MNN - Mother Nature Network

Just a few days after I found out that I was being considered for a choice park ranger position at Wright Brothers National Monument, I also found out that I was pregnant with my first child. Oh the conundrum — do I tell my employer that I'm pregnant and risk being passed over for the job, or do I start a new job on shaky footing with an employer that thinks I was deceptive in the interview process?

 

If you're pregnant and job hunting, when do you let potential employers know that you're expecting? Or is it even necessary to do so?

 

The answer is that there really is no one right or wrong answer. Legally, you are not required to disclose that you are pregnant to a prospective employer. On the flip side, your employer is not legally allowed to reject you for a job just because you are pregnant.  

 

So it's really up to you to gauge how much your pregnancy might surprise your employer down the road and whether or not it might create bad blood to show up with a baby bump on day one. But it's important to know that the law is on your side either way.  

 

For me, I decided that I couldn't handle the idea of working in a male-dominant environment with men who were unprepared for my blossoming condition. So I told — and I got the job.  

 

What would you have done?