Job hunting while pregnant? Mum's the word

March 28, 2012

Job hunting while pregnant? Mum's the word

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By Karla L. Miller / Special to The Washington Post

Q: I am in the early stages of a job search and in the early stages of pregnancy. If things go well, when do I need to let potential employers know I am expecting? I don't want to start a job with the perception that I was deceptive, but I don't want to give potential employers grounds for discrimination, even if they do not intend to discriminate.

A: This answer involves a complicated algorithm of legal, practical and ethical issues, and there's no one "right" solution. (Welcome to motherhood.)

Scenario One: You tell. Legally, the employer can't reject you for being pregnant. Practically, between two equally qualified candidates, would you bet on the one with no known prior commitments, or the one who will need at least six weeks' leave in her first year?

Scenario Two: You don't tell. Legally, you don't have to. Ethically, not telling might create bad blood. And you could still -- legally -- end up jobless if the employer refuses to let you take personal leave you haven't earned yet. Federal law allows 12 weeks of unpaid leave, but only for workers employed for a year in companies of a certain size.

My advice: Keep the news under your Bellaband while you discreetly gauge how mommy-friendly the place is and how well it could absorb your absence. (Ask current and former employees, not HR, about work-life balance.) Consider also the cards you hold; how in-demand are you in this economy?

If you decide you should tell, wait for an offer letter. Then, explain that you'll need time off for your prior commitment. There's no guarantee the offer won't somehow be withdrawn. But if the employer says, "No problem, when can you start?" make sure you spend your pre-maternity-leave months earning goodwill as a star performer.

Send Karla L. Miller questions at wpmagazine@washpost.com.

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Jen on March 29, 2012 11:18 AM | Reply

I once found myself in the position of job-hunting while pregnant. I opted not to tell, which is my legal right, and got the job. I was only about 10 weeks pregnant at the time.

Of course, I soon started showing and my secret was out. My new boss angrily confronted me. I pointed out that I wasn't legally obligated to disclose my pregnancy, and also that I was so newly pregnant at the time I could very well have miscarried (as I had in the past) and would have been both baby-less AND job-less.

She let it go at the time, but within a month of returning from maternity leave after my baby was born I was "let go" due to "downsizing." I had my suspicions that it was her payback, and I felt that my suspicions were confirmed two weeks later when they hired someone new to replace me in a position that had supposedly been "downsized." I wish now that I had pursued some legal action back then.

Job hunting while pregnant? Mum's the word

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