A long time ago
Yesterday, I read Tony Olivero’s blog post, which had been posted on Hacker News. I could relate to his feelings deeply, as I had experienced something similar myself over a decade ago. I had just returned from a surgery that had become necessary as part of my cancer treatment. During the procedure, lymph nodes that appeared suspicious were removed.
Ultimately, everything turned out well; however, the job interviews themselves were an absolute chaotic mess. While in Germany one is not legally obligated to lay all one’s cards on the table, at that time I held a temporary disability certificate. This status entails certain tax benefits as well as additional vacation entitlement. Therefore, in the interest of ensuring an honest start, I decided to inform my potential new employer about my situation right from the outset.
Most companies showed very little empathy in their response, asking only questions such as: “What does this mean for the company?” or “How much additional downtime can we expect as a result?” It is easy to imagine that no one wants to take on such a risk—after all, the employer is required to continue paying the employee’s salary for the first six weeks of sick leave before the health insurance provider steps in. And this was despite the fact that, at that time, I had already been considered cancer-free for several years.
The Job Interview That Changed Everything
During this period, a former colleague called me and asked if I would be available for a position in 2nd-level support. I agreed and sent over my CV. After some time—I was still in the hospital at that point—the HR department got in touch with me and proposed a date for an interview. Since I was unable to appear in person, I explained my current whereabouts to them and asked for a little time to recover first. To my surprise, they were open to this suggestion, and we scheduled a meeting for two or three weeks later.
When the day of the interview arrived, my abdominal incision was still closed with surgical staples; nevertheless, I was determined to keep the appointment. Sitting for extended periods was anything but comfortable, yet the conversation went very well. After about 90 minutes—during which we discussed technical topics and my professional background—my interviewers asked if I had any final remarks. I hesitated for a moment – but I had a good feeling about it. So, I shared my medical history with them and explained the current situation: that I had recently undergone surgery but was now considered cancer-free.
Their reaction exceeded all my expectations. All three interviewers—my future supervisor and two representatives from Human Resources—exchanged meaningful glances and then thanked me for the trust I had placed in the company. I was assured that this was absolutely no problem, and they expressed their gratitude for my openness. It wasn't merely a professional acknowledgment offered out of politeness; it felt sincere and genuine. They asked me to allow about two to three weeks for the decision-making process to conclude. My future boss then invited me to meet my prospective team and treated me to a cup of coffee. Afterward, he walked me down to the entrance and asked me to call him immediately if I were to receive any other promising job offers.
A few weeks later, I received the contract documents and started my new job. 🚀