You are in the process of interviewing and you’ve narrowed all the applicants down to two promising candidates. Jill and Sara both have stellar resumes. In the interviews, Jill did just fine, but Sara’s personality seemed to click just right with the team she would work with.
But then, you call to do second interviews and Sara slips the fact that she is planning on going shopping for baby clothes this weekend for her child-to-be. A sinking worrying feeling starts to infect your brain, and you start rationalizing that Jill’s interview went better than you thought; and, you hide the notion that you aren’t interested in Sara because she’s pregnant and will need to go on maternity leave in a few months.
Just like that, a woman has been discriminated against because she is pregnant. It’s so easy to do, and male hiring managers are not the only offenders, fellow females do it too. If you are hiring a new team and a pregnant candidate walks into your office, really stop, and be honest with your thoughts and evaluation. If that pregnant lady really does have great skills and a matching personality, then hire her! Building a great team and a profitable business is a long term thing, and maternity leave won’t stop a great candidate from delivering boatloads of value.
It‘s quite in here! Why not leave a response?