I am a female in the US. On my second day of work (i was training), my manager wanted me to shadow him interviewing someone who applied for a position within the company. Everything was going well at work but I did notice some red flags that I brushed off, that was until the end of the interview. It was a female candidate, and during the interview, my manager asked questions like “why did you have a 6 month gap in your employment experience” and she said “a non-work related reason” and he kept trying to poke at it, asking “what is the reason.” She kept saying it’s personal and not important to the discussion and he already looked pissed off. At the end of the interview as she got up and was walking out, I noticed a belly (I am 3 months pregnant so I immediately noticed she was too, but it wasn’t crazy obvious). She never mentioned pregnancy during the interview. After the interview, my manager discussed with me why she was not a good candidate. I thought she was a great candidate, she had a ton of experience, she was extremely smart and well-spoken, and she sounded really ambitious and excited for this position. I took a look at the other resumes submitted and I was not impressed (I did not sit in on those interviews because they already happened before my start date). He asked me what I thought, and I said that she is a great candidate. He laughed and said “you have a lot to learn”. He told me “first of all, she’s obviously not getting hired. Pregnant? Immediate no. I’ll have to deal with finding someone else in x months, only to have to take her back after her maternity leave vacation, I’m not entitled to a 3 month vacation, why should she be. Not to mention the amount of days she will take for appointments. I don’t have the staff to cover for her, the company refuses to give me more staff. If you ever need to interview and choose candidates, remember, avoid pregnant women, avoid women who mention that they want a family, or women who have kids. They’ll put their kids first over the job and always call out for their appointments or other affairs. It’s better to hire new grads like you because they’re young and aren’t starting families yet, so they’ll be more reliable. Or hire men. It’s the reality, and there’s laws protecting them, that’s why you have to recognize the signs during the interview.” I said it’s not right, and he said it’s like this everywhere. I didn’t say anything after that, I was in shock.
While I am a new grad… I am pregnant. And no one knows, I’m not showing. I didn’t have the heart to quit on the spot, I immediately knew I didn’t want to work there. When I went home, I sent a message saying today was my last day and I will not be returning. I just want to cry. If this is how women are seen by hiring managers, it just makes me lose hope.