Ahmedabad CEO hires candidate despite career gap, explains why: ‘Her English is almost zero'

Pritesh Lakhani, co-founder and CEO of Pneucons, shared how they interviewed a young woman for an operations role.

Recruiters often reject candidates with career gaps without a second thought. Many companies filter out CVs the moment they see a break in employment. But one CEO in Ahmedabad chose to look beyond a one-year gap.

The woman had four years of experience but had taken a one-year break for personal reasons. (Pexels/Representational Image)

In a post on X, Pritesh Lakhani, co-founder and CEO of Pneucons, shared how they interviewed a young woman for an operations role.

She had four years of experience but had taken a one-year break for personal reasons.

“Yesterday, we interviewed a girl for an operations role. She had four years of experience but had taken a one-year break for personal reasons,” the caption of the post reads.

Transparent hiring decision:

According to the post, the interview took place in a conference room and lasted around 20 to 30 minutes. It was conducted by Darshit Lakhani, Co-founder and COO.

After the interview, Lakhani asked Darshit for his feedback.

Darshit said she was good, confident, and very polite. However, he mentioned two concerns.

“But her English is almost zero (eliminates inside sales), and there’s a one-year gap. Good companies are probably filtering her CV because of that,” he said.

When asked to think beyond these points, Darshit said she had the right attitude and could be trained. The only challenge was that there was no clearly defined role for her at the moment.

Instead of closing the discussion, Lakhani decided to be honest with her. She was called back and told clearly that there was no fixed role.

“Called her back and explained the situation transparently. No promises. No polished pitch. Just the reality.”

She agreed to join from Monday and walked in at 9:30 am sharp on her first day.

Her words were simple. “I’ll watch and learn from everyone. It will help me understand what is expected so I can prepare myself.”

HT.com has reached out to the user for more details. This report will be updated when he responds.

Check out the post here:

Here's how people reacted to the post:

X users reacted positively to the post, with many praising the company’s honest and practical approach to hiring.

One of the users commented, “Most companies want finished products. The best ones build them.”

A second user commented, “Sometimes people don’t lack capability, they just lack someone willing to bet on their potential. This is so wholesome.”

Another user commented, “Loved your approach to hiring and her approach to learning.”