Pregnancy is a beautiful time in a woman’s life, but it should never be a reason not to continue thinking about your career if that is something that is also important to you! Many women will find themselves in the position of being a pregnant job seeker at one point or another in life.
Here, we’ll provide a few helpful tips on managing the process of being a pregnant job seeker.
Determine what’s most important to you.
Consider the factors that will be most important to you when you have your child. Are specific benefits important as a pregnant woman? Is schedule flexibility or the ability to work from home important? Is an increased salary critical for your family’s financial well-being? Do you want to work three days a week? All of these factors are important in determining the role that is best for you to pursue to ensure optimal happiness during this exciting, upcoming time in your life.
There is no (legal) reason being pregnant needs to be a topic of discussion in an interview.
You are never obligated to share that you are pregnant.
When you interview, know that it’s not legal for employers to inquire about personal things like your age, plans for having a family (whether current or future), and marriage status. An employer never has a right to discriminate against a pregnant job seeker, but it’s important to realize that they may do so unwittingly. You have a right to keep your pregnancy to yourself until the time when you feel it’s most important to share the news.
Compile great references.
Great references are critically important for all job seekers, including pregnant ones. When your future employer does learn that you are pregnant, they will likely recall the reference check process and will (hopefully) remember that you are a dedicated and committed employee in times thick and thin. Having had a great reference experience will just be affirmation that they made the right decision.
Do share the news before starting your job.
You want to start off on the right foot with your employer. If you didn’t share that you are pregnant prior to accepting the offer, it’s a good idea to share the information before you start work. Sharing the news before you start shows respect for the employer’s ability to plan around your own plans as a pregnant woman, and you can indicate how important the job is to you both now and post-baby (you may want to do this prior to an offer anyway if you are showing). If your employer knows that the role is important to your family’s financial well-being or to your own personal growth and well-being, they may feel more confident that you’ll look forward to picking up where you left off after maternity leave.
Take this time to reflect upon what is important to you when you have a family!
In short, don’t let the fact that you are pregnant hinder your career plans or dreams. In fact, it could be an impetus to make a move toward a career that pays more, or provides greater stability or benefits. As a pregnant job seeker, you should consider this time in life as an opportunity to evaluate what factors are important from a career standpoint in general, and find the job that supports those things. Being a pregnant job seeker should be a good thing!
Cara Aley is a freelance writer who covers a variety of topics ranging from digital marketing strategy and payroll outsourcing to product recommendations for moms. She ran her own small business for almost three years and now runs operations for a start-up with six employees.
