Hi Kathleen,

Thanks for reaching out to us! I’m sorry to hear you’ve had so many challenges since your initial diagnosis. Trying to figure out the best professional path forward while dealing with ongoing treatment side effects is an issue that we hear about a lot from our community.  Job searching can be stressful and exhausting, especially when there are a lot of physical limitations to what you can do, but it’s great that you’re actively trying to find a position that is better aligned with your current needs. 

Since you have experience as a receptionist (and enjoyed it), you might consider finding a position that allows you to do similar work from home. Today, it’s not uncommon to find administrative or customer service positions that are home-based. Also, telecommuting full or part-time could be a possible solution to helping manage your side effects like chronic pain and not being able to stand for long periods of time, allowing you to rest or lie down when you need a break. It could also help with focus and concentration issues since there will be less distractions than you might find in an office environment.  I would recommend you check out FlexJobs (https://www.flexjobs.com/). It’s a useful resource to learn about flexible/remote jobs and the companies that are hiring for them. They also have a very robust job board that is fully vetted and focused on those types of roles. It is membership-based, but you can explore everything before you commit. If you decide to join you can enter the code CANCER when you check out to receive a 50% discount. (And if you have any concerns at all about the fee , please let us know and we will try and work something out for you.)

Also, if you’re interested in expanding your professional skillset, CAC has a Professional Development Micro-Grant program that provides cancer patients and survivors professional development opportunities to enhance existing skills or build new ones. Although the application period for the 2018 grant year has closed, we would be happy to notify you when the 2019 application period opens! More information can be found here: http://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/resource/micro-grants

I’ve reached out to one of our career coaches to offer some additional insights, but in the meantime, the following resources might be of interest:

• 2018 Job Search webinar: https://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/community/videos/bwc/job-search
  


• Job Search Toolkit (2nd Edition):


• 
  http://www.cancerandcareers.org/publication_orders/new (features advice on improving resumes, cover letters; interview and networking tips and other useful tools to help you during a job search)


• Career Change webinar: https://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/community/videos/bwc/career-change
  


• Article on managing treatment side effects: https://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/at-work/where-to-start/managing-treatment-side-effects/work-and-your-treatment
  

I hope this is helpful. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us at cancerandcareers@cew.org or 646-929-8032.

A coach will be in touch soon!

Kind regards,

Nicole Franklin, MPH

Manager of Programs

Cancer and Careers