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Back in the game

OS magazine, August/September 2009

Richard Grace, joint MD Gordon Yates, heads up OS magazine’s regular Career Clinic. Here he addresses the issue of returning to the job market after illness.

Q:  My situation is a difficult one.  I am currently a part-time Team Administrator in the NHS.  However I have three years legal secretarial experience and six months experience in criminal law. I really enjoyed this but had to leave because of a serious illness.  I’ve now fully recovered but I’m at a crossroads. Which qualifications would be most beneficial in improving my career? How do I answer questions about my illness?  

A:  There is a fundamental decision to make here: in the long-term, are you likely to want to stay in the medical sector, return to the legal profession or keep your options open? The decision will point towards the most relevant qualification. 

In the short term, however, the current economic climate must be taken into account. The health and care sector is one of the few areas where demand for new employees is still growing. In nearly every other industry, organisations hit hard by the recession are making swingeing cutbacks. Much of the legal profession falls into this category and the reality is that this isn’t the best time to be seeking legal secretarial work. The combination of a long break away with a serious illness and a stretch of part-time employment in an unrelated industry would make it an uphill struggle to find work. 

You are rightly concerned about how to deal with questions about your illness from prospective employers. The key for anyone in this situation is to be as reassuring and positive as possible. Give them the facts about your illness, particularly if there is positive evidence about recurrence and cure rates. Then focus on your life after the illness. Paint the picture of an active and fulfilling life that clearly shows you have put your illness firmly in the past. 

So what is the next step? If you are reasonably happy with your job, perhaps it would be best to stick with it for now. If you decide to branch into legal work in future, you could make the most of your time now by studying for legal qualifications and building experience through volunteer work. This will demonstrate commitment and enthusiasm, which is sure to impress a future employer. By the time you’ve done this, the recession (fingers crossed) will be over and law firms will be prepared to take a chance with you. 

Adapted from ‘Back in the Game’
OS magazine   July/August 2009-10-14 
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