to complete it. It doesn’t have to be in chronological order. What about a CV that focusses on your skills? This can be called a functional CV. Here you can list your past work experience and knowledge gained without being specific about dates. A strong personal statement at the top of you CV is crucial. On an application form, if they ask for chronological dates you will be focusing on the date you started and finished with an employer and your job duties. In which case, a gap would not appear.
But if an employer asks about a gap in employment history during an interview – what should you say? It may be better to talk about the reasons for your previous absence. The employer just needs to know if you are able to carry out the job and that you are the best applicant. You could say for example, that you had taken some absence from work for medical treatment but are now fully recovered and able to perform all the stated job duties.
It is common for an employer to ask more about health if you are offered the job. It is advisable at this stage to supply the details of your health condition. You will only have protection under legislation if your employer has this knowledge of your cancer diagnosis (or disability). This will mean that if you need to request any reasonable adjustments in the future to help you in your new role, your employer would have a duty to provide these if they know about your condition. For example, you may need time off for hospital appointments.
You may feel worried that the employer might withdraw their offer if you mention your cancer diagnosis. It may be discriminatory for an employer to take this action as a result of finding out about your disability. You may need to consult legal advice to take the matter further. You can also contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service for advice should this happen to you.
Furthermore, if you feel you have a case of possible discrimination that you wish to take further, ACAS (Arbitration, Conciliation and Advice Service) will be there to help and to step in to conciliate between yourself and the employer:
If you are using a recruitment agency to look for work, you can choose to tell them about your health. But, you could specify that you would prefer not to reveal the information to an employer. The agency should respect your request for this information to remain confidential. The agency would not wish to breach any data protection. The agency may also look for a suitable employer and could find employers that are ‘disability confident’ .
What about other sources of help when seeking work?
If you are unemployed, Job Centre Plus can help someone with a disability to find work and to find ‘Disability Confident’ employers in your area. A Work Coach can tell you about any programmes and grants to get into work. Their Intensive Personalised Support and Work and Health programmes can provide training and help on getting into work. They can also help you to find and keep a job.
When you go onto the job seeking part of the Gov.uk website, called ‘Find a Job’, there is the opportunity to set a filter to only find employers who are ‘Disability Confident’. Also, you do not need to be unemployed to look at any vacancies displayed on this site.
The National Careers Service can help people whether they are working or not. They have a useful website for further information about jobs and how to access job vacancies. They give examples of where jobs might be advertised. This could be on job boards, employer websites, networking sites and job fairs. According to the National Careers Service, there is the ‘hidden job market’. Up to 70 or 80% of vacancies are not advertised. This means it is important to look at all channels of communication. This could mean approaching an employer directly to find work. As well as offering information on job vacancies, they can provide advice and support on discussing what type of job to apply for (particularly if you need to change direction and possibly need retraining) or how to prepare for that job interview. They also have examples of CVs and application forms when job seeking.
But simply, if you are feeling overwhelmed and don’t know where to start, the National Careers Service are there for you to talk to either by phone, webchat or face to face. Their contact details are on their website which is:
If you live in Scotland: https://www.myworldofwork.co.uk
If you live in Wales: https://careerswales.gov.wales
If you live in Northern Ireland: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk
Finally, when you are thinking of finding another job, you are not alone. You may find family and friends have advice to give. They may have ‘contacts’, they may be putting you under pressure to find work. But the agencies listed above will be happy to give you impartial advice. Also, our Work Support team are here. We can give you advice and support, whether you have an interview to prepare for or are just thinking of looking for work and need some help and support. We can be easily contacted by phone on 0808 808 0000 option 1, then 2, then 3. We are open from 8.00am until 6.00pm Monday to Friday. The Work Support team are also available over email or live webchat. You can also reach the team on the Online Community on our “Ask a Work Support Adviser” page.
We’d like to thank Stacey for sharing her guidance here on the Online Community. Macmillan’s Work Support team are not only here to give you guidance on finding a job. They can also help you to talk to your current employer about managing sick leave or side effects. Our team are also here for you if you’re a carer for someone with cancer. Navigating cancer and work can be challenging, and Macmillan are here to help.
Read more from the Work Support team:
