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Original poster

to wonder why it's so bad to be a working mother? (recruitment thread)

60 replies

wheresthepopcorn · 21/07/2012 02:19

Ok, just wanted to put this out there. Does anyone else feel the pressure to hide the fact that you are a mum or newly married during the recruitment process? I have found that out of a big number of recruitment agents I worked for on a regular basis, only 1 would work for me once I had had my baby. (my clients were happy so this was not based on bad work feedback) Anyone have similar experiences with difficulty about being a new mum and looking for a job? Anyone wanting to get back into the workplace but struggling?

OP posts:
MrsTerryPratchett · 21/07/2012 02:42

I would re-post in Legal. That can't be right... only offering services to women without children.

I work for a non-profit so everyone is very right on about parenthood except when I actually need some understanding.

Fireandashes · 21/07/2012 03:42

From the other side of the fence...I do a lot of recruitment (not an agency however) and I genuinely don't give a tiny shiny one what someone's marital or parental status is, all I'm bothered about is can they do the job as advertised and will they fit with whichever team I'm recruiting them for.

JumpingThroughHoops · 21/07/2012 05:45

Small companies cannot afford to take the hit of maternity pay and paying maternity cover. Therefore small employers will often overlook women of childbearing age.

To put that in perspective, a friends son worked hard to establish a fledgling business, was able to give up his 9-5 job and work for himself. and employ another person. She took the job and her first day announced she was pregnant. She had known she was pregnant at the interview.

She didnt qualify for much in the way of maternity pay but she was a drain on his limited resources - he had to train her, cover time off for antenatal appointments etc.

Big business can absorb that. Small ones cannot.

But back to the OP - exactly why are you putting age, marital status, children etc on your CV? It is irrelevant to your skill set and ability to do the job.

Dprince · 21/07/2012 06:38

My marital status or my children have never gone on my cv. I have openly talked about them if asked. My marital status and children have never stopped me going getting a job.
However businesses are 'not allowed' to discriminate, I do think small business struggle to keep up with mat leave policy. I think the fact that a woman can be put of the job market for a few months/years there could be people with more recent experience.
I am confused as to why a recruitment agency wouldn't work with you when then get paid to find you work. How long were you off?

peggyblackett · 21/07/2012 06:45

I think you may have a point. I'm a contractor, so have had to put my mat leave down on my CV (or have great big employment gaps, which would look even worse). I've just put my CV on jobsite, and I've had hardly any contact despite having a CV with lots of good experience.

It's daft, as this is my third dc and nothing about having dc has made me unable to do my job in the past,y and yet I feel like a complete pariah from a recruitment agency perspective.

omletta · 21/07/2012 06:45

I use the phrase 'my family is complete' frequently and have been doing for the last 10 years because of fear that employers perceive that women of child barring age should be avoided, I have heard of the situation which jumpingthroughpuddles describes many times.

peggyblackett · 21/07/2012 06:56

If you don't maternity leave on, what do you do to describe the gaps? As that almost seems worse - no-one wanted to employ me for 9 months, and my previous employer terminated my contract rather than the truth being that I worked to the wire before having my dc?

I'm really interested to know how to get round this if you are self employed.

carabos · 21/07/2012 08:40

So you're assuming that the reason you haven't had many opportunities is because you have put mat leave on your cv? That's quite a big assumption isn't it?

Interviewdilemma · 21/07/2012 09:00

I actually had one recruiter tell me outright that my career gap(2 years) was a problem

I took great delight in telling him it wasnt

Depending on what business you are in, things could have moved forward, your tech exp might be out of date. E.g.

I think employers are conscious that you might take maternity leave, but they are not allowed to ask and they are not allowed to discriminate on that basis.

Popcornia · 21/07/2012 09:09

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

edam · 21/07/2012 09:15

Not just small businesses IIRC - all statutory maternity pay is covered by the govt IIRC.

omletta · 21/07/2012 09:23

When you are on maternity you are still employed so why would you hav. Gap on your CV?

WidowWadman · 21/07/2012 09:25

Never hid my marital status, or the fact I have children, in fact, went for interviews towards the end of both mat leaves and got myself better jobs that way.

The only thing I didn't do is put big emphasis on my family in the interviews - prospective employers want to hear why I'm the right person for the job, not what wonderful lumps of joy my children are.

Morph2 · 21/07/2012 09:54

edam not all statutory maternity pay is reimbursed by the governement, i think for business's not qualifying as small its about 92% plus they still incur the ers ni. Still the majority but not all.

squeakytoy · 21/07/2012 10:04

"When you are on maternity you are still employed so why would you hav. Gap on your CV?"

good point!

peggyblackett · 21/07/2012 10:18

I had one recruitment.agent say that a career gap of over two years (due to kids) would mean that career wise it would be over as far as he's concerned Shock. I think, sadly, that discrimination does still.exist in this area.

Llareggub · 21/07/2012 10:22

Recruitment consultants like that just shoot themselves in the foot. I have a list of agencies that I won't touch with a barge pole after the way they treated me when I was job hunting. Now that I am in a position to hire people they treat me differently and I enjoy telling them why I won't engage with them.

omletta · 21/07/2012 10:27

Cheers squeeky shame about my random . ' missing e and capital G!

hairytale · 21/07/2012 10:30

"have to put my mat leave down on my CV (or have great big employment gaps, which would look even worse). "

No you don't. Maternity leave counts as employment and you don't need to specify it. You're shooting yourself in the foot.

hairytale · 21/07/2012 10:33

Eg im on mat leave now (since January). If I was looking for a new job I'd be putting "June 2008- present" against my current employment.

holyshow · 21/07/2012 10:34

Peggy said she was a contractor - I assue she wasn't employed at the points she too her maternity leave hairytale

peggyblackett · 21/07/2012 10:38

That's right holyshow. If I put myself down as being employed I'd be downright lying. It's a problem

hairytale · 21/07/2012 10:39

Ah. If you don't have a job to take leave from it's not actually "maternity leave"

So not a lot she can change then.

marriedinwhite · 21/07/2012 10:40

I am ancient. When I had just got married I was once asked "when are you planning to start a family" and "what does your husband do for a living". As a recruiter any info about family or personal circumstances is irrelevant although if it's in there I might just wonder, especially if a long journey is involved, how with the best will in the world the interviewee will manage having been in her shoes once upon a time. Might be best to leave it out if you can and state very clearly that your childcare arrangements are reliable and sound and you have done it already with no problems.

peggyblackett · 21/07/2012 10:40

Nope. I just have to hope my CV doesn't go out to misogynistic twats :)