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Cherise Guest Post – Job interviews and Diabetes


Day 3 of guest post week is a post from Cherise.  Please be sure to follow her on Twitter because she is very active and gives great advice and comments.

I  would  like  to  thank  Chris  for  inviting  me  to  do  a  guest  post  for  him.    I  am  honored.

There  once  was  a  girl  named  Cherise,  she  lived  in  California  but  soon  to  relocate  to  Indianapolis.    She   knew  she  had  to  find  a  job  but  where  and  what  to  look  for.    Cherise  searched  high  and  low.  She  applied   for  many  jobs  but  no  one  would  respond.    She  almost  gave  up!    One  day  she  received  an  email  from  Sue.   Sue  asked  if  she  would  like  to  come  in  for  a  job  interview  on  Thursday.    Cherise  was  excited.    Could  this   be  it?  She  texted  her  husband  and  off  she  was  to  Kansas  City,  MO  to  hitch  a  ride  with  her  mother  to  the   great  city  of  Indianapolis.      Cherise  knew  she  had  to  eat  something  to  keep  her  blood  sugars  from  rising   but  she  didn’t  have  a  clue  what  to  eat.    Cherise  said, “I  can’t  eat  too  many  carbs  because  I  will  get  sleepy   but  if  I  don’t  eat  enough  carbs  I  will  go  low.”  Off  to  the  waffle  house  she  went.

She  ate  bacon,  eggs   and  hash  browns.      She  looked  at  her  iphone  and  it  was  time  to  go.  
This  is  how  the  interviews  went.

Interview  number  one:
  Hi!  My  name  is  Cherise.    I  have  diabetes.    If  you  hear  anything  alarming  or  buzzing  don’t  be  alarmed.    It   could  be  my  insulin  pump  or  my  continuous  glucose  monitor.    It’s  a  little  hot  in  here  can  I  take  my  jacket   off?    The  interview  lasted  an  hour!  It  was  fun  and  I  enjoyed  talking  to  all  three  of  the  ladies  in  the  room.

Interview  number  two:
  Hi!  My  name  is  Cherise.    I  have  diabetes.    If  you  hear  anything  alarming  or  buzzing  don’t  be  alarmed.  It   could  be  my  insulin  pump  or  my  continuous  glucose  monitor.

Sue: “What  if  your  blood  sugar  goes  low?  What  do  you  do?”

Cherise:  ␣I  have  glucose  tablets  I  carry  with  my  all  the  time.    I  eat  a  few  of  them;  they  bring  my  blood   sugar  up.    After,  I  eat  the  glucose  tablets  I  try  to  eat  something  that  has  protein  in  it  to  keep  my  bg’s   leveled.”

Sue:  “Ok,  would  you  like  a  glass  of  water?”

Me:  “Yes.␣”

The  interview  lasted  about  an  hour  and  a  half.    It  went  great.    I  met  with  2  people.    I  was  asked  about   going  back  to  school  and  why  I  wanted  to  become  a  CDE.

Interview  number  3:
  This  interview  was  sprung  on  me  at  the  last  minute.    I  was  a  little  exhausted.    Seriously,  I  started   interviewing  at  8am….. now  1pm.
  I  repeated  the  same  opening  speech.    I  was  excited!  I  have  never  had  3  interviews  at  once  and  all  in  the   same  place.    My  bg’s  did  not  drop  and  I  was  offered  a  2  positions  out  of  the  3  I  interviewed  for.    I  know   some  people  don’t  like  to  disclose  that  they  have  diabetes  when  interviewing  for  a  job  but  I  try  to  be   honest  up  front.    I  try  to  be  open  and  honest  with  everyone.    I  have  to  go  to  the  endocrinologist  every  3   months.  I  could  go  low  one  day.    IMO,  the  more  people  who  know  about  me  having  diabetes  the  better   it  is  for  me  in  the  long  run.

In  case  you’re  wondering,  I  went  with  job  number  2.

Do  you  inform  your  potential  employer  that  you   have  diabetes?

Be  Blessed

Cherise

6 thoughts to “Cherise Guest Post – Job interviews and Diabetes
”

  1. Great post, Cherise. I had already been at my current job for a couple of years or so at the time I got my double diagnosis, but I still went through the motions of informing everyone around me. And what I learned through disclosing my diagnosis was there are others here in the newsroom who have diabetes. So, I’m not walking this tight rope alone, or without a safety net. Knowing that helps a great deal.

  2. I was diagnosed a year after started at my last job and worked there for another 4 years after that, so they all knew when I was diagnosed. I’m not sure if I’m going to when I interview for another job, but that won’t be for a couple of years!

    I think that I might disclose it, because like you said there are many dr appointments and lows and such.

    Great post Cherise!!

  3. Yes, Cherise I do tell prospective employers I’m a diabetic. I even test and take insulin in front of them. It’s a test. I don’t want to work in a hostile work environment relative to my health.

    Unfortunately, I did this test of my currently employer (the Dept of Defense, US Army). They assured me there would be no problem.

    Wrong! A few months into the job I was informed that 4 supposedly intelligent coworkers complained – and lied I might add. The result is I have been banned from testing or taking insulin in public. They want me to go to a nasty dirty bathroom even after I explained sometimes my blood sugar is low and I couldn’t walk anywhere!

    It’s a much longer story that just keeps getting worse. And it is having a negative affect on my health. The question is will I find a new job before they fire me?

    I don’t know how I could have tested the waters any better than I did and I am astounded at the ridiculousness of the whole thing. I’m a very loud mouthed pro-diabetic advocate/mentor and I can’t figure out how I got myself into this mess. I feel like I’m caught in the diabetes version of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.

    Best wishes on your job! I commend you on your openness. No hidng in the corner for these girls!

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