Dear J.T. & Dale: My daughter-in-law was recently fired after 18 months, we believe because her employer didn’t want to pay her for a maternity leave. She is due in six months and is now interviewing. Any suggestions? — Carol

Dale: We ought to review the Family and Medical Leave Act: It requires companies to give an employee up to 12 weeks of leave, but does NOT mandate paid leave. Further, it only applies to companies with 50 or more employees, and even then, not to all employees. So, unless the company had its own policy of paid maternity leave, it’s possible that there was not a hidden agenda in her firing. Now, looking forward, the law applies only to employees who’ve been with a company for 12 months, so it won’t help in a new job.

J.T.: But here are two suggestions that might help: First, she should visit temporary help agencies and see if they can put her on assignment. With luck, she’ll get placed somewhere where they’ll fall in love with her and offer her a job after her maternity leave. Second, tell her to look for companies that boast in their company descriptions about being “family-friendly.” She can cite that fact as one of the reasons why she is interested in working for the firm. Companies aren’t allowed to discriminate based on pregnancy, and her recognition of the firm’s public embracing of family values will gently remind them of that fact.

Finally, strike up a conversation about children and ask what parents love most about working there. Again, another way to be positive.

Jeanine “J.T.” Tanner O’Donnell is a professional development specialist and founder of the consulting firm jtodonnell.com. Dale Dauten’s latest book is “(Great) Employees Only: How Gifted Bosses Hire and De-Hire Their Way to Success” (John Wiley & Sons). He can be found at dauten.com. Please visit them at jtanddale.com, where you can send questions via e-mail, or write to them in care of King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10019.