Disclosure could help me get the job?

Filomena O. on March 30, 2025

Image/Professionalism, Interviewing, Job Search, Resume Building and Writing

Hi! I'm in an odd situation and looking for some advice. I'm about to finish a graduate program in interior design and I'm also a three-time cancer survivor (wild, I know). Because of my history, I would love to get a job as a healthcare designer, designing hospitals, clinics, etc. Because I have so much experience being a patient, I feel like my cancer history will be an asset. A friend even told me that it's an "ace", at least when it comes to healthcare design. I thought of disclosing it in a cover letter, but I'm worried the hiring manager will see my history as a negative and won't even bother with my application. Health-wise, I'm doing absolutely fine. A bit of fatigue here and there, but that's about it. I'm wondering if I should disclose my cancer history at all, and if so, when would be the best time to do it? Is there a way I can phrase it better? The only way I can think of is to make it as if I accompanied a loved one throughout their cancer journey, but I don't want to lie. I suppose my situation is a bit unique because my cancer is what led me to want a job such as this, I just hope the hiring manager will see it that way.

1 Comment

Image of Nicole Jarvis, LMSW

Nicole Jarvis, LMSW

Mar 31, 2025

Cancer and Careers Staff Comment:

Hi Filomena,


First, congratulations on being nearly finished with your graduate program! I love that you’re interested in combining your educational experience with your personal medical experience. The disclosure piece can certainly be tricky to navigate when looking for work, particularly when you’re interested in work that is related to your cancer experience. With that said, we tend to encourage to lead with your skills and expertise on a professional level. Talk to what you learned in your program, how you envision your contributions and then you can touch on the fact that given some personal experiences, you are aware of what makes a well-designed space in the healthcare field. With that said, I’d encourage you to focus more on your skills and assets in your cover letter and resume. If you feel you want to share your diagnosis history, I suggest you wait until you’re into the hiring process, and they’ve had the chance to get to know you and assess your capabilities. While of course your experience with cancer and clinics has leant you a unique perspective, it’s best not to lead with this as you can’t be sure how an employer is going to respond.


I encourage you to check out our article on Managing Disclosure When Looking for a Job. Additionally it would be a good idea to take a look at some of CACs other job search-related articles and materials In the Looking for Work section of our website.


I’m happy to hop on a call with you to discuss approaches to job searching given your past diagnoses and some of your concerns related to that. Feel free to reach out to cancerandcareers@cew.org to schedule a time to chat!


 


Sincerely,


Nicole Jarvis, LMSW


Assistant Director of Programs


Cancer and Careers

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