Rosalind Joffe (pictured) is a career coach for people who live with chronic illnesses. In this post, she discusses the pros and cons of disclosing a chronic illness in your job, as well as what to say, and when and how to say it. On her blog, WorkingWithChronicIllness.com, and on her website, CICoach.com, she covers the challenges of living with illness. She has also authored a book, Women Work and Autoimmune Disease: Keep Working Girlfriend, as well as Career Thrive, a Guidebook Series available in both hard cover and PDF.
As a career coach for people with chronic illnesses, I'm most often asked this question: "Should I disclose my illness when interviewing for a job?"
Naturally, I have more questions than answers. But here's a guideline I’ve found that's worth following:
If symptoms get in the way of doing the job as it is expected to be performed and it will be obvious from the day you start, you should disclose the illness.
But there’s another important factor to consider. A commenter on my blog wrote that the fine print of her employer’s insurance policy says you can be fired or excluded from medical coverage if you don’t disclose an illness in advance.
I don’t think all insurance policies say this, but how do you find out what an employer's health insurance policy says before they hire you? The negotiation phase would be a good time for this, when you’ve been offered the job and can ask questions and negotiate your demands. This includes reviewing information about health insurance coverage. Yet it doesn’t answer the real concern a person might have about losing the job once they disclose their illness. I don’t have to tell you that there are no guarantees, but you can be as prepared as possible by planning carefully.
Consider the situations in which this issue might come up: the interview, the offer negotiation, and once you're hired. Plan what you would say about living with this illness in each step. Include how it impacts you and how it doesn’t. Finally, stress that you have managed it successfully in your work life thus far. The stronger and more confident you are in addressing this, the better the chance you can ease a hiring manager's concerns.
Do you notice that your illness is hurting your chances for career success? Is your confidence eroding because you only see the roadblocks? Consider working with a professional who can help you see your strengths, understand your limitations, and reach your goals.
Have you or someone you know ever asked about health insurance policies just before deciding on an offer? If not, do you think it's a good idea? Tell us about your experiences.
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Hi Rosalind,
This is a tough call. When I was working outside my home, when I went on job interviews, it was always in the back of my mind: what if my illness acts up? Years ago, I was never covered because it was a "pre-existing" condition.
Fortunately, now that I have my own business, this is not an issue for me. However, after reading this post it does bring back those embarrassing memories of having to make sure that I have coverage, and back then, I always had to explain what I had that was the issue, and it was awful!
Glad those days are over, but my sympathy does go out to those who struggle with this issue.
Hi Rosalind, I find it challenging to deal with my chronic illness with varied symptoms which may or may not be apparent at the time of an interview. My work career has be one which requires at times a high level of physical activity along with a focus on the administrative requirements. These conditions for the most part are not understood as many form a worse case senario once information is put forward.I strive to remain honest while not lighting a fire, downplaying the symptoms while being honest. Daniel