Job searching while pg

[hainesherway]

Hi all, I used to post here years ago, but haven't in a while.  I'm looking for advice/commiseration on the predicament I've found myself in.

I was laid off from my job of 13 years last month.  It was due to client budget cuts and had nothing to do with my performance.  I received 13 weeks of severance, paid out bi-weekly.  The company also paid for a service to help with my job search.  The kicker is, I'm pregnant (22 weeks).  The company also made it so that if I get a job before the 13 weeks is up, I'm only eligible for half of the remaining severance.  After that, I'll be eligible for unemployment.  I took my 2 young kids out of daycare and have been taking care of them full-time.

I've been in contact with my network, and people are sending me job postings that I'm interested in.  However, I don't want to start a new job until my severance pay has finished (near the end of June) and honestly I don't want the stress of a new job until after the new baby can go to daycare (6 weeks is the youngest a daycare will accept an infant in my area).  If I were to interview and be offered a job, I would need to negotiate at least a 6 week maternity leave, which I'm not sure many companies would offer after me being there only a couple months.  My gut is telling me to focus on updating my resume, creating my personal brand, and networking until a few weeks after the baby is born, and then going full-court press with the job search.  

Thoughts?  WWYD?

[Velar Fricative]

If full severance and then unemployment will keep your heads financially above water for a while even with the new baby coming, then I think your plan to spend the next few months working on your resume, networking, etc. is best. Otherwise, if you have serious financial concerns once you're only receiving unemployment, I'd be working on that resume and applying right this second even if it means actively interviewing while pregnant and trying to negotiate some leave.

If the former plan works for you, then still keep your focus on the job hunt even though you'll have a bit more time. Not sure if this is typical in your field of work or not, but in mine, I often see job postings for jobs where the expectation is that the person will start a few months later at least. So don't give up on interviewing while pregnant if the job is expected to be filled after your baby can start daycare.

[covergirl82]

I did not job search while PG, but I did job search during maternity leave with my first LO as I was very unhappy at the company I was at. (Mostly because they liked to start discriminating against female employees once they got PG and had kids.)

I agree with Velar Fricative that if you can manage financially until after you have the baby, that would give you time to polish up your resume and network. And if you need some income during the in-between, I wonder if you could find some freelance work (through Upwork or similar company) or something like Amazon customer service where you can work from home.

I started working on my resume while PG, but I didn't do much networking and LinkedIn wasn't around back then. I did contact a recruiting agency towards the end of my maternity leave to help me with my search. The recruiting agency happened to have a job that was exactly what I was looking for, and I did end up getting it.

Good luck!

[imojoebunny]

This is need, desire, and demand dependent for the work you are looking for. I worked with women who were hired when pregnant, and have friends who got jobs, while noticeably pregnant or on maternity leave. It happens at organizations that don't discriminate, which would be better to work for with two small kids, in general, IMO. Overall, it is definitely more challenging. If your willing, and can get daycare again for the shorter time frame, it might be worth it. Daycare here, is still quite tight, so it would likely not be possible to put your older children back in for 2-3 months, if you got a job soon, and then pull them out again, then put them back in when you go back to work, after the baby. I think it would make for a more relaxing maternity leave to have something lined up before, if possible, and that would make me want to try, if there is a monetary need and desire.

[woowoo]

If you want to work after baby, I don't know why you wouldn't keep on the hunt. Yes, it might be unlikely to find a place that will hire you and also grant you 6 weeks leave out of the gates, but if you found that place, wouldn't it be a place you'd want to work?

Reminded me of this article:
www.fastcompany.com/90304455/heres-what-happened-when-i-interviewed-for-a-new-job-while-heavily-pregnant

I was in the middle of IVF treatments when I took my current higher level leadership position, and while they weren't aware of an impending pregnancy when they hired me, my boss has been hugely supportive from the moment he heard the news, which was quite soon after I started the job. It's made me incredibly loyal.

In my last job, I promoted a manager two weeks before she left on maternity leave. She came back guns blazing and has done an amazing job in her new position since she was back.

I promise there are employers out there that are willing to work with situations like yours, and understand there is often a high level of loyalty that will be returned.

[waverly]

It all depends on your financial situation.

My H also got unemployment while getting severance so you might want to look into that more. I would put aside the money that I am saving from pulling the kids from daycare and money from unemployment for the time when severance runs out.

If I had the money, I would stay out of work until 16-20 weeks after having the baby.

If I needed the cash. I would gung ho apply right now and negotiate a 12 week (not 6) leave upon receiving an offer. I would not pursue a 6 week leave.

I learned from having 2 kids that the longer leaves are better for me.

[wildrice]

Keep in mind that they cannot legally use your pregnancy as a reason not to hire you. Since we don't have federally mandated leave I guess they don't have to grant you time off to recover, though. Still, I'd apply and see what happens, if you want to work relatively soon after baby comes. Each time I've job searched it has taken a minimum of 4 months to find something and typically longer to find something good. My last job started about 2 months after my phone interview. So it may be a slow process, and if not it's better to be in position to turn down an offer if the time ends up being wrong.

[lolo]

Just a success story--someone I know interviewed and was hired in her third trimester. They were willing to pay her entire maternity leave (14 weeks) and wait for her to start after that. This was for a director level role.

It can happen, so I don't see harm in reaching out now and being open about your timeline. Sometimes it takes a long time for employers as well. And even if you turn down one role because of timing, as long as you are honest about it from the get go, I don't see that it hurts you either.

But if you just want to relax and not job hunt, I wouldn't fault you.

[1yeartogo]

Years ago I was hired while pregnant...I don’t think they could tell because my suit jacket disguised it pretty well. When I was sent the offer letter in writing I called to advise I would love to accept but needed to disclose I was pregnant and would need 7-8 weeks leave and explained when I was due. They still hired me and I worked there for almost 6 years. It was very hard to leave my child at 6 weeks and but I had only worked at the new job for 2 months before my leave so they wouldn’t grant more.

So, I say interview! If you are offered a job negotiate then. The right job might come up and you could miss it if you wait. Also if you have an offer and then disclose it would be discriminatory to rescind the offer.

[gastro]

If your family needs your income I would job hunt aggressively during the next few weeks. These things take time so even if you landed something soon it's not likely you would start before the end of June anyway. Or maybe you could push the start date back. I think it will be difficult to start a job hunt with a newborn and 2 young children at home. I would not disclose the pregnancy until an offer was made.

[catbear]

I was laid off at the end of my first trimester, interviewed during my second, and started a new job at 30 weeks. Still got full mat leave (14 weeks) and ended up in a better position than I started with. It was a crazy time but worked out, so it is possible! I was interviewing at a manager level role in technology. I can answer questions about navigating leave policies & whether or not to disclose being pregnant.

[pinkdutchtulips]

I job searched while pg w dd nearly 10 years ago. An opportunity came up that I couldn’t resist so I went for it. I was 5- 5 1/2 months pg w dd at the time but bc 6’0” tall I looked chubby not pg. I was offered the position, broke the news to them I was pg, they agreed to my brief unpaid may leave (my last day was the day before I was induced at 41wks) and unreturned 7 wks later.

I had been laid off from my prior firm, a month fafter disclosing to them that i was pg. No severance and w then h being self-employed, i had no choice but to find something ASAP even if it was temping.