Pregnant Job Interview – According to U.S. employers’ regulation, it is prejudiced in asking whether the interviewee is pregnant or not during the job interview. However, in the practice, you might see there are some employers who ask this kind of question. For those who are having pregnant job interview, it is your decision to give the information about your pregnancy or not.
If you are having pregnant job interview when your pregnancy period is showing, naturally you will give the information to the employers. Informing your pregnancy to the employers allows them to sort the jobs and confirms whether you can perform the jobs or not. It is illegal thing to reject the interviewees just because they are pregnant when in fact their pregnancy does not keep them away from performing the duties in proper manner.
Pregnant Job Interview Aspect to Consider
However, in the real life, there are many employers who are still biased. They will simply refuse hiring the pregnant women because of their pregnancy. Not all employers are biased, but these unbiased employers also face the dilemma in hiring the pregnant women, since they will take medical reimbursement or leaving permission shortly after they are hired.
For the women who are having the pregnant job interview, you will also face the dilemma. When you are stating about your pregnancy, there is a possibility the employers might not hire you even it is illegal. However, sometimes you are not informing your employers or just postpone the time until they know about your pregnancy. It is inevitable for your belly to keep growing and show your pregnancy to other people. Your new employers will know it sooner or later. Not telling your employers the truth, then it just brings further problem, since they might be disappointed of what you haven’t mention it before. It can make your job life becomes more miserable.
Many experts recommend you to mention your pregnancy during the interview. By being honest, you can prevent the resentment down the road and to make sure you have the insurance coverage which you require for your pregnancy and new baby. In having pregnant job interview, you are recommended to have the interview business as usual. Make sure you present your qualifications. If it is possible, make the employers interested in your qualifications before mentioning your pregnancy. It is highly recommended for you to mention the pregnancy when you are in the negotiation phase of your interview.
Another aspect to consider when you are having pregnant job interview is maternity benefits. These benefits are different from one company to another. You might find some companies will provide more benefits while other companies only offer minimum Federal or state government mandatory.
It is recommended to investigate the health insurance and maternity benefits before accepting the job. When you are already in the negotiation phase, but you still do not want to inform about your pregnancy, you might want to do some researches about the company policies. Those researches are including the waiting period before the health benefits, preexisting condition clauses, coverage for prenatal, and much more.
Before attending to the interview place, you should decide whether you want to inform or disclose your pregnancy. If you are deciding to tell the truth, you also need to decide how further you will share the information to your employers. You might want to rehearse the way you communicate the information about pregnancy to the potential employers. It is important for you to remember that even though some employers who are hesitant to hire the pregnant women, you still can find many employers who value the skills enough to accept the pregnant women.
When you are having pregnant job interview, you need to focus on your skills. You have to prove yourself as the attractive candidate. In asking the maternity benefits, you have to find the right time. Whether you decide to stay in the company or not, you should not forget to thank the interviewers for their time to interview you.
In presenting your skills, you should answer the interview questions by giving the examples from the past experience. The best time to mention your pregnancy is after you ask about your position at the company. After you finish asking the questions about the position, you can say thank you before mentioning your pregnancy. In informing your pregnancy, you might want to state “Thank you for your time. I am very excited with this opportunity. I am happy to work together with your company where I can express my skill, but I hope you wouldn’t mind that I am currently pregnant”.
When mentioning your pregnancy, it is highly recommended for you to also state the plan how to complete the job while you are in your pregnancy period. You might want to offer the solution to make up the time missed for doctor’s appointments. It is also wise decision to inform the employers about the child-care plans. Some women who are in the nearest potential date offer to work as the consultant or on temporary basis. It is possible for you to get the permanent job after giving the birth to your baby.
Pregnant women are wondering whether they are doing the interview on the phone before applying the job or not. You should know that the disclosing the fact in the telephone is not good idea. If you are having job interview over the telephone, it is recommended for you not to mention about your pregnancy in the telephone.
It is known that taking care of newborn baby is not cheap. When you are getting the job, you might want to try negotiating the extra maternity benefits, especially if those benefits are not enough. However, you should not push your luck.
For your information, there are some companies who require their employee to submit the statement from professional doctor related to the inability to work before giving permission to leave or paying sick benefits. There are also the companies which prohibit the employee to return to work for predetermined length of time after giving the birth. However, it is possible for you to shorten or to lengthen the leave period. As the conclusion, the decision whether you inform the employers or not during pregnant job interview is still in your hand.
Pregnant Job Interview Reference:
- The Pregnant Job-Seeker: What to Say, and When?. nytimes.com/2005/03/20/business/yourmoney/20advi.html
- Job interviewing while pregnant?. parentdish.com/2007/03/29/job-interviewing-while-pregnant/
- Interviewing while Pregnant. jobsearchtech.about.com/od/interview/l/aa082800_2.htm
- Image: newvision.co.ug
Article publié pour la première fois le 19/09/2015