Single Mum Interview Readiness
Why Interviews Feel Different as a Single Mum
In a recent POLL that I did on LinkedIn, I asked my network if a ‘candidate should be expected to reveal in an interview that they are a single mum.’
Thankfully none of the respondents said ‘yes’.
So, there you have it… the general public, as it were (though only a small sample), is on your side, confirming that employers should not be expecting you to reveal your parental status.
In my previous Newsletter, I touched on UK Employment Law, which is also backed by GDPR. The legislations within that Law stipulate that employers/recruiters should not be asking any questions related to your personal/parental status at all. It is illegal. Not read it yet? Take a look HERE
This next Series of Newsletters hinge on the PRACTICAL PILLAR within the Unbroken Single Mum™ System.
They are designed to help you to prepare for interviews, if changing jobs is your intention.
If you choose to join us on the ‘De-Mystify the Interview Process and How to Value Your Worth’ Workshop, you’ll be prepped to move on with the more intricate part of your interview preparation. If you haven’t seen the details of that Workshop yet, you can find it HERE
Our previous Newsletter Series kicked off the FINANCIAL PILLAR. Check it out HERE
This Interview Series will share practical interview suggestions designed with single mums in mind and helping you to prepare with confidence and present your best self.
In this Interview Readiness Newsletter, of the myriad of things that I could focus on, I’ll focus on these:
The Job Description & Person Specification
Pacing Yourself
The Employment Gap
Your CV
Your readiness for the role and/or the interview
The Job Description & Person Specification
One of the things that I loved about my role as an HR Advisor/Recruiter for UK local government was ensuring that the job description (JD) and person specification (Spec) was relevant to the role being advertised.
Additionally, ensuring that managers were recruiting and selecting candidates objectively based on the JD & Spec was another key focus of mine.
Today, I still have that same focus of making sure my customers’ needs are met even though it’s taken on a different client group and emphasis.
ACAS and the Equality and Human Rights Commission strongly recommend employers using these documents to ensure selection decisions are justifiable and unbiased, and the public sector has a stricter emphasis on their use than other sectors. For ease of process, transparency and avoidance of court cases, other sectors tend to follow this recruitment best practice.
They ensure a fair and consistent recruitment process by clearly defining the criteria for the role.
Having being interviewed for roles outside of the UK, I can tell you that the UK’s recruitment and selection process is an objective one, alongside neighbouring EEA members.
That said, we also know that discrimination does take place because the system is operated by humans. These individuals can be challenged by candidates using the procedure built within the system for that purpose.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s focus on your usage of these crucial documents.
This is where your emphasis should be as a single mum rather than on whether the manager/recruiter would discriminate against you. Your preparation, focus and emphasis will help to eradicate that scenario.
The JD highlights general and overall responsibilities of the role, while the Spec is the main document that both yourself, the employer and employment tribunal would rely on in areas of complaint.
Dig out your current CV to check where you’re at with meeting the Spec for your chosen next job opportunity.
Image Credit: Alexander Dummer
Pacing Yourself
I cannot emphasise this enough …. pace yourself with your interview preparation.
With your hands full at home, juggling everything single-handedly, and so many other things to think about, the last thing that you want is to be up at 2am preparing for an interview the next morning.
I’ve been there too myself where I felt that the preparation for a particular role would be minimal because I had already acquired the skills. When I sat down to put pen to paper, the preparation was more comprehensive than I’d anticipated and became an irritant because the preparation time had eaten into time allotted for other activities. That’s really not the kind of energy that you want to carry into your preparation and certainly not your actual interview. So, be good to yourself and pace yourself with the interview preparation.
What that pacing might look like..
You know yourself better than anyone else, therefore, adapt any of my suggestions to match your personal circumstances accordingly….
Write out a list of everything that you’d need to prepare for a job interview e.g.
Employer’s details
Location and reasonableness to your current home
CV
Salary level
References
JD/SPEC
Rehearse
Etc (add your own..)
Put a date next to each item on your list when you’ll tackle them
Set aside REALISTIC time for those dates for action (15 minutes, 30 minutes…)
I so dislike rehearsing for an interview; it just feels false to me. However, I realised that the times when I didn’t rehearse, my interview didn’t flow as well as when I did rehearse. Rehearse. Not to the point of exhaustion or where you appear to be robotic but rehearse enough so that you can call on any of that information instantly, whilst being present and able to respond to the actualities and nuances of the interview that’s taking place.
The Employment Gap
You are not legally required (LINK to NEWSLETTER 1) to disclose that you are a single parent, but if asked about gaps in employment, frame them positively as time spent raising a family and emphasise your return to professional focus.
If you’ve taken time off work quite recently prior to the interview or within a few years of the interview, in the UK, maternity leave is not an employment gap. It is still part of your employment history with the same employer. If, however, you took time away from work beyond your employer’s maternity leave provision and/or resigned, that’s the kind of gap that needs to be given proper consideration in terms of how it is framed for your new employer.
Be honest about the gap. Above all, be confident within yourself that you don’t have to legitimise or defend your parenting role and position.
Your CV
Always have an up to date CV that is almost ready to run with.
As you acquire new skills, experiences, learning/knowledge, update your CV. Even if this means just jotting them down on a piece of paper and shoving the paper into the CV folder or drawer with your CV.
At the best of times, our memory fails us, in parts. Let alone juggling 10 different current day things and then having to remember certain newly acquired skills months down the road.
Let your CV be a live, working document. Keep your experiences current.
If you’re able to do a simple yet valuable online course that would add value to your CV and any new employer, create some space to make it happen, especially if it is self-paced learning. It looks good on your CV, shows your willingness to learn and that you are ‘current’
LinkedIn offers a range of short online courses that you can tap into.
This is what I did with my CV, and interviewers were impressed, even with my short, mini bite sized courses.
Your Readiness for the Role or the Interview
How ready are you to move into a new role or higher position?
This question is more about you personally, rather than do you have the skills to carry out the responsibilities for your next opportunity.
It’s highly likely that you already have the skill to move forward whether you recognise them or not.
Are you settled in your mind, body and soul to make the next move or is this a ‘dash for cash’ readiness because of your current circumstances?
If it is a ‘dash for cash’ readiness, there’s no need to be ashamed or feel guilty in any way because the majority of us single mums know what financial lows and being broke feel and look like.
Being honest with yourself will help you to make the decisions that are right for you, your family and your overall situation.
The right opportunities will begin to open up for you with that sense of clarity.
Wishing you abundant clarity and for opportunities to open up and come your way.
**Jennifer McLeod is a former UK local government HR Advisor & Recruiter