Should I send a covering letter to old workplace?

[ChangingTheNarative]

Hi all,

I used to work somewhere and it was a really good place to work but I had to resign after three years due to personal reasons (my dad died after I just had a baby so my mental health plummeted).

I really enjoyed working at this place and a job opportunity has come up in a different department and I've applied for it but I think they'll obviously check my record and see a lot of absences but that was due to suffering with undiagnosed complex ptsd - I'm much better now I'm on medication and on the road to therapy and naturally getting older and managing myself better (I left 2 years ago and feel I've changed a lot since).

I think I was really good at my job apart from one aspect which the new department doesn't deal with but looking back I wasn't good at it because of my mental health and confidence.

Would it be really embarrassing sending a covering letter explaining this and explaining why I want the job and I enjoyed working for the company or should I do it in case it improves my chances of an interview?

Or would I be best just waiting and seeing what happens?

Sorry for lack of details, I don't want to be too outing.

Thank you for any advice.

It's just stressing me out a bit as I do think I'd do well in this role but my previous absences would be a put off

I don't think they will necessarily check your record. I work in a large company. The people managing the recruitment would not have access to someone's absence details.

I’d call the HR team

Possibly a covering letter, but be positive. You had to leave due to personal circumstances. That has now resolved. You liked working for x company due to reasons a,b &c. You have seen a vacancy and feel that you would be very suitable due to prior experience l, m & n. I wouldnt mention absence or specific reasons.

I would just leave out the negatives. Just sell yourself. You are an absolute catch for this job because you already have experience with the company, and you were good at all the relevant aspects of this job, when you were working at this company.

On your CV, when you mention resigning from your previous job, I'd give as a reason that you had a life-changing bereavement (ie., not your fourth cousin once removed). Anyone who is interested enough to check out your old job file for absences will also read your CV; they will be able to put two and two together and see why you had some unexpected absences. They might still discriminate against you - but honestly, if they do, you don't want to work there!

Good luck!

Thank you everyone, I might be worrying over nothing but I'll write a letter and make it positive and try to sell myself. Thank you for the advice.