Working after a short break due to having ADD - Working in HR - Careers Clinic

4 Working after a short break due to having ADD

Rupy | 0 Posts

17 Nov, 2019 20:17

Hi I hope that you can advise me:

I worked for 5 years at the same company as a HR Assistant. Earlier in the year they offered voluntary redundancy - which I took as it was an opportunity for a change and develop new skills. From June to July I worked in another company. July to August I worked again for a different company. They were both temporary contracts as HR Assistants.

Since end August I haven't been working. I have recently been diagnosed with adult Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) (without hyperactivity). I am taking ADHD related medication, which I am still getting used to and have been seeing a significant improvement in concentration/focus and problem solving skills. I addition to this, I am undertaking a part time college course for a few months - ICT Level 2, to improve Word, Excel, Powerpoint skills. So things are looking positive.

Now I feel I would like to go back into work part time 3 days a week, until February when the course finishes and when I feel 100% better. Either as a HR Assistant or general Admin. Even temporary is fine. My question is, how do I explain all of this in interview? What do I say about having ADD - if my symptoms are managed and don't affect me? Do I need to say I have ADD? If I don't mention my ADD, how do I explain why I want to work Part time? Is the college course sufficient enough reason (it's not a degree or CIPD accredited course).

Also how do I explain this short gap in the first instance? Truthfully when I was first diagnosed, I felt a little depressed and anxious, and felt I just needed this short break to get used to things and adjust to the medication (It can cause bad headaches, which are a lot better now). I feel a lot better generally.

Also, from a professional point of view, would having ADD, but with managed symptoms, impact having a career in HR (whether I declare I have it or not)? I'm reasonably young, don't have any family commitments and have attained my MA in HRM. Can people with ADD/ADHD still successful in this sort of career?

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

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Jacqueline | 0 Posts

18 Nov, 2019 08:38

Hiya

Firstly congratulations on all you've achieved so far. It's impossible to generalise but given you've already had success in obtaining and succeeding in HR positions, I can't see why you couldn't carry on and develop your career further. Hopefully your diagnosis will help you recognise your strengths and areas where you might need to adapt things in a job to help you succeed. The biggest barrier to a HR career is lack of experience and you already have that.

In terms of explaining your diagnosis at interview - no you absolutely don't have to say anything if you don't want to. You can declare anything at the health check stage after you've been offered the position - it's fine to do it then. I wouldn't expect anyone to tell me that sort of thing at interview. Occasionally people do and I then have to make sure it doesn't influence the recruitment decision. If you're applying for a part time role, then simply saying it fits with your college courses is a reasonable explanation.

If you're applying for a full time role that you hope you can persuade the employer to allow you to do part time, that might be more of a challenge, but that would be the case for any applicant wanting to ask the employer to make that change. You might have better luck negotiating a job share for 2.5 days per week once you've been offered a role but you can make that call once you've been offered a job and started talking to the employer. ;-)

I'm sure our HR colleagues on the Communities will have lots of good advice for you. Good Luck!

Jackie
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Rupy | 0 Posts

18 Nov, 2019 22:53

In reply to Jacqueline:
Thank you Jackie. This is very encouraging. How would I explain why I have been unemployed for three months and what I have been doing during that time?Technically I could have worked part time, but I didn't feel ready to within myself (due to anxiety and depression) until now. Thanks.
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Johanna | 0 Posts

CIPD Staff

19 Nov, 2019 09:04

In reply to Rupy:
I'm not an HR expert, but I may say something like, 'I took a short career break to concentrate on my health and wellbeing.' which is honest and clear.
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Jacqueline | 0 Posts

19 Nov, 2019 12:22

In reply to Rupy:

Given your employment history which shows a voluntary redundancy and a couple of short term contracts, a three month gap during which you were job hunting and taking college courses doesn't seem unreasonable to me. It really is entirely up to you how much you say about your health at the interview stage. You could adapt what you say based on your impression of the company and the recruiter - if you think that you will get a good reception by explaining your three month ap in relation to your health, then go for it. If you're less certain about the reaction, then falling back on the job hunting and college course explanation is fine.
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