Is being HIV-positive a requirement for your peers?

If so, how do you advertise this requirement in the peer job description?

The tradition of peer work in HIV/AIDS is built upon the concept that those who are “infected or affected” will use their personal experience to assist clients, and that is generally the requirement of our programs. In the interview, we ask candidates, “What is your relationship to HIV?” On the job description, one of the requirements states “you must have HIV experience” or “persons with HIV are encouraged to apply.”

The stigma attached to HIV/AIDS makes most people cautious about revealing that information indiscriminately. Finding peers who are willing to disclose their status to others can be challenging, yet many peer program supervisors believe that a peer who insists on anonymity is not fulfilling the peer role.

• Recruiting, Hiring and Orienting Peers (PDF), part of the Building Blocks to Peer Program Success toolkit for developing HIV peer programs contains suggestions for approaches to the issue of requiring candidates to be infected or affected, while not unduly compromising their health information.
• HRSA Webcast: Recruiting, Hiring and Supporting Peers

< Back to Frequently Asked Questions