Navigating Pregnancy Through A Job Search

I made it to the final round interviews at Intuit to backfill for someone leaving on maternity leave and felt prepared to shine. The only thing I didn't plan for was getting a positive sign on my pregnancy test the day before.

This happened to me years ago when I was in career transition between the entertainment/telecom to SaaS/financial services industries. Being a woman of color had always presented challenges in the workplace to getting ahead and now I needed to learn how to navigate a new-for-me complexity of pregnancy in the workplace.  

My trusted inner circle advised that I didn’t have to mention it at all through the interview. After all, it’s none of anyone’s business until I am comfortable announcing it and there is always the chance of miscarriage, so why make any announcement now? It all made perfect sense but for those that know me, truly know me, would know that I was really torn by this solid advice because I value transparency, truth, and authenticity.

Interview day came and the initial conversations with leadership and colleagues went really well and only the last remaining interview with the department VP remained. My hiring manager, Andrea Zwerdling, took me to lunch before my final interview and we spent the hour connecting deeply on topics of work, family, cooking, and travelling. We were simpatico on so many levels. 

I had to be honest with her. I knew it was crazy because I might have been throwing my chances completely away; who would want to hire someone who is going to go on maternity leave in 9 months when they need to backfill someone already leaving for maternity in a few weeks? I could hear the collective screams from my inner circle within my head saying, “Noooooo, don’t do it!!!!” 

The check came and Andrea reached for her wallet to pay when I let her know that I had something to tell her that she needed to know before she made her final decision. She came to full attention and her eyes widened as I let her know that I found out yesterday that I was pregnant. Mike drop. 

I braced myself for a litany of responses that I thought I would receive but never in my wildest dreams would I ever be ready for what she said next and without a single moment of hesitation, “Mazeltov! What a blessing and I am so happy for you and your family! [Laughing] Gosh I thought you were going to tell me something that would have the other shoe drop but this is amazing news.”

I think I may have shed a tear in that moment because here was a someone who I just recently met who was expressing genuine joy with me in a critical moment of my life's journey. Who is this woman and I can’t believe how profoundly kind, loving, and empathetic she was. I let her know that I would work really hard to show my value and that I would be back to work relatively quickly to not disrupt the team. 

She smiled at me and gave me a hug before telling me, “Your pregnancy has no bearing on my hiring decision because I’m hiring the next leader for Intuit, not just someone to fill this role.

You’re talking to a mother who raised children working in a male-dominated industry and I understand how hard it is to navigate work as a woman. I want to fully support you in any way I can and when the time comes, you should take as much time as you need to care for your family.” She had me at hello and now she secured my loyalty for life with her heart. 

Long story short, I got the job and learned so much from Andrea and the team at Intuit. It was one of the best moments in my career, largely because of great people and leaders like Andrea. We’re still friends to this day and I treasure her impact on my life so deeply.

Because of Andrea’s influence and support of raising up others in the workplace, I hire based on who has the ingredients to become the future leaders within the organization and not just for the immediate role. I champion others so that their journey is less riddled with landmines and obstacles that I, and many before me, had to face. I love paying it forward, always.

Do you have a similar story to share? I’d love to hear your journey and thoughts on this topic.