Most job seekers would agree that in an ideal world, you’d send in a resume and cover letter and be hired. Unfortunately, the reality of the job search is that interviewing is an integral part of whether you get offered a position or not. With that said, while it’s absolutely crucial to draft concise resumes and cover letters, they can tell only a sliver of your story. Interviews are the time and place when you let an employer know who you are, where you’ve been, and to fully outline your potential with the company. Particularly for those with a cancer diagnosis who may have been out of work for treatment or recovery, or left their job upon learning of a diagnosis, the interview is an opportunity for you to show them what a resume does not.

If you’ve attended any of Cancer and Careers’ programming, or read any of our materials, you will be familiar with our encouragement to practice every phase of the job search process. This means tailoring your resume to fit specific jobs, writing thoughtful cover letters and putting the time and energy into feeling comfortable with interviewing. This includes making sure you anticipate and practice the answers to the many questions that may be asked, whether they are softball questions or ones that give you pause, having a well thought out answer can make the difference between a deer in headlights or sounding smooth and polished.

An article from The Muse focuses on the STAR Method – a technique that can be used to help prepare for and ace an interview. This technique provides a relatively easy to follow guideline for telling a story.
(S) Situation: Describe the situation you faced and the details of the example you will be using.
(T) Task: Describe what your responsibility was in this particular example.
(A) Action: Explain clearly what the specific actions you took to address the challenge.
(R) Result: Describe the outcome(s) that were a direct result of your actions.

By using this method, you’re telling a story from start to finish, ideally with little to no follow up questions necessary. What this does is present you as an effective problem-solver who is able to think critically about what works for specific scenarios. By outlining the various components, you’re breaking it all down for a fuller, clearer picture. Showing up to an interview with a few examples that follow this method will strengthen your image and help the employer see how you could be an asset for addressing problems that might arise in the position. Some phrasing to look out for to anticipate the opportunity to use the STAR method include: 

• Tell me about a time when…
• Have you ever…
• Describe a situation…

For more information on interviewing methods and other aspects of the job hunt to prepare for, check out the recording of our Balancing Work & Cancer webinar on Job Search. The Interviewing section of our website offers a number of helpful articles that can assist in preparing for what is typically one of the more stressful stages when looking for work. In particular, it is helpful to become familiar with "The Swivel”, a verbal technique to steer conversation away from any potential mention or focus of your health and back to a topic more relevant to the job. You can also check out our Interview Cheat Sheet for additional opportunities to prepare for an interview.

Cancer and Careers is always here for you! If you have additional questions, would like to discuss approaches for interviewing, or the job search as a whole, don’t hesitate to email cancerandcareers@cew.org to schedule a time to chat.