I am retired, 100% disabled and stay at home. Can't really work so my wife has been working full time since my retirement. She went back after three years and is trying to get a better management job in sales and marketing commensurate with her experience.
She was recently recruited by a company rep she had been working with previously. She is 6 months pregnant so was not actively seeking a new job but this prospective job checks off most if not all of her wishes so she really wants the job but is not sure how to best handle the fact that she is 6 months pregnant.
She does not intend to take a significant amount of time off but she is due mid July and at that point would have only been in job for about 2 months.
This is a work from home about 50% job and she doesn't want to be dishonest with the hiring manager but at the same time doesn't want to be judged on this alone.
She has been interviewing by phone up to this point and has developed a pretty good report with her prospective boss, she will be flying to interview in person very soon though so she does not know how to handle this, or address it with him
Thank you for your help and suggestions.
Answers
I agree with Amy (above) there are laws to protect against these contingencies -- however if it is a company that would not hire based on pregnancy -- I would pass
As an HR professional, I can say that, if she is the best candidate for the position, AND the job has work from home potential, a pregnancy is not going to change my mind about hiring. She needs to have a plan before she goes in, however, on how she will handle the birth and subsequent recuperation. If she can be up front with the employer about how she will handle that, they will likely be impressed enough to hire her!
Congratulations and good luck to her!
She has two issues, should she say anything about the pregnancy before the face-to-face interview and how can she prevent the prospective employer from eliminating her because she is pregnant. The answer is you have to convince the hiring manager you are the best candidate even if they will loose your work for a few days in three months. If you were the interviewer what would convince you?
The answer is knowing she has the best set of job skills and will do the job better than any other candidate. It is not the managers job to know those skills. It is her job to know them and present them convincingly. Plan,plan, plan. Find out everything possible about the company, corporate goals, the reason for the open position. Then create a presentation with her of how her job skills will help the company and the department reach those goals, how her personal goals and the company goals work together. I know during the interview she will not make a formal presentation. However, if this plan is clear in her mind, I will guarantee what she can do for the company will come across in the interview. However, if she does not know, who does?
Hi Mark,
Sounds like a congratulations is in order on multiple fronts! Glad to further discuss if you're still exploring this question. E-mail me at vartges.saroyan@gmail.com and let's chat. When's the interview?
Best,
Vartges
Mark - According to the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA), it forbids discrimination based on pregnancy when it comes to any aspect of employment...... including hiring. Encourage your wife to proceed with the interview. YOUR employer of choice should solely focus on her skills and abilities. If any employer makes their decision based on her pregnancy, it is not a place where your wife should spend her talent and time with. Best of Luck!!
Mark - start here : https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/pregnancy.cfm.
Ask your wife to consider level setting with recruiter on her plans, and encourage her to consider pursuing regardless.
Good luck,
Patrick Haley (Delivery Project Manager - IBM)
One option is for her to quit working and stay home with the kid(s).
Starting a new position just to go on maternity leave is not ideal. In fact, her leave status may be affected if she is still in her probationary period.
I'm not an HR person, some others who specialize in HR could weigh in here.
Your Answer
Please log in to answer this question.