Money Marketing, 29 November 2024: ‘Weekend Essay: Looking past assumptions during Disability History Month’
Living in a world that isn’t designed with your needs in mind, and where people perceive you as different, is something that came out of an article I wrote recently for Money Marketing. It was about how job candidates in the advice sector can present gaps in their CVs to potential employers in a positive light.
Where those gaps are due to health issues that are not necessarily visible, such as mental health, there can be two competing pulls – addressing those gaps honestly, so employers can provide any support that’s needed, but without excessive detail that might prejudice the application.
Victoria McLean, founder of consultancy City CV, believes that candidates shouldn’t feel obliged to discuss the reasons for a career break with employers, who should not be pushing for more than the candidate feels comfortable sharing.
“There has been a real shift in how career breaks are perceived – it’s OK to take a break,” she says. However, people can still feel ashamed of career breaks and try to hide them – which is understandable if they think employers might see it as a red flag.
I must admit, I prefer a positive spin on things that are challenging. I’m more interested in what people can bring to the party rather than what they struggle with.
The article can be read in full here.