Parents – please tell your teens to stop talking about their mental health when applying for jobs!

[Anonymous]

This is a complete vent post, but maybe it will help your kid who is looking for a job this summer.

I'm a camp director for a sleepaway camp, which means that this time of year I'm doing a ton of hiring. I know that a lot of the folks applying to me are looking for their first job, which is great! I know that learning how to interview well is a skill, and I do not expect the teens applying to me to be perfect. But I would love it if they stopped telling me private health info in their cover letter or during their interview!

I cannot tell you how many cover letters or interviews include the reveal of some mental health diagnosis. It's inappropriate and puts me in an ethically uncomfortable place. I am more than happy to provide accommodations as needed if I've hired you, but it's a weird thing to learn about someone you're meeting for the first time, and it makes me question if I can trust you with sensitive camper information.

This is not about shaming people for having a mental health diagnosis – I have some too! I just don't need to know the specifics of yours the very first time we meet.

[Anonymous]

Kids who are trying to get jobs basically taking care of younger kids at a sleep-away camp are telling you their mental health limitations and need of accommodations? No way would I hire someone who needs to be taken care of to take care of other kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kids who are trying to get jobs basically taking care of younger kids at a sleep-away camp are telling you their mental health limitations and need of accommodations? No way would I hire someone who needs to be taken care of to take care of other kids.

Then it's a good thing you aren't in charge of hiring. If someone has a disability but can perform the core functions of the job if given reasonable accommodations, it's against the law to refuse to hire them because of that disability.

Nothing the OP said suggested that these teens couldn't do the job or that the requested accommodations were unreasonable.

[Anonymous]

Times have changed. I do some interviewing of recent college grads for our org and a significant percentage of them mention being in therapy.

[Anonymous]

Well the reality is kids who have anxiety will probably deal with the kids at camp with anxiety.

Kids who have done therapy probably are more empathetic than those that just think everything in everyone’s life is peachy keen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kids who are trying to get jobs basically taking care of younger kids at a sleep-away camp are telling you their mental health limitations and need of accommodations? No way would I hire someone who needs to be taken care of to take care of other kids.

Then it's a good thing you aren't in charge of hiring. If someone has a disability but can perform the core functions of the job if given reasonable accommodations, it's against the law to refuse to hire them because of that disability.

Nothing the OP said suggested that these teens couldn't do the job or that the requested accommodations were unreasonable.

It’s not against the law to refuse to hire them because you sense they have an inability to keep private information private until it needs to be disclosed. I wouldn’t hire anyone telling me their personal problems in a first interview either. Especially if the potential job requires them to be entrusted with private information of others.

[Anonymous]

For many kids, their mental health issues (usually self-diagnosed) are their whole identity.

[Anonymous]

My children went two sleep away camps in NC both are well known and have been mentioned on DCUM as "great camps"

I wish the hiring process did weed out these kids. At least they are being upfront.

Because the camps sure were not.

One told us "oh yes we dropped the ball on this one", "would you like to put your check in for next year now".

My response "Hell no"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My children went two sleep away camps in NC both are well known and have been mentioned on DCUM as "great camps"

I wish the hiring process did weed out these kids. At least they are being upfront.

Because the camps sure were not.

One told us "oh yes we dropped the ball on this one", "would you like to put your check in for next year now".

My response "Hell no"

What was your issue with the camps?

[Anonymous]

Not exactly the same as talking about mental health issues but we had a fresh out of college hire go to the president of the firm that she was being bullied after another employee accidentally dropped her lunch and some of it went under the new kid’s cube that she didn’t see to clean up (I witnessed the accident, the “bullied” employee did not). Makes me not want to put this employee on a project knowing their amazing ability to fabricate bullying incidents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kids who are trying to get jobs basically taking care of younger kids at a sleep-away camp are telling you their mental health limitations and need of accommodations? No way would I hire someone who needs to be taken care of to take care of other kids.

Then it's a good thing you aren't in charge of hiring. If someone has a disability but can perform the core functions of the job if given reasonable accommodations, it's against the law to refuse to hire them because of that disability.

Nothing the OP said suggested that these teens couldn't do the job or that the requested accommodations were unreasonable.

If a teen has anxiety and it’s not going to affect their job performance, there is no need for them to mention it in a cover letter or interview. If the anxiety is uncontrolled, then they shouldn’t even interview for OP’s job because no way should they be put in charge of kids at a sleep away camp.

It’s pretty simple.

So, yes, if some teen was waxing on and on about her mental health issues during the interview, that’s a red flag and they shouldn’t be hired to work with kids. Just like we can’t hire a person without arms and legs to be a rescue swimmer.

[Anonymous]

I mean, I can see a scenario where it’s potentially relevant…

Interviewer: “How would you deal with a child who is very anxious being away from home?”

Candidate: “I would have a lot empathy, as I had separation anxiety as a kid. I would try to show the child some of the things that helped me, like…”

That said, I have interviewed young adults (18-22) year olds, and the tendency to overshare is STRONG. I don’t need to know that your current job “makes your soul die,” as the reason you’re applying for this internship (which is going to be a lot more mundane than you seem to think).

[Anonymous]

It's not just young adults. I used to have a job where I hired a number of women returning to the workforce after having kids.

It used to amaze me the things people would say in their interviews.

Why do you want to work for X?

"Well, I don't drive well in the snow. After I crashed the last car, DH said no more driving in the snow! I heard you close a lot for snow. But what if you aren't closed, could I take leave?"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not exactly the same as talking about mental health issues but we had a fresh out of college hire go to the president of the firm that she was being bullied after another employee accidentally dropped her lunch and some of it went under the new kid’s cube that she didn’t see to clean up (I witnessed the accident, the “bullied” employee did not). Makes me not want to put this employee on a project knowing their amazing ability to fabricate bullying incidents.

To zoomers, any inconvenience is a “bullying incident”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For many kids, their mental health issues (usually self-diagnosed) are their whole identity.

Yes. These days everyone has a mental health issue. Everyone.