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The Ultimate Four-Step Guide to Changing Your Career

Sarah Goodell on August 11, 2016

There are many reasons why people decide to change careers. One that we hear of often is cancer. A cancer diagnosis can cause people to think about their lives in a way that they hadn’t before — and it can make them realize that they want to do something entirely different. Here are four important steps to switching careers.

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The Flexibility Question: Exploring Company Culture Before You Accept the Job

Rachel Becker, LMSW on August 1, 2016

For cancer survivors who are returning to the work force or changing careers, landing in a work environment with an open and flexible company culture can be a top priority. But is it possible to get a sense of how flexible a potential employer <em>really</em> is before you accept an offer?

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Tips for Developing Your Time Management Skills

Rachel Becker, LMSW on July 14, 2016

"Time management"a life skill that gets developed and refined over time. For many cancer survivors, taking the time to refresh ones approach to time management can help mitigate the overwhelming feelings that often arise when balancing a job and/or job search, ongoing doctor appointments, and all of the other things that come with life.

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How to Be Happy on the Job

Chrissy Brennan on July 11, 2016

Being happy at work is important to most people, but it can be especially important to cancer patients and survivors who are working through treatment. Find out how changing the way you think about your job can improve your degree of job satisfaction.

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How to Convey Enthusiasm in a Cover Letter

Nicole Jarvis, LMSW on June 27, 2016

Many hiring managers continue to emphasize the value of cover letters. And while it’s important to express interest and enthusiasm for the position you’re targeting, some ways of conveying excitement are more effective than others.

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Regardless of industry, these are the skills you need to work on to get ahead

Nicole Jarvis, LMSW on June 16, 2016

Looking for a job is not as simple as it once was. The number, and level, of college degrees seem to hold less weight, years of experience in jobs are not as important, and job requirements seem to be more nuanced. More and more employers are looking to see what "soft skills" job seekers are bringing to the table.

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National Conference Session Spotlight: Body Confidence, Self-Confidence in the Workplace

Rachel Becker, LMSW on June 3, 2016

We’re particularly excited to be debuting a brand-new session at this year’s annual conference: Body Confidence, Self-Confidence in the Workplace, will be presented by Sage Bolte, PhD, LCSW, OSW-C, CST, Executive Director of the Life with Cancer Program at the Inova Schar Cancer Institute.

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Things to Consider Before Googling “Cancer” at Work

Rachel Becker, LMSW on May 12, 2016

It can be very useful to find instant answers to treatment-related questions via Google, but it’s important to remember that searching cancer-related topics while on the job can lead to unintended workplace disclosure.

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Beyond LinkedIn: The Dos and Don'ts of Building an Online Brand

Rachel Becker, LMSW on March 31, 2016

LinkedIn is not the only online platform to focus on when building/maintaining a professional online presence. Facebook and Twitter are also frequently reviewed by both hiring managers and employers, which makes it essential for today’s professionals to understand social media dos and don’ts.

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Resume Review Service: Best Practices

Maddy Meislin on March 21, 2016

Since 2013, Cancer and Careers has been working with professional career coach Julie Jansen to provide free, personalized feedback on more than 450 cancer survivors’ resumes through our Resume Review service. This year, we are excited to have L’Oreal USA sponsoring the program, so we can reach even more job-seeking survivors!

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Midwest Conference on Work & Cancer Is April 8th!

Sarah Goodell on February 23, 2016

The third annual Midwest Conference on Work & Cancer is fast approaching. Join us on April 8th in Chicago for a free daylong event exploring the intersection of cancer and employment. It will be held at the Hotel Chicago Downtown, since we outgrew the space we've been in for the past two years! Hope to see you there!

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Refresh Your Job Search in 2016!

Rachel Becker, LMSW on January 21, 2016

Whether you’re in the midst of an ongoing job search or starting a new one, now is the time to harness the energy of the new year and strategize for 2016.

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When It’s Time for a Career Change

Nicole Jarvis, LMSW on January 14, 2016

Citing a new perspective on life following a cancer diagnosis as the impetus, many survivors feel the desire to change careers. This is nothing to be afraid of! While fear can be a real obstacle to transitioning into a new line of work, gaining the confidence and making a plan to execute the change is key.

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How to Choose the Right Career Coach

Sarah Goodell on December 16, 2015

For many people, cancer is inspiration for career change. But transitioning to a new field isn’t easy. Often, the hardest part is deciding what, exactly, you want to do. This is where a career coach can be incredibly helpful, but it’s important to make sure you’re working with the right one.

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Setting Professional Boundaries

Maddy Meislin on November 12, 2015

Managing your workload can be challenging in general — even more so when you have cancer. We offer tips for determining what you can reasonably handle and how best to communicate it.

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Disclosure: No Right or Wrong

Maddy Meislin on October 8, 2015

One of the biggest challenges employees with cancer face is deciding whether to share their diagnosis with their employer and/or coworkers — then determining what and whom to tell.

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Using Social Skills to Stay Relevant

Maddy Meislin on September 17, 2015

If you are looking for a new job, you may want to consider looking for one that requires social skills over specialized technical skills.

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Customizing the Order of Your Resume

Maddy Meislin on August 27, 2015

One step to crafting an effective resume is organizing all the sections in the correct order. Career specialist Lily Zhang recommends tailoring the order of your resume based on the position you are seeking and your specific situation.

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Finding Employment After Cancer

Sarah Goodell on August 13, 2015

We receive tons of fantastic questions through our Ask a Career Coach service. Today we want to highlight one about finding employment after treatment, as this applies to so many survivors. Our career coach Kathy Flora did a marvelous job laying out how to approach this process, which can often feel overwhelming.

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Humans or Robots: Who Is Reading Your Resume?

Maddy Meislin on August 10, 2015

Daily Muse, Inc, and DailyWorth recently published an informative article titled “4 Lies (and 1 Truth) About Applicant Tracking Systems,” which addresses the following important question: Should we be crafting our resumes for machines or humans?

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