Job hunting while pregnant

[Anonymous]

What would you do?

I am pregnant, very early along with #2 and intend this to be my last one. My job has been very accommodating and I like the people but I have maxed out on growth potential. Time to go. So my ideal scenario is to hold out until baby is born and leave at the end of my maternity leave. Then start a new gig...obviously for more money, less stress...you know, paradise. I am in communications so the industry is accommodating generally on time...but you get out what you put in. I'm willing to take the flexibility over the money, but I don't want to say that. This also doesn't mean I expect to coast.

So I have lots of questions:
Have you done this? I know it will be tough but is it impossible?
When do I tell people I want to hire me? When do I tell my current employer?
What should I think about that I am missing?

[Anonymous]

If you want to stay put until the end of your maternity leave, then I feel like you are a little ahead of yourself right now. Certainly start looking around, go on informational interviews, network, build your resume. Plan to apply and interview during maternity leave. Tell your current employer after you have accepted an offer from your new employer-to-be.

FWIW, though, I think there's a huge difference between interviewing for a new job while pregnant because the ideal job has just opened up, and going out looking for growth opportunities. If your current job is ok (i.e., bearable, secure, flexible enough to support your family obligations) then baby's first six or 12 months seems like the time to stay put. For me, an unusual opportunity opened up while I was heavily pregnant; I felt I had to jump on it so I interviewed. I ended up taking a promotion at my old job instead (for which I interviewed while on maternity leave). In hindsight I'm very glad not to have had to learn a new organization, and to have been able to rely on existing relationships and reputation, while I also learned to manage my new family. My two cents.

[Anonymous]

NP here - I am in a similar situation, except that my current job (a very small nonprofit employer) has not maternity leave and not great benefits (vacation, etc. - though I do have health insurance).

I'd like to take 6 months off - and we're saving for that - but I wonder when to start looking for a new gig? Right after I give birth? Before, but tell them I'm not looking to start for 6 months?

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't make any life changes until after the new baby is settled in. You never know how much flexibility you will need and starting a new job and having a new baby at the same time is stressful.

[Anonymous]

I'm in a similar position and I've toyed with the idea of submitting some applications while on maternity leave, but we have so many changes coming up this year - new baby, a move, new home, new town (not leaving DC - just changing burbs), new daycare - that I don't think switching up jobs just before or just after the birth is a good idea. Even if the new job is fewer hours, when you're new somewhere, you have to prove yourself, be on call a bit more often to show you're reliable vs. being able to just maintain the status quo at an old job.

So I've decided to hold off on looking until I've been back from ML for a couple months. That's less stressful for me, even though the current job has its own stressors. Another factor to consider is whether you'll be required to back pay any leave or employer contributions to benefits if you don't return from you ML. A lot of places have return clauses on their ML benefits - if they continue to pay a portion of your health insurance even while you're out on unpaid leave, you may have to back pay that if you don't return to your job for at least a few weeks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP here - I am in a similar situation, except that my current job (a very small nonprofit employer) has not maternity leave and not great benefits (vacation, etc. - though I do have health insurance).

I'd like to take 6 months off - and we're saving for that - but I wonder when to start looking for a new gig? Right after I give birth? Before, but tell them I'm not looking to start for 6 months?

In your situation, I'd start networking and putting feelers out there once you feel recovered enough to really meet up with people - and you feel comfortable leaving baby with some one for a couple hours. So as early as 6 weeks? Probably depends on how things go for you.

I'd start really aggressively looking 3 months out from when you want to start somewhere, but be aware that if you find your dream job and they want you start immediately, it'll be hard to say you need 2 more months. So maybe, hold off til you're at least open to the possibility of going back to work. Most places process applications slowly but some are quick and you need to be ready to say yes and then get started.