If you’re pregnant and are unemployed you might be wondering if you can apply for a job. It’s a valid question, as many employers would probably hesitate hiring someone that looked like they were going to need some time off in the near future.
Legally, an employer cannot refrain from hiring you just because you’re pregnant. But this mostly means that they can’t list this as the reason why they’re not hiring you. It would be a pretty hard time proving your case if you believe that you weren’t hired because you’re pregnant.
So knowing this, how can you proceed to apply for a job, and give yourself the best chance at success, without wasting your valuable time on low probability job openings? You have to be strategic and use the resources you have at your fingertips to apply for a job, the one that lines up best with your capabilities, and get it.
Can I Apply for a Job While Pregnant? Answer: Yes.
There’s nothing stopping you from applying for a job while you’re pregnant, but this doesn’t mean you’ll be successful in getting the job. In a perfect world it would be nice to think that factors like being pregnant wouldn’t effect a job hiring. But they do, so it’s important to keep this in mind and choose jobs where it won’t be a factor.
Think Outside the Box
If you’ve always done the same type of job in the past, one that required being physically present to do, or requiring a lot of bending, lifting, or flexing, this might be a time to reinvent yourself. This could be your opportunity to try your hand at something new, something you never thought you could do before.
Almost anything that involves using a computer would be a great way to diversify your job prospects. If you can write you can always find companies that need writers, and often they do not require you to keep any sort of normal hours, or come into any sort of office. This would be a perfect job for a pregnant woman, and something she could do right up until delivery day.
Give Yourself the Best Chance
You don’t want to look at your pregnancy as a hindrance in getting the job you are going for. Apply for jobs where it won’t really be an issue. If there’s no conceivable reason why you wouldn’t be able to perform your job, then go for it.
The only other concern that the employer will have is that you’re going to ask for a lot of time off for you to have your baby, or may want to quit once you give birth to spend time at home with your newborn. From their point of view these are valid concerns and you can see where they’re coming from. If Applicant A is pregnant and Applicant B is not, and they both have the same qualifications, you’ll probably go for Applicant B, all else being equal.
That’s why it’s hard to fault employers for opting for non-pregnant applicants. The key is not to get resentful of this logical preference, and take steps to prove to them either through your cover letter or your interview that you aim to not let your pregnancy effect your job performance in the even that you are hired. This shows them that you know where they are coming from, and allows you to put those concerns to rest.
Always Be Positive
Job hunting can be frustrating even under normal conditions, and especially in this job market with the economy being the way it is. If you get aggravated, or take a defeatist approach to things you won’t get the results you seek, or if you do you’ll have a horrible time getting there. Take a deep breath, have fun with the journey, and know that it will all work out to your benefit in the end.
It’s important to remember that you can’t let anything stand in your way of having a healthy pregnancy, and delivering a healthy baby. If you stress and worry about finding a job, and fret about how hard it is, and are disappointed when you apply for a job and you don’t get it, you are setting yourself up for complications during childbirth. Take it easy, and it will go more smoothly.
