Job interviewing while pregnant?

I've been there. My first round of job interviews post-college happened to coincide with my 5th month of pregnancy. For the first and only time in my life, I didn't get offered any of the jobs I interviewed for. I ended up having to sign on with a temp agency, and found a good permanent position through them.

I didn't sue for pregnancy discrimination, because I had no proof and I wouldn't do that anyway, but I sure was bitter about it for quite a while.

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My wife went for a job interview while she was pregnant, interestingly enough to replace another worker who was going on maternity leave.

It was tough for her to find work because of the pregnancy, but a lot of the firms said they'd keep her in mind after she had the baby, and one or two of them called her back and offered her jobs.

The discrimination debate is a tricky one. On one hand, if I told a prospective employer I'd be taking a 3 month leave of absence one month into the job, I don't think they would hire me, as a man, either. On the other, having a child shouldn't take you out of the running for any job. If the position doesn't need to be filled immediately, maybe a later negotiated start date could be arranged.

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i have a friend who was 'run off' of her job because she got pregnant. AND SHE WORKED FOR LAWYERS! imagine that!! I told her she should sue for pregnancy discrimination but she didn't, I'm not sue happy but I would have slapped them in the face with a lawsuit so fast it would have made their heads spin. Even if I didn't win, just the embarrassment to them would have been enough for me!

My sister went on a job interview when she was 39 weeks pregnant and lucky for her, she was replacing a girl who was leaving indefinitely after the birth of her baby in a little over a month. so she lucked out I guess. she had the baby and 7 weeks later had a new job too!

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That’s a tough one. While I believe no woman should be punished in the workplace for being pregnant/having children, I agree with the commenter who pointed out: “if I told a prospective employer I'd be taking a 3 month leave of absence one month into the job, I don't think they would hire me, as a man, either” and his idea that more flexible start dates might be a good solution. Also, it’s simply a fact that some women, for varying reasons, elect to not come back from their maternity leave. We had that happen at the university where I teach, and while I certainly didn’t begrudge her choice, the reality is that it did put us in a difficult position. Certainly, many women are deeply committed to their work and have every intention of returning, but I can imagine the employer, if he or she has had women unexpectedly not return, holding that possibility in the back of his or her mind when interviewing a pregnant woman or a woman who’s planning to have children soon—I know they shouldn’t be, but I think that’s just the hard reality. In the end, I hope the person who seemed the most qualified, capable, and committed would get the job. There have been so many media stories about women who are opting out, and I think more coverage of pregnant women who are rocking the workplace would be great.

For me, planning helped a lot. I waited to become pregnant until I was eligible for a sabbatical, then timed it so I would give birth, recover, and also have time for my husband and to settle in with the baby during the sabbatical, then go back to work as planned. Obviously, not all jobs have such flexibility (probably most don’t) and unexpected things can always happen, but as much as possible, I think sensible planning can go a long way. Right now, my husband and I aren’t sure if we’re going to have more children and if we do, we’d definitely wait until our daughter is older, because we both love family life and our professional lives and want to do both with our sanity intact. Again, I’m not saying others should necessarily follow this track, but just offering what’s worked for me.

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I once interviewed a woman somewhere about 38 weeks pregnant for a job to start about 3 weeks later - and hired her, and everything worked out great, right on schedule!! I didn't ask about child care issues, as I certainly wouldn't have asked a male applicant that, but I did think about it!

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Good for you, Nancy. That's great you were willing to take a bit of a chance and it worked out so well. Hopefully that will inspire some of the pregnant and working blog readers!

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My job was eliminated in January, when I was about 28 weeks pregnant. I have applied for multiple positions at the same company (mostly because I like the child care and my son is very bonded with his teachers and classmates) and have yet to get so much as a phone call for any of them. I'm now 37 weeks and losing hope. It's a total catch-22. I can't keep my childcare slots unless I'm employed there. At this stage of the game, it's too late to get on waiting lists at the other decent (but not nearly as good as where my son is now) child care facilities in the area so even if I find a job somewhere else for the fall, I won't have care for my kids.

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Given a choice, I wouldn't begin a job hunt if I was about to have a baby in the next several months. Knowing that I would need to go on leave and then have restricted travel just when I ought to be getting up to speed in a new job, I would consider that to be dishonest. I would rather stay at my current job and get the maternity benefits I have earned, and later consider my next move after I know how things will be with the new child. (Different kids have different needs when it comes to child care / health issues / etc., and this sometimes affects the parents' career choices.)

This is actually my current reality. I am expecting a couple of babies by adoption and intend to take a significant leave. I have had recruiters call me about great opportunities, but I have told them this is not the right time for me to make a move, so I will not waste anyone's time on interviews. I don't believe in jerking people around - prospective employers or otherwise.

I might have a different comment if I had a different kind of job. If I honestly felt I could do the job and not hurt the employer by disrupting my initial months with pregnancy leave, that would be a different story. But I think most jobs do require an initial time of stability for training, team-building, etc., before it is reasonable to expect employers / co-workers to be supportive about your pregnancy leave.

I feel for those who have no choice but to look for a new job during pregnancy. Good luck to those of you who are in this process.

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The thing about human rights and discrimination is...it's NOT the same as a guy taking a 3 month leave of absence right after getting a job. Women, biologically, are the ones who can get pregnant. So it's illegal to discriminate against them because they do. It's not the same as CHOOSING to take a leave of absence. You give birth, it should be a right to spend time with your newborn baby. At least that's how feel about it, and I think that's the spirit of anti-discrimination law too.

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While I feel strongly about discrimination - pregnancy is a different matter. Pregnant is not WHO you are it is a condition that sometimes requires people take substantial time off of work which I feel is not appropriate at least the first year on a job.

I've been pregnant a couple times obviously and was very emotional but I can't blame anyone for not hiring someone who is obviously pregnant and will need to take substantial time off their first year on the job.

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I had a former boss ask me, after I was hired, if I was planning on starting a family. At the time he asked I told him the truth and said "no" A year and half later I was pregnant. He was not supportive in the least and began giving all the men in the dept the "extra perks" while I had to schedule my OBG visits during my lunch and heaven forbid I was late getting back to the office. I ended up having my OB take me out of work early do to stress and I never went back.

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A woman should definitely not be run off of a job because of pregnancy, but I think it's asking too much to expect a hiring entity to completely ignore the impact a pregnancy will have.

When I was pregnant and working, I was in a very female-friendly corporation...the US Army. Pregnant soldiers have it good! If I had to find a job while pregnant, I'd head to a temp agency.

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