Job hunting while pregnant (long)
Let me start off by saying I quit my job in August of last year. My husband had accepted a job in NC (we lived in IL) and so after living apart for 6 months I finally moved to NC to join him without any luck finding a job of my own prior.
I had waited to move to ensure that we would be financially stable on one income before I moved without finding a job. That being said, we decided that we would start TTC a few months after I moved. Then his job took a wild turn for the worse. His boss started not showing up for work for long periods, lying to the company, and just leaving all the work and responsibilities to DH.
Then his boss left for medical disability shortly after we found out I was KU. So when my husband got his 'temporary' promotion he was making a lot less money (no more OT) and will get demoted when his boss returns (in 6 weeks or so). I am currently 29 weeks along and I have been searching for jobs in NC without any luck. However I am hopeful that I just haven't found the right fit and I will get one eventually.
My question is would it be worth the effort to start a job this late in my pregnancy when I have less than 3 months left before I would have to take at least a 6 week leave? I think we can scrape by until after LO is here, but it will be tough. Advise? Suggestions?
For the record I was/am a civil/structural engineer. I am NOT licensed in NC because I have no experience in NC. So I think that's a major contributing factor as to why I haven't found employment.
Re: Job hunting while pregnant (long)
I applied for a job in February, when I was about 6-7 months pregnant. I didn't hear from them in ages, so I figured I didn't make the shortlist. Then, I got a call for an interview - a couple of weeks after my baby was born! I start work at a fabulous new job in a week. It's a bit of a sideways step from what I was doing, but I'm really happy about that.
My point is, getting a job takes time. I don't think there is any problem with applying now, and the employer is simply not allowed to take your pregnancy into consideration with your application.
(Oh, and I also interviewed for another job in January. The interview went really well and I ended up telling them that I was pregnant towards the end of the interview. I still got the job! In the long run, I turned it down because the hours didn't work as well as I had thought - and now I have a better job.)
Good luck! I know it's awful job-hunting when you would rather be painting the nursery. I hope something works out for you in the long run.
It takes a long time to find a new job. I don't know anything about engineering. But it sounds like you have a few hurdles to overcome before getting a job at the level similar to what you had before. How much experience would you need in order to get licensed? Would taking a temporary/contract job or internship (if those are available) count towards the necessary experience needed? I would look into that path first (if you are interesting in staying in the same field). Then get your NC license and go after the jobs you want. That may also give you the flexibility you need between the pregnancy/upcoming birth and leave.
If you are interested in exploring something in another industry, it really depends on your background and if you have done anything similar in any of your previous roles. Can be tricky and may mean you might need to go after something more junior to where you want to be.
It can be tricky trying to get a new job while pregnant when you are showing. Even if you don't say anything, people can obviously tell in the interview. While it is illegal to discriminate, you won't really even know if they actually are, since they could simply choose not to hire you. Not everyone feels this way of course. I have found that women (who have kids) don't seem to care, but women (without kids) and a lot of men see it as an issue. And this can be hard to tell in an interview. I got laid off right before I found out I was pregnant with DD1 and made the mistake of telling a few potential employers I was expecting. Needless to say, they did not hire me. Instead, I ended up taking a contract gig for 6 months. I had an amazingly flexible manager who had 2 kids and by the time I did tell her, she had no issues with it at all. Also I was a contractor, so it didn't really matter. It ended right before I gave birth. It was kind of annoying since I had to look for another job once the baby came. And I was very picky, so ended up waiting another 10 months before finding the right one. But it all worked out in the end.
Good luck!
It's not that simple. To get licensed yo need 4 years experience under a licensed engineer (which I have for IL). The licensing test is only offered twice a year and costs about $500-$1000 (depending if I were to go for civil or structural). So, now my IL experience will not count towards getting a NC license. However, I can take the exam in IL and if I pass, I can take a modified exam in NC to see if I pass their qualifications. But again the tests are only offered twice a year. So it would take me at least a year to get the license while being unemployed. Silly engineering.
Well my only recommendation is to get the ball rolling. Take the IL test, then the modified test when they offer it. That way (even though it will be a year) you will be closer to obtaining your license and therefore opportunity for a better position. That sounds like the best and most fast track solution compared to working 4 years under someone else.
It sucks to think that if you had started the process when you first moved to NC, you would be nearing the finish line. =/
Good Luck and congratulations on your LO.