Ask HN: Presenting or explaining past illness in a job application

#1

Post by MurkyPast » Sun, Aug 22, 2010, 7:43 PM UTC

Hello. Throwaway profile here.

What's the best way to present a period of illness in job applications?

During my Batchelors degree I was horribly unwell. I was in and out of hospital with some life threatening stuff, and scraped my degree with very poor grades. I worked for a few years, quit to do a Masters degree, did that rather well, and am now applying for jobs again.

I like to be upfront about things, but I also don't like scaring people off. In five years or so I can probably leave any mention of grades off my resume, but at this point it would just look suspicious.

Re: Ask HN: Presenting or explaining past illness in a job application

#2

Post by maryrosecook » Sun, Aug 22, 2010, 8:46 PM UTC

Your Masters will appear first on your resume, so the recipient will see you are capable of getting good marks before they see your bad marks for your undergraduate degree. When you state the marks of the latter, perhaps include a sentence along the lines of, "I was seriously ill in hospital during this period, and so got uncharacteristically low marks." Any further explanation (which should not be necessary) can be left for the interview.

Re: Ask HN: Presenting or explaining past illness in a job application

#3

Post by tptacek » Sun, Aug 22, 2010, 8:54 PM UTC

Are you looking for a job in technology? They probably don't care about your grades at all. You may be overthinking this.

Re: Ask HN: Presenting or explaining past illness in a job application

#4

Post by benmccann » Sun, Aug 22, 2010, 8:57 PM UTC

It would not look suspicious to leave grades off your resume. It's uncommon to place grades on a resume and employers would not blink twice at this information not being present. I graduated with a 3.8 GPA only a few years ago and do not put it on my resume.

Re: Ask HN: Presenting or explaining past illness in a job application

#5

Post by takrupp » Sun, Aug 22, 2010, 9:01 PM UTC

It depends on whether you are going through a recruiter or not. A recruiter can broach that topic a little more gently than speaking with your prospective employer. If that's not a possibility, leave the GPA off there and put a bullet with "medical leave: XXXX - XXXX". Your employer will ask, talk about it frankly at that time.

Re: Ask HN: Presenting or explaining past illness in a job application

#6

Post by MurkyPast » Sun, Aug 22, 2010, 9:06 PM UTC

benmccann wrote: post #4

It would not look suspicious to leave grades off your resume. It's uncommon to place grades on a resume and employers would not blink twice at this information not being present. I graduated with a 3.8 GPA only a few years ago and do not put it on my resume.

But that's different. If you applied for a job and in the process someone asks "By the way, what was your GPA?" and you tell them "Oh, 3.8" then it's fine. If you reply with poor grades, to me it casts things in a bad light as it looks like you're leaving off damaging information.

Maybe tptacek is right and I'm overthinking things...

Re: Ask HN: Presenting or explaining past illness in a job application

#7

Post by MurkyPast » Sun, Aug 22, 2010, 9:14 PM UTC

takrupp wrote: post #5

It depends on whether you are going through a recruiter or not. A recruiter can broach that topic a little more gently than speaking with your prospective employer. If that's not a possibility, leave the GPA off there and put a bullet with "medical leave: XXXX - XXXX". Your employer will ask, talk about it frankly at that time.

Maybe I've just had bad luck, but in my experience recruiters have proved to be a layer of unwelcome misinformation.

Re: Ask HN: Presenting or explaining past illness in a job application

#8

Post by mseebach » Sun, Aug 22, 2010, 9:19 PM UTC

You question is missing a very important piece of information: What makes you think that past illness is something that'll scare off employers? In other words, what happened, and how did that affect you?

Re: Ask HN: Presenting or explaining past illness in a job application

#9

Post by MurkyPast » Sun, Aug 22, 2010, 9:20 PM UTC

mseebach wrote: post #8

You question is missing a very important piece of information: What makes you think that past illness is something that'll scare off employers? In other words, what happened, and how did that affect you?

Cancer, basically.

Re: Ask HN: Presenting or explaining past illness in a job application

#10

Post by alinajaf » Sun, Aug 22, 2010, 9:21 PM UTC

MurkyPast wrote: post #6

benmccann wrote: post #4

It would not look suspicious to leave grades off your resume. It's uncommon to place grades on a resume and employers would not blink twice at this information not being present. I graduated with a 3.8 GPA only a few years ago and do not put it on my resume.

But that's different. If you applied for a job and in the process someone asks "By the way, what was your GPA?" and you tell them "Oh, 3.8" then it's fine. If you reply with poor grades, to me it casts things in a bad light as it looks like you're leaving off damaging information. Maybe tptacek is right and I'm overthinking things...

As someone who didn't have particularly good grades, I've been in this situation. In about eight job interviews, only once did someone show surprise when I told them my grades. Its as big an issue as you make it.