Getting engaged and later married to the person you love is life-changing in more ways than simply getting a tax break, changing your name, or being able to live together without your mother blushing.

One of the little-known effects of getting married is caused by that little band of gold/silver/platinum/whatever around your finger.  In addition to giving you something pretty to look at whole you’re driving, it can make or break your next job interview.

A recent blog post on the LexisNexis legal blog caught my attention.  It discussed the very real pros and cons of wearing a wedding ring during a job interview.  Apparently, if you’re a man the ring scores you cool points (I guess the responsibility of supporting a family makes men more stable, reliable, and hard-working) whereas a ring around the finger of a woman is more likely to make employers wary of hiring her (women cannot seem to escape the perception that, as soon as they get married, they become baby-makers and cease to care about their careers).

While that post was specifically related to legal careers, I think it’s important to consider the message your wedding ring is sending out to people in other fields as well.  I have personally seen women get passed over for jobs because the hiring managers assumed that they would have babies and quit, and hired unmarried women or men instead.

It’s a unique form of sexual discrimination that’s nigh impossible to substantiate or prove.  So, what to do about it?

As far as I can tell, there’s really no down-side for men.  If they don’t have a wedding ring, it’s not going to cost them the job, but if they do have a wedding ring, it’s a bonus.

For the women out there, there are two options: you can remove your ring before an interview, or you can subtly assuage any fears the hiring manager may have by being strategic in how you present yourself.

A hiring manager who isn’t going to hire a married woman is afraid that person will up and quit the moment a pregnancy test turns positive.  It’s essentially fear of a lack of commitment.

You can minimize or negate that fear by presenting yourself as someone who is passionate about her career and who has long-term goals and aspirations she’s working toward.  A woman who gets fulfillment out of what she does for a living is more likely to work out an equitable solution after having children than someone who’s just looking for a paycheck.

Either way, it’s pretty lame if married women are pre-judged as short-timers before they even open their mouths.  The great thing is that, once you know about it, you can turn that outdated misconception on its head and use it as an opportunity to make yourself look really good.