I Interviewed for My Dream Job at 9 Months Pregnant. Here’s What I Learned. — Health & Hiring
Key takeaways:
Leah Sushelsky was 9 months pregnant when she applied and interviewed for her dream job with GlassesUSA.com.
She was upfront about needing a delayed start date for maternity leave.
She says she hopes more women will job hunt while pregnant, so that it becomes the norm.
Health & Hiring is a series that explores health in the workplace.
Leah Sushelsky was pregnant with her second child and in her third trimester when she saw her dream job posted on LinkedIn.
“My plan was to have the baby, enjoy maternity leave, and go back to my current company,” she says.
Leah works in retail communications and public relations. She is data-driven and embraces technology. She splits time between New York and Tel Aviv with her husband, Dan Alazraky, and their children, a 2-year-old and an 8-month-old.
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That job posting? GlassesUSA.com, an innovative e-commerce firm, was seeking a director of communications and public relations.
“In my head, I knew it was a little unrealistic, but figured I would apply,” Leah says. “I was upfront and honest and said I couldn’t start until January, which was 6 months later.”
After submitting her materials, Leah received an email from the company’s vice president of human resources, Moran Barebie. She jumped at the chance to discuss the job. During that conversation, Leah shared that she was pregnant.
“There was no hiding it at that point,” she says. “I was also honest in saying how much I would really love the job.”
The conversation went well, and there was good chemistry. So, thinking ahead, Leah asked that the news about her pregnancy be relayed to any other company executives she’d be interviewing with. She left the meeting with a project assignment and plans to present her work during a second interview.
When Leah returned to GlassesUSA.com to present the project, she was 40 weeks pregnant. GlassesUSA.com sent a car to transport her to and from the meeting. She was feeling good, even energized.
“It went well, but you never know until you get the offer,” Leah says.
Negotiating maternity leave
When the job offer did come through, maternity leave was part of the negotiating process.
Moran took it in stride.
“Pregnancy is not a disease or an illness,” Moran says. “It shouldn’t take courage for a woman to apply for her dream job or any job when pregnant.”
Leah signed a contract with a start date in January 2022. Now, she says the company has been nothing short of great.
“They’ve provided everything I need,” she says. “I asked my boss to start inviting me to meetings and to send me emails, so I could start getting up to date and get my feet wet.”
Leah and her chief marketing officer were in a digital learning session when her water broke. Leah texted her boss, who told her to sign off immediately.
GlassesUSA.com leaders checked in with Leah often after she had her baby. She worried they would forget about her. But, at the same time, the company didn’t want Leah to forget about them. So everyone made efforts to stay in touch.
“This experience is not normal, and that is unfortunate,” Leah says.
Legal protections for pregnant workers
Despite legal protections, many pregnant people face discrimination at work — or fear it. Some people do not share they are pregnant until it becomes obvious.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prevents employers from asking job candidates anything about their medical history. Health issues, including those tied to pregnancy, cannot be cited as a reason for not hiring someone.
While pregnancy is not a disability, some temporary impairments related to pregnancy are considered disabilities under the ADA. These include pregnancy-related carpal tunnel syndrome, gestational diabetes, pregnancy-related sciatica, and preeclampsia.
Under the ADA, employers must provide reasonable accommodations for someone with a pregnancy-related disability, unless the accommodations would cause undue hardship.
The Pregnancy Discrimination Act requires employers to treat women affected by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions the same as any other similar job applicant or employee.
Open-minded hiring equals more dedicated employees
Despite her delayed start date, hiring Leah made sense for GlassesUSA.com. She was a great fit for their needs and culture.
“We look for relevant potential, not skill set, and people who will stick with us for the longer term,” Moran says. “This approach keeps it more organic.”
It also leads to dedication and loyalty from employees, Moran says.
“We are not small. We have processes in place to support other teams and divisions. So hiring Leah, knowing she wouldn’t start for 6 months, gave us an opportunity to allow a junior team member to take on some of those responsibilities and other personnel to take on specific roles,” Moran says.
It’s about being agile and creative, Moran says. If those values make start-ups and tech firms successful, why not apply them toward employees?
The COVID-19 pandemic made many companies aware of the benefits of working from home and being more task-oriented, rather than living by a punch-in, punch-out model. COVID pushed GlassesUSA.com further in the right direction, Moran says.
“Putting employees first was already established,” she says. “We continued to be more open-minded.”
The benefits of job searching while pregnant
Leah and Moran say they hope that interviewing for jobs while pregnant becomes more of the norm. After all, pregnancy is a normal part of life for many people.
“The change starts with us,” Moran says. “Send your resume and interview while pregnant. Don’t wait until after delivery. If recruiters and HR professionals are interviewing pregnant women on a regular basis, it will no longer be unusual.”
If companies are more open to hiring pregnant people, they are likely to gain dedicated, valuable employees they might otherwise overlook, Moran says.
“Moms are multitaskers and emotionally intelligent,” she says. “Being a mom can bring a lot of soft skills to the table in terms of professionalism development.”
And Leah wants to encourage others to pursue their dream jobs and not let being pregnant hold them back.
“From my experience, if the company is worth it and you are a good fit, they will see your value and find a way to make it work,” Leah says. “And that is the type of firm you want to work for.”
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