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

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

#21

Post by jrockway »

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...

I disagree. I interview people on a regular basis and I have never even considered thinking about asking them about their grades. All I care about is the ability to answer our interview questions. ("But what if someone's not good at reversing a linked list on the whiteboard," you say? Then they can work somewhere else.)

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

#22

Post by MurkyPast »

jrockway wrote: post #20
tptacek wrote: post #3

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

Indeed. Grades have never come up in any interview I've ever had. The only conversation I've ever had went something like, "Oh, UofI, great school." "Nope, I went to the one in Chicago." and that was that :)

Well, it's very reassuring to hear this from two of the Hacker News Illuminati.

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

#23

Post by azim »

mseebach wrote: post #14
MurkyPast wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cancer, basically.

OK, that's hardly controversial. Why not just put it in there? Why would anyone think "he had cancer, he's unreliable"? Why do you seems to think that makes your past murky? I mean, I don't envy you, it's a horrible disease, but it doesn't make your past murky.

Do NOT mention cancer to any potential employer unless you have to. Cancer doesn't just "go away". Any survivor will be on drugs for years and the threat of relapse is always there. In the eyes of anyone who is providing you with health insurance, it immediately makes you a liability.

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

#24

Post by jmatt »

tptacek wrote: post #3

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

I agree. I never put my grades on my resume. It was what I did outside of school and how I interviewed that mattered.

Don't be ashamed of your illness. Be direct, honest and proud that you got a degree at all. You presumably came out of the illness stronger and with a different perspective on life. As someone who also went through illness in the past - there is something to be said about how such illness affects one's character. Use that to your advantage if they ask about your bachelor's degree.

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

#25

Post by azim »

MurkyPast wrote: post #9
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.

Keep that a secret unless you absolutely have to tell anyone. Insurance companies will impose a huge fee on any employer trying to hire you. This type of discrimination is one reason there are laws against what kinds of questions can and can't be asked in interviews.

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

#27

Post by mseebach »

azim wrote: post #23
mseebach wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

OK, that's hardly controversial. Why not just put it in there? Why would anyone think "he had cancer, he's unreliable"? Why do you seems to think that makes your past murky? I mean, I don't envy you, it's a horrible disease, but it doesn't make your past murky.

Do NOT mention cancer to any potential employer unless you have to. Cancer doesn't just "go away". Any survivor will be on drugs for years and the threat of relapse is always there. In the eyes of anyone who is providing you with health insurance, it immediately makes you a liability.

No health insurance will cover anything for anyone who entered the scheme not disclosing a past treatment for cancer. Health insurance concerns do not go away (quite the opposite) by not disclosing cancer.

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

#28

Post by learner4life »

jmatt wrote: post #24
tptacek wrote: post #3

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

I agree. I never put my grades on my resume. It was what I did outside of school and how I interviewed that mattered. Don't be ashamed of your illness. Be direct, honest and proud that you got a degree at all. You presumably came out of the illness stronger and with a different perspective on life. As someone who also went through illness in the past - there is something to be said about how such illness affects one'…

Did you not put grades when you were graduating out of college? My boss considers it a big no when a recent grad refuses to put grades. I have seen that grades or even degrees do not matter when you claim experience and knowledge. But that seems not to be the case where your masters is a big talking point.

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

#29

Post by todayiamme »

You know what the funny thing is? If you are up front about the fact that you have an illness it can be in fact beneficial for you. Down the line if your cancer ever resurfaces (I hope not) and you lose your job due to some insurance giant. Then that will be a bad place to be in.

So, on the other hand through disclosure (in the interview perhaps?) you can test the company's policy pre-emptively without going through significant pain during that time. It will be harder finding a job, but when you do find one it ought to be worth it.

However, this is a really dangerous line to walk and I really think that you need to move to a country in the EU. Over there, you will be protected in the work force and thanks to the health system things have a better chance of working out...

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

#30

Post by martythemaniak »

tptacek wrote: post #3

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

Yep. I had bad grades in school as well, so I didn't put them on my resume when looking for my first job and it was never an issue.
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