I am 7 months pregnant and job hunting... JOY! To avoid the whole legal answers, yes I know they can't discriminate, but guess what? They do! My current job (that my contract is running out) and the position I am interviewing for is 100% telecommute. So, my intention has always been that I will not be taking a maternity leave at the end of my pregnancy, because I work from my home office. I did the same w/ my son and it worked great + I have a nanny lines up and ready to start day 1.
My question is, just to avoid an uncomfortable shock response in person, when I call back to schedule the interview, do I warn them that BTW, I have a huge belly and no, it won't interfere with accepting this position? OR do I let him be shocked when we meet, and hope he gets over it quickly enough to focus on my qualifications?
I'm concerned that it is men I will interview with, and I have no idea what their experiences may have been with pregnant women, time they want off work, etc.?? How do I state a quick "I'm pregnant" disclaimer that they will quickly get past, and focus on the true matter at hand: HIRING ME.
Well, I set the interview and didn't tell them. I went and said nothing about being pregnant at all, just small talk leading into my qualifications. But, he (my interviewer) noticed, and began looking VERY uncomfortable and distracted. So I just said, somewhat jokingly "So, you noticed eh?" and said "I am not as far along as I look. This is not happening until the end of July, and since I am a contractor, working technically for myself, whether I accept you position or not I will not be taking any time off work beyond what is medically necessary for recovery." He responded very well, and said that seemed like no problem at all to him. Then, I moved immediately back to the topics of the job description and how my qualifications are a perfect fit for their position. IT WENT GREAT!!! I WAS OFFERED THE JOB LESS THAN 24 HOURS LATER!!
Maybe find something witty to say when you first walk in, like, "I'm so sorry, I just ate a really big lunch." Something to lighten the mood but address the elephant in the room.
You can do one of two things here... tell them ahead of time and allow them to write you off before you walk in the door OR tell them when you walk into the interview that while you are expecting a baby in late June, you have already made all of the necessary arrangements to have an in-home nanny and that they are welcome to contact your current employer (with a warning to that person that they can discuss the topic) about the arrangement you had with them.
You got the interview based on your qualifications, so let's hope that they can focus on that. Just my opinion... I wouldn't tell them ahead of time, but I would openly address it early into the discussion and with an upbeat "I'm on this" attitude! They can't ask you about it, so offer the information and your plan at the outset, but definitely not before.
I'm speaking as a former hiring manager here. Absolutely do not bring up your pregnancy. If they lay out duties that are required for the job that you would be unable to perform due to the pregnancy then you would have to reply, "No, not at the moment, but I could do them by such-and-such date." I was once forced to interview a college friend that I knew was pregnant and she was showing although she had not officially announced or confirmed her pregnancy to anyone. I had to tell her ahead of time that "if" she were pregnant to please not tell me because of the laws about discrimination. And during the interview I had to ask her if she would be able to stand on her feet for 8 hour shifts, climb ladders, carry heavy stock in excess of 50 pounds, etc. Those were required questions because of the position she was applying for. And she could not perform those duties so I couldn't hire her. But if she had discussed her pregnancy in that interview or if I had openly said, "So you ARE pregnant, right Missy?" I would have been forced to hire her.
Just don't do it. Not prior to the interview and not during it either. They're not even allowed to comment on the size of your belly and ask if you're pregnant during an interview even if it's obvious. If you bring it up, it's very bad form for you to do that. You would put them in a really bad legal position of having to acknowledge the pregnancy and then if they choose not to hire you for other legitimate reasons they'll still be opened up to possible lawsuits for discrimination. They can't even ask you if you have existing children at home to care for. They ought to trust that you'll have child care lined up.
If they do ask, though, and openly acknowledge your pregnancy and how late into it you are then reassure them of the childcare you have lined up already. But it would be illegal for them to do that.
Don't mention your condition prior to the interview - just show up and let them deal with it. It's a good ice-breaker and then leads to conversation about how you're taking care of it and it shouldn't inconvenience or burden the employer. You wouldn't say, "Yes, I'll be happy to meet with you - by the way, I'm black" would you? Or, "by the way, I'm in a wheelchair". Sounds ridiculous, right?
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I would not tell them and I would ask my current employer not to tell.
People discriminate.
Do exactly what Krista P. said. Good luck!
CONGRATULATIONS!!
No, you do not have to warn them about your being pregnant prior to the interview. Your qualifications should speak for you.
During the interview it will be obvious that you are pregnant. You can explain to them your plans on how you plan to proceed after the baby is born.
I personally find it hard to believe that you would be ready to work 1 day after the baby is born....that's just me - your body needs time to heal and adjust -even if you are telecommuting!!
I think that you should meet them first and when you are ending the interview if it seems like its the elephant in the room, tell them your intentions and give examples of how this worked so well with your other child. GL!
M
Do what feels comfortable for you. If you don't want the uncomfortable look of shock on their face when you go to the interview. Preface the face to face interview with phone call or email to state you are preg. and your expectations for the job and pregnancy.
-Side question; Where do you work that you can work from home? I would love something like that.
I agree and know from experience, they do discriminate. I SAY nothing, and simply state that I am able and ready to work and see no vacations in the near future.
You did the right thing in not bringing it up. They will probably ask if you can foresee the need for taking any time off in the coming year (because even if it's obvious, they can't ask if you're pregnant). At that point you can say that this is your second child, and you have a nanny lined up, been there, done that. That should ease their minds on that score, and from there they can focus on your experience and qualifications.
For what it's worth, a good friend of mine was hired while obviously pregnant, and she is still with the company 10+ years later!
You know that is a tough one right? Of course you do or you wouldn't be posting this. Here is the problem and I am sure you know it, the answer is different depending on the person hiring.
I think in the end if they are not going to hire you for this it doesn't really matter when you tell them. If you are lucky you tell them ahead of time and they use that time to come up with questions that will make them comfortable with hiring you. The flip side is they use that time to come up with legal reasons why they won't hire you.
This is just my opinion but I think it is best not to tell ahead of time. Once you are there they have to see your personality, credentials, etc in person. You can explain why it isn't an issue. They can see your honesty and realize that yeah, it isn't a deal breaker. With an email they can attribute whatever they want and have their minds made up before they even meet you. Much harder at that point to change their minds.
Good luck tomorrow! You are doing the right thing!
I completely 100% agree with Krista P. My thoughts exactly.
I've always been on the side of upfront honesty. If you tell your employer upfront that you are pregnant, that you have done this before, that you have a nanny already lined up, and your plan for handling the jobs demands, I think they will be more willing to work with you and understand when you have to take those few weeks off for the pregnancy. However, if you hide it, I think they feel like "I didn't know this, so it's much harder to accomodate". yes, some businesses descriminate over this, but if you are the best employee for the job, if you present yourself in a professional manner and just get it out there in a very matter of fact way, it think it will be well received. If you just ignore it or gloss over it, they will have those questions "how long do you think she'll want off, what if she doesn't return, how will she really work from home with an infant..." You didn't mention if you basically have the job and just need to do the face to face or what, but something along the lines of "I wanted to address something before we meet so you won't be surprised. I am currently pregnant with my 2nd child. I have always worked in this type of telecommuting environment and therefore already have a nanny ready to start on day one. With my past pregnancy I was back to work within 6 weeks and did x, y, and z to make sure my work was handled why I was out. I hope that this puts you at ease about possibly hiring someone that is pregnant and I am completely open to answering any questions you may have about how I plan to handle the job while being at home, however, I hope this will not be the entire focus of our conversation because I really want to tell you how I can benefit your company and my ideas for this project". Good luck!
