Ask Amy: Pregnant job seeker ponders disclosure
Dear Amy: I like my workplace, but I'm easily working 60 to 70 hours a week with no overtime compensation. The pace is unsustainable, especially now that I'm three months pregnant. There is no slowing down at my workplace -- my profession is very time sensitive and demands me to be on-call all the time, including nights and weekends.
A dream job, in a related but different field, became open recently. I applied and got invited to interview. My question is, at what point in the interview process do I disclose that I'm pregnant? And what should I say when I get asked my reasons for leaving my current job?
I still don't look pregnant, and by my calculations, I would potentially get hired three months before my due date.
-- Preggers in need of balance
Dear Preggers: When seeking a job change, you should tell potential employers that you believe you have maximized your opportunities where you are.
Putting in 20 to 30 "extra" hours a week with no additional compensation reduces your net income considerably. Surely, you're seeking a job with better hours and appropriate compensation. (You would be a fool not to!)
In terms of your pregnancy, you are not legally required to disclose it at any time. You could walk in to an interview at eight months pregnant, and the hiring manager should not ask you about it. (At that stage of pregnancy, should a potential hire bring it up in an interview herself? It depends.)
Do not disclose your early-term pregnancy during your first interview with the company. It is not relevant to your professional skills. You should move forward in the process with confidence that you will make it to the next stage. The hiring process these days can last for many months.
If you develop a rapport with the hiring manager and are very obviously pregnant during a later-stage interview, you could address it and offer reassurances that you will handle your challenges readily -- the way countless working mothers have done, since the dawn of time.
You might benefit from reading "Here's the Plan.: Your Practical, Tactical Guide to Advancing Your Career During Pregnancy and Parenthood," by Allyson Downey (2016, Seal Press).
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