New parents are often seen as less reliable at work, judged for divided attention or family duties. But a career counsellor has shared an incident that challenges this thinking and shows how parenting can actually reveal true professionalism.
A career counsellor (@Simon_Ingari) on X (formerly Twitter) shared the incident in a post, explaining how one interview changed the view on hiring working parents.
A different kind of interview:
According to the post, the counsellor received a late-night message sent at 11 pm.
A job candidate wrote to say she had an interview the next day at 2 pm, but her childcare had suddenly fallen through. She politely asked if she could bring her 8-month-old baby along, adding that she understood if the interview needed to be rescheduled.
The counsellor admitted that earlier in their career, they might have viewed this as unprofessional or distracting. This time, the response was different: “Absolutely. See you tomorrow.”
“She showed up with her baby on her hip. She apologized three times before even sitting down. Ten minutes in, the baby started crying. She tried to soothe him while answering questions,” the post adds.
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{{/usCountry}}“She showed up with her baby on her hip. She apologized three times before even sitting down. Ten minutes in, the baby started crying. She tried to soothe him while answering questions,” the post adds.
Also Read: Employee resigns within a week over family emergency, HR demands notice period pay: ‘I am really stressed’
{{/usCountry}}The interviewer then paused and pointed out what was really happening. Managing a fussy baby, answering complex questions, and staying calm under pressure were exactly what the job required. Handling chaos while staying professional was part of the role.
“She’s been with us for a year now. The most reliable team member we have,” the post adds.
The counsellor added that people who are used to handling a screaming infant at 3 am and still turning up to work the next day often find workplace stress much easier to manage.
“Working parents, especially mothers, are some of the most organized, efficient, and resilient people you’ll ever hire,” the post adds.
HT.com has reached out to the user for more details. This report will be updated when he responds.
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Check out the post here:
Here's how people reacted to the post:
The post drew wide attention online, with many users praising the counsellor’s approach.
One of the users commented, “This almost brought me to tears… how refreshing it is. I’d be so proud if I were your mom.”
A second user commented, “Parenting is the ultimate resilience test. Nailed it.”
“My first son was always super well-behaved. I took him to interviews, meetings, job sites - everywhere. If anyone had ever said anything, it would have been their last time working with me,” another user commented.