Q: I had to resign my management position at a luxury resort due to alcoholism. Since then, I have sought treatment and am an active member of Alcoholics Anonymous. I have more than 20 years experience and always have been successful in my positions, including receiving awards and being promoted. I need your assistance with how I can explain the one-year gap in my employment and my condition, without automatically being disqualified based on the stigma of alcoholics in recovery. I want to be honest, but I don’t want to be on any “kamikaze interviews,” either. – Patrick

A: Kate: You could simply say: “I had to take care of a medical problem, which is now completely in remission. I’m ready to work 20 more years.” If they ask for more detail, let them know you don’t want to talk about it by saying: “It was better for me to quit my job and take care of the situation, rather than work halfheartedly and have it affect my work. That’s the kind of person you’ll get: someone who puts in 100 percent. In fact, I wanted to talk to you today because your company is one of the leaders in … .” How does that sound?

Dale: I like the sound of someone trying to gently move the conversation away from the past and into the future. However, there’s one word in that particular bit of dialogue that drops an anchor in the past; the word “remission” will have the hiring manager thinking “cancer” and wondering “What kind?” Better to just say, “I’m completely healthy now,” and then move on. That’s honest enough. Don’t bring your AA openness into the workplace, at least not yet. The structure of AA meetings, with people telling their stories, results in a tendency for some people to get too comfortable talking about their personal past. For job interviews, you must remember that your medical situation is none of their business, anymore than if you have diabetes or hemorrhoids or any other condition that might flare up if you aren’t careful.

So Kate’s right; focus your honesty on what matters – your terrific work experience, your achievements and what you can offer future employers.