A woman, an experienced human resources executive and a new mother, was excited to begin her professional life again after taking maternity break. The silver lining in the new job opening was the work-from-home policy. However, what followed in the interview left her disappointed. The woman, who goes by the name M. Neha, shared her ordeal on the networking site LinkedIn, revealing that she was rejected as an ideal candidate for the job simply for being a new mother. “Our company doesn’t hire new mothers because they leave meetings when their baby cries,” Neha was reportedly told by a company whose name remains anonymous.
During the interview, the recruiter questioned Neha about the eight-month gap in her career, to which she responded that she had taken a “maternity break.”
The interviewer then allegedly told her: “Our company doesn’t hire new mothers because they leave meetings when their baby cries.” “The blatant bias didn’t stop there. The recruiter went further,” she said.
She further explained how the recruiter dismissed her qualifications and advised her to “hide” key aspects of her life to secure the job.
In her viral post, she claimed that the interviewer “assumed she wouldn’t ask for a salary hike because of her career break,” disregarded her “top-tier certifications because she hadn’t been ‘working’,” and even suggested she “hide her current Executive PG Program enrollment” to improve her chances.
The most unsettling part? She was allegedly told to “conceal the fact that she had a baby.”
The post has gone viral on social media, evoking a flurry of reactions, with several suggesting that she name the company openly.
A user said: “You really should mention the company name.”
Another added: “I totally agree with your point. Luckily, I haven’t faced such questions from recruiters, but I still remember one interview I had when I came to Dubai for the first time. I still regret that I didn’t have the guts or experience at that point to properly respond to that person.
I was newly married, young, and it was my first interview after moving to Dubai with my husband. The recruiter told me—’You are just now married, so if we give you this job, you might not be able to contribute. Furthermore, you will be having a baby soon, which means maternity leave, reduced working hours, etc.'”
Another wrote: “I am not shocked after reviewing your experience. It’s a race—there are no sentiments, no humanity. Some are just counting hours and don’t care about employees’ emotions, hurdles, their own and their families’ health, and priorities.
If we need a break to stabilize ourselves in some situations, to balance out mental and physical health, we have to compromise our salary. Everything is a part of negotiations, and some consider it an opportunity to negotiate salary even if you are talented.
On the other hand, there are HR professionals and business owners who truly value people above work priorities. They manage, they understand, and they stand out.
Please understand—we are all human, not machines. We are in the AI era, but we are still humans.”
About The Author
