Lived Experience Forum

[NikNik]

In this week's Career Chat we ask the question - How do you get a job after a long time off with mental illness?

Being out of work may mean gaps in resumes, being out of the 'loop', feelings of isolation and lowered self confidence. The process may seem daunting...

Yet there are things you can do to support your journey back into work after being away with MI, please join @Renstar from Ostara to share and discuss on Friday at 12pm AEDT.

Two things you can do now:

1) Hit the 'like' button below to get an email reminder on the day

2) Can't make the session? Leave your question below.

[Renstar]

Good afternoon and welcome to today's forum 😊

We're going to be talking about finding work after being away for a long time with mental illness ...

In previous forums we have touched on this topic but today it would be great to hear from contributors about what they actually did to find work after a long time of not working ... Hopefully we can come up with some good ideas for those currently looking.

As I have previously shared on this forum, I run programs for people who are returning to work after experiencing or during their experience of mental illness

Once the program is complete often people ask me ...what do I put in my resume ? how do I deal with the fact that I haven't been working for a very long time ?

The answer is not always clear and mostly its on a case by case basis ... sometimes it is appropriate to include that you have been off due to personal matters

But sometimes it is not appropriate and there are other ways of expressing absences ... Family obligations or concerns etc

Often I have found myself suggesting volunteer work for the participants as volunteer work offers them engagement back into work community as well as a reference and the potential for future job prospects.

But this does not suit everyone ...

And still the question of what about that big gap comes up ...

As we've covered, there is no easy answer .

However!!!!

Given that so many people with mental illness and gaps in their resume do manage to re-enter the workforce ... We therefore know it is possible!!

If you have one of these people ... it would be great to hear from you today as your experiences may be able to help those just starting out ...😊

What have you said/put in your resume in the past ?
What has been your experience with gaps in your resume ?
And if your resume landed you an interview... How did you handle questions about gaps in the interview?

Love to hear from you 😊

[suzanne]

Hi @Renstar, this is a really timely topic as it came up in this thread earlier this week.  Just tagging @Former-Member so that she knows it's here.  If you're around LI1, feel free to ask Renstar about your particular circumstances.

[Renstar]

Hi @suzanne  thank you so much for that -   Look forward to hearing from @Former-Member 😊

[Renstar]

Hi @suzanne  thank you so much for that -   Look forward to hearing from @Former-Member

[Renstar]

 More here about volunteering...

In the article 'Volunteering as a Strategy to Fill Gaps in My Resume! Findings from a study on jobless individuals in four states in Australia'

The following issues were looked at ...

 Transitions to work — getting back into the workforce: what are perceived barriers to re-entering the workforce either full-time or part- time?

In the past huge gaps between work gigs has been a barrier as well as age ...PTSD also. What are your barriers?

 Access to social and community services: availability, effectiveness of these services and their assistance in getting back into the workforce.

In terms of access to social and community services ... organisation such as SANE and MIND are a available- do you think these work other useful for you???

 Access to information and information services: ability and level of access to these services.

What services are available to you that you feel are helpful in your search for work? DES services May all may not be doing what they're supposed to?

 Issues of self-image — either positive or negative.

Personally I have found that self-image is an enormous barrier and that is why I run wellness programs for people looking for work ... it's important to get a solid grounding before venturing out into the workforce and by that I mean dealing with your own mental health related strengths and weaknesses and having a suitable toolbox of strategies ...

In terms of barriers... What are they for you?

[Former-Member]

I'm just wondering if studying seen as more important or as important as volunteering. @Renstar

[Former-Member]

Currently I'm getting caught up in what type of volunteering and how much should I do. This is my next step. Currently my whole weeks activities are MH based. I have no living in the real world experience (although I just started a 7 week subject at TAFE but it's in a sheltered environment

[Renstar]

Here are some suggestions from around the web ...

- Major Depression is a valid disability, like MS or blindness. All you have to say is that you have had an extended illness. You are not required to say anything more. 

- Find a temp job, and continue looking for full time work. This will build your resume while you look. It's always easier to find a job if you have one no matter how bad.

 
- Why not just be honest and say "medical leave (recovered)."

- If they ask you what, you're under no obligation. You can just respond with "I'd rather not say." There are tons of diseases that people don't want to talk about. 

- Just say you took a sabbatical. They are used to unwind and to do some soul searching. Perfectly acceptable by any business and even encouraged in some countries. These can be taken at anytime for any reason. You can say you tried to become an artist or whatever really. Don't confuse this with a "gap year" though.

- This is my first time having to ever re-enter the workforce. I'd always had a job since I was 16 and not knowing what is acceptable plus being ashamed of my depression had been hard to manage but this makes me feel much less anxious about explaining away my little sabbatical. Next step is feeling confident enough in myself to feel like I can actually perform a job- I'm hoping this comes with some more time and work in therapy.

- I think a discrete "freelancing while taking care of a medical issue" is going to be my plan. Neither is a lie since I actually have done a small amount of freelancing and I've been taking care of a very big issue 🙂

... do you agree or disagree with any of these? 😊

[Renstar]

Hi @Former-Member thanks for stopping by ..

That was a great question!

... first in terms of studying I think it's a good idea to study as well as volunteer, give as much as you can without putting too much pressure on yourself.

my clients who volunteer feel it's an excellent way to stay grounded in the real world, as you say, whilst doing their study to increase ultimate chances of gaining employment.

So glad to hear you're getting into volunteering!!! 😃 What type will depend on your interests ... Or maybe make it related to your TAFE course...

 Also ... What do you think of some of the suggestions (above) for those gaps in resumes and talking about your mental illness gaps in the interview ?