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Tips For Acing A Job Interview

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Whether you are seeking new employment or exploring the possibility of being rehired after a period of disability, a job interview can be unsettling. It is difficult enough for people with no health history. The anxiety can be compounded when you are living after a diagnosis.

The good news is that the following time tested tips can help ace your next interview. Each of these tips are discussed in other sections of this article which are linked to below. 

  • Before the interview
    • Write your resume in a manner that covers any gaps due to your health history. Click here for information about writing resumes with a history of a health condition
    • Do research about the company before the interview so you have a speaking knowledge about the company.
    • Prepare to discuss:
      • Gaps in your resume 
      • Whatever comes up from doing a background search on yourself.
    • Keep in mind that you cannot be asked about your health. Still, it is wise to plan a response in case you are asked.
    • If you will need an accommodation to perform the essential functions of the job, consider when and what you will tell a potential employer about your health condition.
    • Do your best to get rid of any negative feelings or anger before going into an interview.
    • Think about the impression you want to leave.
    • If the interview will be via video instead of in person, check how you will look, including lighting. When responding, look into the camera, not the screen..
    • Practice.
    • Be on time, or even be early.
    • Dress for success.
  • During the interview
    • Common wisdom suggests that you not volunteer any health information during an interview if no one asks. That said, some people prefer to bring up the subject for a variety of reasons. The choice is personal. The key is to understand the pros and cons.
    • Let the interviewer lead the interview.
    • Do not bring up controversial issues.
    • Do not go on and on and on.
    • If salary is an issue, try not to specify a figure.
    • Ask questions about the company and the job. 
      • It is preferable not to ask about benefits at the interview.
  • Follow up after the interview.

NOTE:

  • Many employers will ask you to sign a form granting permission to check your credit history. If you have a credit history that would reflect your health condition (for instance, bankruptcy due to medical debt), consider using the request as an opportunity to talk explain your history in a way that will not impact on the job. For instance: "While my bankruptcy was due to medical costs, I no longer have a health condition which would affect my ability to perform the essential functions of the job we're talking about."
  • If you are given paperwork to complete which asks, or the interviewer asks: "Do you need a reasonable accommodation", a valid response is to ask: "What is a reasonable accommodation."  "Reasonable accommodations" are the words used in the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). If you know the words, the odds are that you have a health history.  When a "reasonable accommodation" is explained, consider saying something like: “Now that I understand what the question means, based on the information I have, I don’t need any right now.” 
  • Feel free to ask questions about the employer. A job interview is as much as about your determining whether you want to work for the company as the employer deciding whether to hire you.
  • Before the interview, read Seeking New Employment.
  • When you get the job offer, read Should You Take The Job, before accepting the offer.

For information, see:


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