Ask Ella: Should I Mention My 3-Year Illness?Interviewers Can't Ask Certain QuestionsPOSTED: 10:46 a.m. EST February 23, 2004
Dear Ella,
I recently re-entered the job market after three years away due to a disease I contracted. I applied for and received disability that put food on the table, but little else. Now that there are new medicines on the market that control my disease I can work again.
The problem I'm having is that when I tell prospective employers about my health problems, they don't want to hire me anymore. I thought about not telling them about my health problems, but when they ask me what I've been doing for the past three years I don't know what else to say.
What should I do to break the stigma attached to handicapped workers?
Dear Stigma Builder,
If you think of yourself as handicapped, then that's how others will see you.
You're taking medication that controls your disease and that makes it possible for you to enter the workforce once again, so why is it that you feel the need to share your problimatic health history? As long as your medical condition does not have a foreseeable impact on the work for which you are applying, your health is no one's business but your own, so stop bringing it up!
When asked what you've been doing these past three years, be less specific. Say that you were forced to take care of personal matters that are now tended to and under control. Period. Neither law nor conscience requires you to disclose more than that. If prompted for more, just say it was a personal problem that's been taken care of and you'd prefer not speak any more specifically than that.
The Equal Opportunity Employer Guidelines and the Persons With Disabilities Act protect all workers from discrimination by setting guidelines surrounding what can and cannot be asked of a candidate during an interview. The forbidden interview questions surrounding disabilities include:
Do you have any disabilities?
Have you had any recent illness or operation?
Please complete the medical questionnaire
What was the date of your last physical exam?
How's your family's health
When did you lose your eyesight, hearing, leg, etc.
Dear Ella,
I believe I had a great interview the other day. I must admit, I am overqualified for this position and therefore was expecting at least a second interview, but I never got one.
I would like to find out why I did not get a second interview without offending anyone. How would one go about doing this?
Dear From Eternity To Here,
You think the fact that you were overqualified for the position makes you a good candidate for the job? You probably had a great interview because you met with someone who could be your equal, not your boss. You both had fun exploring similar work methods and the like but, when it came time for this employer to hire, they went with someone who fit the level and the pay scale they needed.
It is still a good idea to interview with a company, even if your only entry point is a less senior position than you're used to. By interviewing as much as you can, there is the off chance that positions are being formulated or already exist elsewhere within the company that could suit you better but wouldn't have been identified as a fit for you without the in-person interview.
Just don't kid yourself by thinking when going in to interview for a more junior position than befits you that you'll be hired -- the odds are that you won't be. However, you will have the opportunity to share your skills, abilities and professional aspirations and build a connection with a company and a hiring authority in a way you couldn't over the phone or through the mail.
If this is a company you really want to work for, go ahead and e-mail your point of contact for clarity on the decision not to bring you on board at this time. Also, ask if the company expects, within the next 30, 60 or 90 days, any opportunities that would be a more appropriate fit for you.
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