Too ill to prep for/attend interview

[OhFeckWhatNow]

Background: have only worked in crappy min wage type jobs, had a decade out of work due to poor MH/undiagnosed autism. Got degree in this time, graduated 4 years ago. Have worked since but only in basic jobs again as I figured then I could get references for better job.

Incredibly, a civil service job that I am v suited to came up, I have passed the online tests and initial pre recorded online interview. This job would be such a huge step up and a chance for me to finally have a career and work somewhere I can manage (not mad hours etc).

I'm also 6 weeks pregnant (first time, too old to consider alternatives). I am feeling so rough. So exhausted, sleeping 10 hrs a night (with weird nightmares) but so tired during the day I have to keep lying down between everything I do (eg. have breakfast, shower, need lie down). I feel constantly queasy, and mentally just so bleak. (Theoretically overjoyed at being pregnant but not feeling it at all atm).

I'm supposed to have an interview tomorrow but haven't been able to prepare due to tbe above. Kept thinking I'd feel better after a nap or a good night's sleep, but obviously haven't (I've never known exhaustion like this except with covid). Struggling to concentrate on anything and keep crying. Also almost constantly queasy.

Is there anything I can do? Would I be able to delay the interview? Because it involved doing a presentation so to be fair they only release the info you'll need 7 days before interview. So it would be unfair to give me more time.

I can't think straight and just feel so devastated because it felt like I finally had a chance at a decent job. Feel like I'm letting myself and everyone else down. I'm so worried but also feel like I just want everything to go away and sleep forever.

(Fwiw in case this strays into wider advice - I'm single.)

Say you get the job…. Will you be able to work given how you describe your pregnancy is going?

“Mentally just so bleak”

Given your history, this needs to be your absolute priority OP. Have you told anyone?

Are you currently employed?

You can contact them tomorrow morning, tell them you are ill and ask to reschedule. They might say yes, they might say no.

If they say no, worst case scenario you apply again in 3 months or so - your morning sickness will have passed by then.

I’m a manager in public sector. Unfortunately we wouldn’t rearrange an interview because it’s not fair to the other candidates and difficult to reconvene the panel. You would be surprised how many people ask for their interview date / time to be changed even when the dates are published with the ad.

Why would they employ you if you are about to take time off?

Any chance you can go through with it? I know it feels shit but civil service jobs on external advert are few and far between. If there is anyway I would try to power through. It’ll only be 45 mins online, right?

You know the recruitment checks can take 6 months so you’ll be there a few weeks and then on Mat leave

I would go ahead and do the interview. Is it online or face to face?
Just do your best for 30 - 40 minutes.

I work in the public sector and if you told us you were unwell we would try to rearrange. However we would try to do the interview within a few days (as we would want to get back to other candidates). So you would need to find the energy to prep etc pretty quickly. Also I know you say it's civil service so won't be mad hours - I really would not assume public sector jobs don't involve mad hours, many do.

Even if they do rearrange, it sounds like you would t be any better anyway

Op you need to focus on your mental health

are you currently in work? If so, what’s your maternity package?

I think you can kiss goodbye to the job if you ask to postpone the interview and especially if you ask to postpone due to pregnancy sickness. Harsh, but that's the reality

I felt like this throughout my whole pregnancy. If you ask to rearrange, when would you rearrange it for?

Is there anything I can do? Would I be able to delay the interview?

Would delaying it help, if you are feeling like this all the time? No interviewer is going to welcome a delay - if it was a 24 hour bug you had, it might be worth potentially showing yourself in a negative light, but it doesn't sound as though you're going to recover miraculously over the weekend, so you might as well do the best you can.

Sleeping 10 hours a night can make you tired the next day.

But as some others have said, if you got the job how could you realistically do it?

I can understand why you really want to get this job. It’s a great opportunity for a secure career. But think really hard about whether you could actually hold it down and perform well - it will be an absolute nightmare for you and your manager if you’re just not able to be in regularly and doing well.

I know that’s sounds harsh, and you’re fragile at the moment, but it really will be so tough on you if you find yourself in attendance and/or performance management measures.

This.
Not only are you unreliable even for the interview stage, but you’d be unreliable if given the job and then you’d be on maternity leave. You’d be a let down from day 1.

Let’s be honest employer would be stupid to employ you right now.

ex civil servant - I would have rearranged for you if you’re a particularly high calibre candidate or I wasn’t interviewing many people for the role so wanted to keep the pool as large as possible. Just ask them.

the rest is secondary, to be addressed if you get the job!

I’m a serving CS of 30 years who’s been through a few promotion interviews where I’ve had to compete with external candidates (and been on one recruitment panel myself), and so hopefully have some useful insight. My advice is geared to what you asked so what might help you rather than anything else.

Given you seem to have an ongoing condition that even after a few days likely won’t change much, rather than asking for it to be rescheduled, I’d just sit the interview but advise them before starting that you have a headache/backache whatever your biggest issue is and apologise in advance that you may be slower in answering, ask for Q to be repeated, taking frequent sips of water (which may help if you feel nauseous). Then just do your best. I feel the panel will appreciate your honesty and confidence in clearly communicating this and it would not be held against you.

Worst case scenario is you don’t get the job but you will have at least experienced the kind of Qs they ask at such interviews. The CS is huge and it’s not impossible a suitable job will come up again for you in the near future and then you’ll be hopefully better positioned for it.

Good luck.

@Mangoduck
Say you get the job…. Will you be able to work given how you describe your pregnancy is going?

I know the civil service move slowly so I figured I'd be past the dreadful first trimester by the the time I started.

Although...

@AntiBullshit
You know the recruitment checks can take 6 months so you’ll be there a few weeks and then on Mat leave

I hadn't realised it was quite that bad!

OP if it’s possible for you to power through, you could be onto something really great. I work in the Civil Service and as a relatively new mum the flexibility they offer is invaluable.

I know others have questioned whether you’d be up to the job if you got it but I remember feeling so exhausted in my first trimester I had zero energy whatsoever. It came back in second trimester though and I was my usual productive self until the fatigue returned in third trimester. Hopefully in a few weeks time you’ll be feeling more yourself!

See how you’re feeling in the morning but my advice to you would be:

1. Try to do some prep this evening and let ChatGPT do the hard work for you. Upload the pack you received from the recruitment team and use a prompt like “using the attached brief create a PowerPoint presentation in 10 slides. The design should mirror the branding of [insert department name]. Export as a pptx file for me to download”. Use this as a starting point for you to tailor and tweak.
2. There will most likely be a Q&A following your presentation. Ask ChatGPT to anticipate some of the questions you may be asked so you can give some thought to these. They’ll probably be based on the success profiles highlighted in the job ad. You can tell ChatGPT what the success profiles being assessed are and the grade of the job to get a better response.
3. Prepare some questions for your interview panel to help you understand more about the role and to demonstrate your suitability further (ChatGPT can help with this too if you’re struggling).

If you absolutely can’t go ahead with it, you could ask to reschedule but I would be inclined to avoid saying you’re unwell. It would only buy you a few days at best though so if you really can’t imagine being ready then perhaps withdrawing is best.

If you do manage to get through it (and I hope you do) then I’d also not mention being pregnant. It’s your right to withhold that information and it avoids any possibility of pregnancy and maternity discrimination.

Please ignore what others have said about being unreliable or unsuitable. You’ve made it this far because you’re a good match. You’ve got one final hurdle to go, you can do it.

I had to pick an interview slot and they were going on for weeks.

Re. Mad hours - my previous jobs have involved random hours, from v early to v late, with expected availability of 365 days a year and timetables given at short notice then messed around with last minute.

100000 times this. If you have a history of MH problems you are high risk for depression &/or anxiety during and after pregnancy. And worst case scenario post partum psychosis. I dont say this to scare you or to be negative but to hopefully encourage you to put your MH at the utmost priority right now. Please let your midwife know so that you can be given support straight away throughout your pregnancy. Sadly, I dont its the right time for this job although I could be totally wrong. Just try and take it easy and dont add too much pressure to your life x

Yes but people are just being vaguely reassuring, it's like I can't properly get through.

I would go for it, you don't know when you'll get the chance again. It's obviously important for you to develop your career.

As time is of the essence, I agree that ChatGPT or Gemini are your best bet for a structure.

1. Intro; overview of what you were asked and what you're going to talk about in the interview.

2. Main body; bullet points, fill it out with images to talk about if you can.

3. Conclusions/what you would do

4. Any questions

You can do this. It's nerve-wracking but it's worth it and the time will fly by.