Job Interview: Should I tell them I'm pregnant?

Hedur218

Help - I have an interview tomorrow! I am 10 weeks pregnant and I really want this job!  I feel compelled to tell them I'm pregnant because I believe it is the right thing to do, but some ppl are telling me not to.   

Am I putting them in an awkward position by telling them I'm pregnant?  (liability/discrimination)
But If I don't tell them and I get hired, I feel like management and the other employees will have trust issues with me.
What would you do if you were in my position?

RunRestRepeat

Do you have any idea how many interviews you'll have for the position? If it's at least two, it might be worth waiting until after the first interview to see if they call you back in for a second. That way, you'll know you aren't getting a second interview out of any liability issues. It might also help to go in with a plan in place for maternity leave (as much as you can have one) because I'm sure they'll be curious as to whether a potential employee is going to just bail after baby is here.

At the end of the day, you have to do what feels right for you. If you feel "icky" not telling them, then you should be up front and tell them!

delujm0

I would go to the interview(s), and if you receive an offer tell them before you accept it.  Mostly because you would be in that job less than a year when you deliver, so if you were banking on FMLA protections to cover your maternity leave, you would be out of luck.  I'd want to pre-negotiate a maternity leave into my employment contract before accepting the position, personally, unless this employer just happens to have a good maternity leave policy that you would qualify for.

 

I'd also want to know things like how long it took before health insurance coverage kicked in, etc (assuming you would need to use their policy for your prenatal appointments).  And how their short term disability coverage works (most policies I've seen consider pregnancy a pre-existing condition and also require a year of employment before payout, so again, if you were banking on this coverage for payments during your leave, you may be out of luck).

DeansGirl14

Great advice above and best of luck on the interview!
I actually did quite a bit of googling on this myself as I have the opportunity to interview and change roles at my current job. I'm going to wait and see if I get an offer before telling the hiring manager, so I know I got it or lost it on my own merits. 
There are some very positive stories of employers that have hired pregnant women knowing they're pregnant. If you are truly the best person for the job, they'll want you now and they'll want you to come back from leave. And, if they can't find a temp or live without the role for a few months, that would make me question their overall management and thus them as an employer. KWIM? 

But I agree, tell them at the point of offer before accepting the offer. I think it's the "right" thing to do to build that trust. Not just show up on your first day and be all, "Oh hey by the way I need a few months off, kthx!"

Hedur218

Thanks for the advice everyone! I think you guys are right.. I will tell them about my pregnancy if I do get an offer.