So, I have this gross outbreak of Dishydrotic eczema on my hands – a patch the size of a half dollar on my palm that is red and a bit oozy, plus smaller, slightly reddish bumpy patches on the sides of all my fingers. I am seeking a dermatologist etc etc etc.
Unfortunately, I have a formal preliminary interview with a large law firm on Friday. There is zero chance my rash will abate by that time (since it is stress-related, it is likely to get worse). I have done a course of topical steroids and cannot use them further this month, so all solutions that begin with “apply topical steroids and hope it gets better in time” are out.
Sadly, white gloves as part of formal attire are a bit out of fashion. Bandaids won’t stick to the palm because it sweats constantly, and anyway if I covered the other bits with bandaids my hand would be one big bandaid. It is visible and noticeable and way too gross to shake someone’s hand without some sort of covering. Even if I cover up the red patch on my palm with a bandage, the other patches, though less noticeable, can be seen and felt.
The interview cannot be rescheduled. Argh! What to do!?
Is it all, or worst, on one hand? Wrap the whole thing with gauze. (Not so you look like The Mummy; just enough to cover everything.) Say you burned it slightly on a hot pan and it’s going to be fine but the doctor said to keep it wrapped for a few days. Nobody will think anything further.
Agreed. Or get a wrist brace like they prescribe for carpal tunnel, wrap in an ace bandage, and say you sprained your wrist playing basketball. Or polo, if this is one of those law firms.
ETA: I totally feel for you, man. I struggled with eczema on my hands and arms throughout high school and probably until I was 24 or so. It does get better, or did for me at least. Until then, I know it really sucks.
“Good morning. Before we start, let me just explain one thing so we get it out of the way. See this problem with my hands? Not very nice, is it? It’s called eczema. It’s not contagious and it’s not a sign of anything to worry about. But it’s a bit uncomfortable and a little awkward for me, and I know it’s not very nice to look at. I am, of course, taking the appropriate medical treatment, and it will clear up in about a week. It does not affect, and will not affect, my ability to do this job, ever. I just wanted to get that out of the way, so that we can both relax about it, and so you aren’t sitting there wondering if it’s insensitive to mention it.”
They will be impressed by the smart, savvy, confident way you defuse a situation that might have fazed other people. In other words, it may actually do you some good.
When adversity arises, and if you can’t do much else that’s positive, you can at the very least turn it into an opportunity to impress yourself, and others, with how you handle it, in a practical, thoughtful and dignified way.
Only except I’d still wear a glove or something to cover it to spare the guy the image.
Yes, it is good to be Smart, savy and confident etc… but still, you don’t want the interviewer thinking “ewe” the whole time they’re sitting through the interview.
I’d much rather want the guy focused on the content of the interview.
I second this. They’re not going to want to hear about your rash. Many people are quite understanding and sympathetic, but you can’t count on it, especially at a job interview.
They’re not going to think twice about a wrist brace, and it will give them the impression that you keep active. Give an explanation that’s halfway plausible though. If you tell them you play polo, you’d better be prepared to talk about your polo playing experience.
Great suggestions – thank you! They are helping me get my mind straight. I actually have some circulation gloves from when I had a tendon injury that are thin, stretchy and flesh colored.
I agree with the advice to wrap a layer of gauze around it and offer no explanation. If someone asks say its a burn, or even just say ‘its just a little allergy thing, its nothing serious’ and let it drop. If its not actually oozing anymore than Friday, I probably wouldn’t even bother with a bandage, just keep your palm facing down, and when you sit have your right hand in your lap or on the table under your left hand. Honestly I don’t think it would be the rash itself that will be the issue but how you handle it. For example, if you are sitting there picking or scratching, that would be an unprofessional mark, but if someone notices the rash while you are filling out a form or something, then they might think, ‘oh, poor her, she has a rash’ but won’t hold it against you. Or if they do hold it against you, well, do you really want to work at a place where you have to worry about covering up every single little eczema bump all day long?
I know you’re not looking for treatment advice, and you probably know this already, but its IMHO – if you can’t apply steroids perhaps just try applying Vaseline several times a day, if you put on a thin layer it actually won’t be that greasy. Or if you hate Vaseline, Cetaphil.
As someone who had bad eczema on my hands for years (age 14-24 or so), even if it wasn’t actively dripping like a faucet (eww), I would have some anxiety about a situation where I would probably be expected to shake hands (twice) with at least five or six people. The OP might feel the same way.
To me, that’s way TMI to tell some interviewer. I personally would prefer to just make it very low-key and “whatever”; if I were the interviewer, I’d be nodding my head with that kind of frozen-smiled, slightly-raised-eyebrow expression on my face, saying "Oh, uh-huh … " by the end of that explanation. I myself would rather hear something like, “Oh I got poison ivy, I’ve got some stuff on it.” End of story. YMMV of course.
I think that any advice to lie about the minor problem is bad advice. You are not the first person on the planet with the condition and you won’t be the last.
I would suggest that you protect your hand as you see fit and if something comes up in the interview tell them you have eczema and are waiting to get in to see a dermatologist. I really think that lying in this situation is a really bad idea.
–You look disgusting, and that is not a good way to impress anybody, anytime .The interviewer has no way of knowing if you are contagious. (Imagine the interviewer’s body language, if you try saying this. He will probably lean back and keep a good distance from you. And the physical disconnect between you will affect his judgement of you—not what you want in a job interview.
2.
–you are lying. and the interviewer will not fall for it.
For a lawyer, being able to shake hands with clients and partners is a basic part of the job.
You have admitted that the problem recurrs, especially under stress. And the interviewer knows how often you will be under stress. Even he has no medical knowlege that eczema often recurrs, he will know that you clearly are not capable of shaking hands today–and therefore you cannot do the job- today-, as well as the other candidates he has interviewed today.
My advice: go with one handed’s post. A gauze bandage that completely covers the disgusting looking spots, but looks like a temporary sprain that will easily heal soon. Blame it on a sports injury, not an accident. Sports injuries earn respect–it implies a tough guy who takes initiative. Burns are a sign of an incompetant klutz in the kitchen who doesn’t think ahead or take basic safety precautions. Nobody hires incompetants.
And the gauze bandage might even help you stand out to the interviewer, when he later sorts thru a pile of resumes. “Oh,yeah, this one is from that guy with the bandage-I remember him”
I’d go with this one. If you announce it, it’s going to look like a much bigger deal than it is, and may be interpreted as “confrontational”. But a lighthearted and unspecified remark about recuperating from something will neither gross them out and will show that you’re a good sport about adversity. It’s the kind of case where “less is more”. Share too much, and they’ll think you’re a TMI type. That’s half of the use of clean bandages. To hide the ooky stuff.
Back in college a buddy of mine had an interview for an internship… two days after he broke his nose on my knee, playing squash (I won). He showed up at the interview looking like a raccoon. When the interviewer initially gave him a doubletake, he quipped: “Is this too much eye make-up?” then just explained that it was a racquet sport injury. He said it was an awesome way to break the ice.
I’d wear gloves and tell them you’ve got a temporary skin condition. Bring a note from your doctor if you think they won’t believe you. This seems to me the obvious course of action. Anything else is dodging and lying. Gloves will look better and more professional than bandages.
If they don’t buy that, tell them that you’ve just had that experimental hand transplant where the donor was an executed murderer, and you’re still not sure how the hands will “take”
If you try this one, let me know how it works out.
