Job Search while Pregnant
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Job Search while Pregnant
Dec 2005
I'm in my last year of a graduate program in the humanities and am on the job
market for next fall. I've been successful as a student in terms of
publishing and teaching, and consider myself a strong candidate for a tenure
track position. I just found out a couple of months ago that I'm pregnant
(due next June) and don't know how I should handle my interviews and
negotiations. I don't want to lessen my chances of landing a good job but I
do want to know if potential departments will be accommodating to my new
family. Help! Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Pregnant and starting to show!
I'm not sure what accomodations you're hoping for from
a department but my sense is that most places will expect
you to teach in the Fall. In my department, new faculty get
one course reduction their first year but I don't know if
that's the norm in the humanities. You probably should be
prepared to hit the deck running in the Fall in terms of
teaching. Most universities do not have much of a maternity
leave and only now does UC honor summer births (when I had a
baby in July, the response was, 'why didn't you time it
better?') and give women six months off from teaching
starting at birth, so you can't assume you'll get any time
off in Fall for maternity leave. I think you'll have to be
thinking about teaching and seeing if your partner can do
some baby-care and finding childcare as well. I would
simply ask prospective departments what the teaching load is
for first-year faculty members but I wouldn't advise asking
for any special consideration until you get a job offer and
are negotiating.
good luck!
Faculty Mother
I've been in the same situation, and it is a dilemma, but I
think that, if at all possible, you should conceal the
pregnancy until you have job offers, and have begun
negotiations. Given the incentives facing departments, it
is hard to believe that you would receive as many offers
were it known that you are pregnant. You should also keep
in mind that what one or two faculty members in your new
department tell you about their attitudes isn't all that
meaningful. First, many pay lip service (but no more than
that) to the idea that faculty with young children need
accommodation, so what you are told may have little
connection to what you'll actually experience once you
begin work. Second, often the parties with whom you
negotiate don't actually have the power to make binding
commitments about these matters. They tell you what they
might wish would happen, but upon your arrival, other
members of your department, the Provost or Dean of Faculty,
and administrators at your new institution may have the
ultimate say-so. Oftentimes, policies are very nebulous,
and little has been formalized. You'll be advised by
friends and mentors to get things in writing (how I wish I
had!), but getting things in writing can be difficult, and
create acrimony, which is something you must try to avoid
when you are untenured. Two more things to keep in mind
are these: unless things have changed (or California has
different laws than where I took my first tenure-track
job), as an employee with fewer than 12 months on the job,
you are not covered by the federal Family and Medical Leave
Act, which entitles some workers to unpaid leave. Second,
many unexpected things occur in pregnancy and childbirth,
and you would be wise to leave yourself options. As I
learned when I was a graduate student, you could, for
example, be put on complete bedrest with 16 weeks of your
pregnancy still to go! Or, as I learned as a new
professor, your newborn child could fall deathly ill and be
hospitalized for weeks. And, according to the March of
Dimes website, approximately 12 percent of American babies
are born prematurely. In short, don't battle to the death
for a particular set of dates, because they may turn out
not to suit you. Do, as soon as you have an offer, ask
whether the tenure clock is automatically stopped for a
year for the mother of a new baby, and if it isn't,
consider asking for it to stop for you.
Wishing you luck and joy with the baby and the job
Nov 2005
My husband and I saved our money and recently moved to the Bay
area from the East Coast. I finished my M.A. and am now
interviewing for PT to FT work in the Bay area. My husband is
also looking for work. I am 5 months pregnant with our first
child and am starting to show (although most people probably just
think I'm ''large'' since I am tall). I haven't had any problems
getting interviews in my field. However, I just lost one job due
to my honesty: the potential job's timing was such that I'd be
most needed when I am due in the spring and I just didn't feel it
was ethically right for me to put the employer in that position.
I know that legally I am not required to tell employers I am
pregnant, and they in turn are not allowed to inquire. It is
causing me considerable emotional strain, though. My career is
very important to me and I really want to work until the last
minute and return to a job as soon as possible after birth (not
to mention financial necessity). I am afraid that if I am hired
and an employer then learns I am pregnant, that it will cause
negative feelings at work. On the other hand, I feel dishonest if
I do not tell an employer. I'd like to hear from other women
who've searched for/found work while they were pregnant and how
they handled this awkward situation. Or, if there are employers
who have experienced this, please also give your feedback. Much
appreciated!
anonymous
I was in a very similar situation last fall. While interviewing I came
to the conclusion that I wouldn't tell potential employers about my
pregnancy until I was actually offered a job - I figured there was no
reason to put them in the position of deciding to do something illegal.
However, this conflicted with my thought that I wouldn't want to work
someplace that wasn't ''family friendly'', which lent support to telling
prospective firms up front.
In the end, I was five months pregnant when I was offered a new job at a
large firm in SF. When the HR rep called to offer me the job the first
thing I did was tell her that I was pregnant. I figured we could use
that time to negotiate things (like maternity leave) and I could use her
reaction to decide if the firm was a good fit for me or not. I also
figured that while they can't revoke a job offer because I was pregnant,
they could make the job offer so unattractive that I wouldn't take it.
I ended up taking the job and things turned out well. Although I later
heard that my new supervisors were pissed when they found out they had
hired a pregnant lady, they also completely understood why I didn't tell
them in the interviews and said I did everything right. I used the last
few months of my pregnancy to work hard and prove to them that I was a
valuable asset to the firm, since I was in no way guaranteed a job after
maternity leave (state and federal leave laws, other than the pregnancy
disability pay, only apply if you've been on the job more than a year).
I think once they got over the ''shock'' of my pregnancy it was really
no big deal. I was able to take four months of unpaid maternity leave
with the rest of my benefits intact and a job waiting for me at the end
of the leave.
I'd say go with your instinct - just because you're pregnant doesn't
mean that you can't still be a valuable employee. The same advice
applies to pregnant and non-pregnant job seekers
alike: be yourself in the interview.
Good luck!
working mama
I would be honest. If it will keep the potential employer from hiring
you, you would not want to work for them anyway, because apparently they
don't support working moms.
A friend of mine interviewed for a job while pregnant and got the job.
She was on maternity leave for 4 months.
It wasn't easy starting a new job being pregnant and more tired than
usual and returning full time having a needy infant at home, but if you
love your job it is doable with a supportive employer.
*
Dear pregnant job hunter,
I am a man that owns a consulting company that employs technical people.
We recently hired a woman for a key support position. During the call
to offer her the job, she notified us that she was pregnant. This was
just after we had uttered the words offering her the job. She claimed
to be completely surprised that she was four months pregnant and had
just found out the night before. This put us in a difficult spot. We
needed the work done and we could not rescind the offer, since it could
have set us up for a lawsuit. It does create some confusion and concern
over how we will deal with the position during her absence. Subsequent
comments from her revealed that she was aware of her pregnancy for much
longer than she let on. I have ended up not trusting her completely.
However, she has turned out to be a good employee. We will see how it
goes.
I believe that employers should be allowed to inquire about pregnancy,
and to not hire women on that basis. I know, I sound like the fascist
anti-Christ. But, when you run a small company you just cannot afford
to keep positions open and deal with all the stuff that goes along with
family leave, UNLESS you have a person who is willing to be truthful and
work with you to get the job done. Too many people see employment,
naturally, from the employee's point of view. Which, unfortunately,
boils down to ''What can I get'', rather than ''How can I best
contribute to the success of this organization''.
So, my advice is to be honest. First, with yourself regarding what you
really want to do regarding employment (sounds like you are already
there). Then I would be honest with your potential employers and show
them you have thought it through from their perspective, and want to be
part of their success as an enterprise. I believe they will embrace
you, and implicitly trust you.
Best of luck,
An Ordinary Guy
Sept 2004
I am currently 15 weeks pregnant (first pregnancy) and it is
already pretty obvious. I have been looking for work for 10
months now on top of that.
Now that I am showing, should I just give up the search? I am
just a mid level Administrative Assistant, not in any specialty,
so I don't have employers banging down my door. I get the
impression employers don't want to hire pregnant women. What was
your experience? And I am more interested in people who are not
in a specialized career.
anon
Hi-
I am the woman who posted the question that appeared in the
archives:
http://parents.berkeley.edu/advice/working/preg_interview.html
I say go for it! I was five months pregnant when I found my
current position. I posted the very same question as you as I
thought no one in their right mind would hire a woman who was
about to deliver and go on maternity leave. Luckily, I was
wrong.
I went into interviews probably more confident than ever. My
son was my good luck charm and I knew that I could handle
anything.
For a while I was unsure whether I should mention my very
obvious belly at interviews. Eventually I decided to dress
professionally, but not come out in some over the top maternity
outfit. I never spoke about being pregnant during the interview
either. It was only after my second interview, and after an
offer had been made, did my boss ask when I was due.
I was able to use my expertise and confidence to negotiate a
deal where I could work from home, which I now do two days a
week, so I can be with my son.
I say find a place that will pay you what you need and give you
the flexibility to be a mom. My son gets sick at the drop of
the hat and between staying home and doctors appointments,
flexibility is key. I am not some high-paid lawyer or top
ranking anything either; just a mom who needed a job.
Good luck!!!
Workin' Mama!
June 2003
Hello-
I am hoping someone out there has been in this situation.
I found out last week that I will no longer be employed after
the end of the fiscal year, due to the state budget.
That same day I also found out that I have an interview in
another division. Talk about your good news and bad!
I really want this ''new'' job. My commute will be cut in half and
my family lives in this new town--which will be very handy for
child care.
My dilemma is this: I am five months pregnant. Should I just
come out and acknowledge that I am expecting and hope that they
don't see this as a hinderance and red flag? Or do I keep my
mouth shut, letting them think that I am just heavy until I get
an offer? I know that ''legally'' they don't have the right to
ask, but I can't help and think that it would be dishonest to
avoid the obvious elephant in the room, so to speak, and not
mention my pregnancy. On the other hand, I don't want to provide
them with any reason to not hire me, which I fear a baby might
do.
I have been in exactly your situation, with an interview for a
state job when 5 months pregnant. I wasn't previously employed
by the state, though. I didn't show much, and I didn't mention
it in the first interview, knowing that the process for getting
hired for this particular job would involve at least 2 or 3
interviews for the successful candidate. I figured if I got a
second interview, I was among a handful of their top choices, and
I would be in a better position (and probably unable to avoid) to
mention it then. I did get the second interview, at
71/2 months, mentioned it then, and it was not a problem for
hiring me, just for determining when I would start. (I ended up
not starting until after the birth, which was good for me, but I
did have to start when my child was only 9 weeks old, which was
not so good. I negotiated to start 1/2 time though, and work my
way up.) For a state job, as you may know, the division
looking to fill a position may have to fill it or lose it by a
certain date. That was an issue for me given how far along I was
when they finally made their hiring decision, but it got worked
out in the end. Fill or lose is probably an even greater concern
now with the budget cuts. You are protected from pregnancy
discriminaton by state law, and state law is stronger than
federal law in this area. A state agency should be especially
concerned about even appearing to discriminate. You should not
be afraid to disclose your pregnancy, but at the same time, you
want to disclose it when you feel you are in the strongest
position, if possible. Also, you want to show flexibility with
respect to the leave you might request, to prevent that from
becoming an issue in hiring you. You may also have some
advantage in that there might be some requirement that the
division give preference to qualified candidates who are being
terminated from other state employment. Try to find out. At the
very least, try to talk to some people employed by the division
to get a sense of what the atmosphere there is and what the
managers are looking for. Good luck!
raissa
You absolutely do not have to tell them that you are pregnant.
You should be interviewed and judged on the abilities that you
bring to the job. The interviewer has no right to ask about
your family status. Good luck on your interview.
anon
I had to do this once. I did not tell the interviewers that I
was pregnant but did tell my new boss as soon as I was hired. I
felt bad but also felt that it was what I needed to do to secure
a job. As long as you can do the essential functions of a job,
you do not need to disclose any ''disabilities'', of which
pregnancy is one. You actually help the potential new employer
to stay legal by not telling them during the selection process;
you are not giving them an illegal but tempting reason not to
consider you.
anon
I was pregnant through the fall/winter and job hunting at the
same time. In the fall, I was networking via email and phone.
Then come January, I started to get some calls. By that time I
was 6 months pregant (2nd pregnancy) and out to there! I got
dressed up for my interviews (maternity wear) and walked into my
interviews with as professional an attitude as I could. I was
eager to land a job BEFORE the baby came. (I couldn't imagine
being as focused after the baby.) Each of the five different
interviewers I met with congratulated me when I walked in the
room, but never initiated discussion about it. I know I did not
have to say anything about it, but I felt that was silly (like
you say, not talking about the elephant in the room.) So, at the
very end of our meetings, I would say, ''Well, as you can see, I
am expecting. I am due on such-and-such date. My plan is to take
XX months off to care for the baby. Then I plan to return to work
on or around such-and-such date.'' Usually, we'd have some
discussion of the employer's needs and how it would work. I was
quite sure I wanted to have a full 3 months off and given it
would be unpaid, I was firm about it. Each interviewer was
upfront about their schedule (luckily it wasn't an issue in most
cases). They clearly appreciated my directness. I think they even
liked the idea of having a few months to play with (i.e. they
wouldn't have to make the decision to hire me within a few days.)
So, that's what I did. You'll have to do what's most comfortable
for you. In the end, I had about 3 offers to consider. It felt
great! And I'm proud of myself for dealing with it in a
straightforward manner. I felt I was honoring my pregnancy as
well as myself as a person with lots to offer.
Starting work in July
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