Finally Got The Interview For My Dream Job And have Found Out I'm Pregnant

Although you cannot discriminate against pregnant women you can see that a company in the situation above would not have regarded her as the best candidate if she would be away from the office at a crucial time when they needed her most.

It's a tough call but I think that your employer should be told as otherwise it could create very bad feeling as the employer may feel they were duped by you.

I would wait until you have been offered the job to tell them. But I would tell them. By being upfront with them it will relieve pressure on you to be hiding the fact you are pregnant. If they hire you as a pregnant woman, in the event that you need to take extra time off, for whatever reason (very bad morning sickness, high blood pressure), before or after the pregnancy, they will be much more open to and accepting of that, having hired you pregnant, if you see what I mean...

I would agree with the posters that said to wait for the job offer before you tell them.

They are not allowed to discriminate on the grounds of pregnancy but the reality is that there is a high probability they would not make an offer if they were aware of it before the interview.

Good luck with the interview and the pregnancy.

Ok,

have decided to 'dress' well and not breath a bean about the Bump. Should I be offered the job, I will immediately advise them of my situation BEFORE signing the contract and put my proposal to them for a start date bearing in mind a sprog will soon be dropped. If they come back and say my proposed start date is not beneficial to the company for business reasons and they withdraw the offer, I believe that they can do that, but I would hope that we could work around it.

The interview is next week, so I am keeping everything crossed.........shame I never did that last October!

Cozzie

Oops ..... I reckon you should sign .... say nada until later and then say you never knew ..... a joyous occasion .... all the more joyous 'cos twas a surprise.

You need the job ..... they'll get over it if you are a good worker!

Oops said:

Hi all, sorry Cozzie hope you don't mind me jumping in on your post. Have a question that I hope I can get some advice on. Had an interview for a job way back in the summer and have only just heard back from them now with a job offer, thing is I am now 12 weeks pregnant. Am at the stage were I will be signing my contract the beginning of next week. I feel dishonest not telling them (was going to tell them when I start) at the same time I will be able for the job, it's just when it comes to time off for hospital appointments and then obviously maternity leave but I REALLY need to start a permanent job (working temporary now). What to do? Tell them before signing the contract (but does that run the risk of them not employing me)? Tell them as soon as I start in the job? Or wait a while until I start obviously showing before I tell them? I fear the atmosphere after I tell them!

Click to expand...

This is a no brainer - Sign the contract, then inform them of your pregnancy. If they refuse to employ you, then they are breaking the law anyway.

Seriously, you can do the job, so what on earth are you feeling guilty about? If they offered you the job in the summer, would you decide not to get pregnant

Congratulations BTW!

Very true Diziet, I would be in the same position if I had have started the job in the summer. Thanks for that PaddyBloggit & Diziet, just needed a bit of reassurance from outsiders.

stevo's wife posting here.........

Just giving a real life example of someone who did not mention a pregnancy when interviewing or starting a new job.

I started a job 3 years ago. I was 5wks pregnant doing the interview, 6wks when I signed the contract, 11wks when I started in my new job, and I did not tell my manager until I was about 17 wks pregnant.

I decided not to mention my pregnancy because the previous year I was very advanced in discussions with another company when I found out I was pregnant - that time I decided to pull out of the recruitment process and stay in my old job. However, a few weeks later I lost the baby and ended up with no baby and no new job. I wasn't about to repeat this mistake.

But, I can hand on heart say that there was never, EVER any ill-feeling towards me for not "fessing up to" my pregnancy.(And, why should there be. I was simply doing what I was legally entitled to do.)

I started my maternity leave the day after my probation period ended, I took 6mths mat leave, returned to work - was allowed parental leave one day per week and was promoted within 2mths of returning to work to a role that I love.

Within 3 mths of moving into the promotion role I told them that I was pregnant again. Last Feb I went on my second mat leave and I just returned to work this week.

So, in the last nearly 3 years I have been on mat leave for 17 months . But, I was welcomed back with open arms again this week. And, who knows I might go on leave again later this year !

So - the above is an example to show that despite what posters are saying above, it is not a given that people will "hold it against you" if you do not "fess up to" the pregnancy.

My advice would be to take the job , and when the time comes to tell them you stand up straight and look them in the eye and confidently tell them your happy news. Do not act apologetic about it, or give off "vibes" that you are "confessing" to something wrong. There is NOTHING wrong about being pregnant. And, you will have done NOTHING wrong. You are legally and morally entitled to plan your family in any way you wish. Your managers, or potential managers, are not allowed to hold it against you.

Just wanted to give a more positive slant...........

That's really well said Stevo's wife.

First post here -- I am so relieved to hear all your opinions here & thank you Cozzie for starting this thread. I hope your interview went well & your pregnancy, too.

I'm in a similar situation as Oops actually. The interview was such a long drawn out process that took over 3 months to complete!!! Now that I have the offer, I found out I'm pregnant - I'm not even sure how many weeks.

This is my second child & after 6 years so it's almost like a primie again. I have been thinking of contacting the hiring manager before I sign the contract. Afterall they have already offered it to me, right? Now literally they'd be discriminating against a pregnant woman by pulling out the offer. But I'm thinking by talking to the manager, then my conscience will be clear & they'll know what to expect too.

How does that sound? What do you think? Am I crazy or just hormonal?

Stevo's wife had really good points but though I know legally not saying anything is fine, I'm still scared of the potential climate I may land in.