Recently Kayleen asked a great question on our career coaching site: "I have just finished chemotherapy for colon cancer and need to find a job. What should I say on my application as to why I left my last job?" 

Rosalind, one of our careers coaches, was very frank saying "If the job application asks you directly about reasons for leaving your last job, then you clearly have three choices: tell the truth, lie or avoid a direct answer… I think the best response is to give a small bit of vague information. You might play around with: '...it was no longer a good fit' or '...the job had changed and was no longer a good fit'." Click here to continue reading Rosalind's advice.

If you are dealing with addressing your illness on your resume rather than in a job application, it can often come down to tweaking it to make gaps in employment due to cancer treatment less obvious. For instance, only including the years you were employed by a company rather than months as well. For more on this, check out some of our sample resumes here and here.

And don't forget, if you want personalized advice, our career coaches are always available here!