Interviewing at a new company, when should I disclose I'm on maternity leave?
I'm on maternity leave and was due to return to work in January 2027, however my current employer has ended my role in a restructure and an alternative wasn't available. I'm now in the waiting period for that contract to officially end, and very much enjoying time at home with my baby.
Much sooner than expected I've been invited to interview at a different company for a role that ticks all my boxes career wise. It's the type of role that doesn't come up often, so it's not one I want to pass by. The new company doesn't know that I'm on maternity leave, but they do know my contract is ending - though I haven't given a specific date for when. If I was to be successful, ideally I would have a phased start - eg part time from autumn before going full time in the new year, pending child care which can't be confirmed until I know a start date and working patterns. Three month notice periods are common in my industry and seniority level, so these timings don't feel totally unreasonable to me, though I'd imagine the phased start would be challenged.
From an HR perspective, when would you want a candidate to disclose this information? And how would you expect this to be disclosed?
My gut instinct says to keep this information to myself until I'm further in the process (at least stage 2 of a 3-stage process) so they get to know me, otherwise they might write me off as a non-serious candidate. But is there anything else I need to consider?