For most of us, balancing work with parenting ranges from something of a challenge to ridiculously impossible, sometimes within the same day. Or maybe that's just me. At any rate, family-friendliness or just plain flexibility varies wildly between companies, and sometimes even within departments at the same workplace, and it's a mistake to assume what worked at your old job would fly at a new one.
This Wall Street Journal "Career Q&A" tackles the best way to address the issue when interviewing for a new job. Basically, the answer is "don't." It's best to bring it up when you're certain you're going to get the job, or even better, after you get an offer.
There are ways, though, to get a sense of the company's culture when it comes to balance. For example, ask what a typical day or week was like for the person who previously held the job you're interviewing for.
If you get the sense that even that might be an unwelcome question, try asking if they allow remote login access from home. That can give you a sense of how important "face time" is versus being available but in a more flexible, less office-tied way. Seeking advice from people who work there is good too, especially because interviewers often try to paint a much more rosy picture of the workplace than may actually exist.
I think it's sad we live in a culture where working 80- to 100-hour weeks is encouraged but asking if you can go to your kid's soccer game isn't, (which is probably why we have a chronic case of Broke), but I think this is really helpful when you're looking for a job that acknowledges most of life happens outside the office.
Photo: Michael Fitzjames
