Interviewer will be using "SAHM" status against me apparently, any tips?

[WideWebWitch]

Help! I've got a second interview tomorrow and apparently the man I'm seeing is likely to use the fact that I've been a SAHM against me and will try to negotiate me down on salary on this basis. I won't be having any of it but I wondered if anyone had any useful advice or tips on what to say/not to say? If he suggests I'm rusty I'm thinking along the lines of saying ?well, my area of expertise hasn't changed in that time (which is true) and the principles of xyz remain the same (they do)? and ?If I can placate a room full of 3 year olds then I can certainly deal with any challenging customer/supplier/staff behaviour. I've learned to be more patient and strategic in my thinking etc as a result at being home with a child? Is that pushing it? Should I do the Kate Reddy thing (she?s from the book ?I don?t know how she does it? of not mentioning children at all? Any other ways I can give myself an edge? Any other good answers to awkward questions? I'm up against 3 others, who haven?t been SAHMs as far as I know. TIA.

[tigermoth]

you just enjoy that sunshine, www. I think you've made the right decision, too and you've managed to leave on a high note too - you've called a halt to things, not them.

I went for a job which left me with similar feelings earlier in the year. Long hours, good money, but not that compatible with family life. I was dreading getting the job and dreading being turned down because my experience matched their criteria so exactly. In the end neither happened. The company reviewed its budget and decided they couldn't afford to employ someone after all. Was I relieved!

[Marina]

Also agree, why slink when, if you can manage without the money for now, you can take it easy during this pregnancy. I would in your position! Glad you have reached a decision you are happy with, WWW - and well done for getting that far. I would most definitely not have the gumption to have gone through the recruitment process at all while pregnant...far too mush-brained.

[bubbly]

Www well done it was a tough call and you obviously thought it through. We will look out for yu for jobs for dh and any property we can think of and keep in touch. Enjoy the summer it's so rare to have time.
hugs

[bossykate]

www, no need for any slinking! your decision is entirely understandable. i'm sure it must be a weight off your mind.

[sis]

WWW, no really, I'm not in the least jealous

Well done in making the right decision for you rather than drifting and waiting for the decision to be made for you.

[lucy123]

Good on you www. I must say I did think you were a bit mad for going for a new city-type job now. But then its alright for me, I have the most flexible job in the world (plus I sometimes get to involve dd).

You probably needed all this though to give you real assurance that you're doing the right thing, IYSWIM. If you had just bumbled along without going for the interviews, you would now probably be a bit pissed off with yourself for not trying.

So don't slink off and well done!

[eefs]

WWW, glad you've made a decision that suits you. FWIW, I think you should feel good about getting the third interview and so obviously impressing the FD dispite having a "bad interview". Pretty good going I think, esp. considering you are out of the job market for about 5 years now.

[WideWebWitch]

I know this is very boring now so I'm a bit sheepish about posting but here goes anyway...We sat down and worked out all the pros and cons of my taking this job if I were to get it and came to the conclusion that our move and a new job for me can wait until after this baby is born. So I cancelled the 3rd interview. It was a tough one: lying in the garden/on the beach, spending the rest of my pregnancy reading books and getting a tan vs moving house, school and county to start a mega stressful job in a month before stopping 10 minutes before I'm due to give birth and going back asap afterwards (since no smp would be due). So we'll carry on being poor until February next year when we'll consider relocating and my working etc all over again. Thanks for all your support.

[ScummyMummy]

Ooo, this thread's a roller coaster! Hope things work out, Ms W.W.Witch. Good luck with the final hurdle.

[Mo2]

www - well done - and re clever dressing at 16 weeks pg - I had a 2nd interview for the job I'm in now when I was 6+ months pregnant and they didn't notice! (I told them at the end of the interview however...)
I wore long stretchy black dress, colourful long silk scarf (bump-hiding) and a pastel green jacket.... it was a very hot day/office however, and I was desparate to take the jacket off!
good luck...

[WideWebWitch]

I know Marina, I did think that, hence slightly sheepish posting! It won't be for a week (eek to covering up @ 16 weeks, very clever dressing called for!). I'll let you all know how it goes.

[Enid]

Good luck wwww!

[Marina]

You can't take it now, we all told you they were rubbish . But that's great news, www, definitely agree with the others, it's well worth checking out again. Even on an off-form day they all want www...and quite right too, TO5 5ERs or not.

[tigermoth]

agree with willow2, go for it. They must be keen on you to have asked you back. Keep an open mind, ask pertinant questions about the management structure and what they will expect of you. Make sure you've got a good handle on them - your interviewer sounds a bit on the slippery side to me. If you're offered the job, you can always turn it down. Good luck!

[willow2]

Go for it WWW - at least then you have the option of turning it down when they offer you the job. And if you don't then they are a bunch of merchant bankers who wouldn't recognise a good thing if it came over and whacked them on the head with a shovel. Not that I'm advocating violence, mind.

[mears]

Sorry to read about your interview experience www. Sounds as though it wasn't entirely fruitless. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

[WideWebWitch]

Thanks so much for the commiserations. Umm, had a phone call and the new FD (i.e not the TO5 5ER guy but the other one) realised I hadn't been on best form and wants to see me again if I'm still interested. He did say I did a pretty bad interview (so I wasn't wrong there!) but apparently I asked an important question that no-one else did and was the only person to bring along documentation demonstrating how I'd deal with their main issues. So it seems I didn't stuff it up quite as much as I thought. Hmmm, not sure whether to go or not yet, we'll see. I think if I do go I'm going to be honest about being thrown by the change in management structure and about my reservations re the job and we'll see what happens from there. Getting it means we can move sooner rather than later and I do want to move asap so it could be a means to an end in the medium term. Or maybe I'll get the chance to turn it down after all, maybe not! Thanks for your support everyone, you're most lovely and lots of you made me laugh, especially re the number plate

[griffy]

WWW - so sorry to hear your news. I remember going for a job once that I really wanted, but every time I opened my mouth, a great big ugly toad seemed to leap out and squeak out the most inappropriate things. I feel for you!

At the same time, I'm sure that you wouldn't want to work for someone who was too stupid to see how brilliant you would have been in his poxy job. (I reckon his number plate was A55 0LE).

[doormat]

Sorry to hear that www.

[tigermoth]

www, you'll sorry it was a C* interview. But it also sounds like this man would have been a bad boss for you. If you were so clearly warned he would use your SAHM status against you in the interview, there's a pretty good chance this would have been a continuing theme if you were employed in that company. I know what it's like to work for non family friendly companies, and especailly a non family friendly line manager. It is soul destroying.

If you feel you could go into the public sector, I think it's a very good idea. And if you were visibly pregnant at the time of interview, I would imagine public sector employers would be the least likely to see this as a problem, and certainly wouldn't discriminate against you.

I want to post more but have to dash.