Mom Who Brought Her Infant To A Job Interview Is ‘Annoyed’ She Wasn’t Hired — ‘When Babies Are Hungry, You Feed Them’
She said she had no other option, but was it appropriate?
Lightfield Studios / Shutterstock.com With the chaotic nature of the job market and the rising cost of childcare, sometimes you just have to do what you have to do. Whether you’re a new parent or a seasoned one, dragging your kids along with you can be a pain — whether it’s to the supermarket, out to dinner, or even to a job interview. It’s just life.
In a post to Reddit a woman shared how she was rejected from a position after showing up for her job interview with her baby. “She told me immediately that after 20 years, she’d only done this twice… she said I ‘wasn’t a good fit’ for the position.”
A woman brought her infant to a job interview at a childcare center, only to be upset when the director told her that she wasn’t a ‘good fit.’
After showing up early for a job interview at a childcare facility, the mom said she sat patiently waiting for her turn to interview with the director — quietly minding her infant next to her.
“I had done a phone interview, and they knew that I would have to bring my baby with me to the in-person interview,” she wrote in the post. “When I got the call yesterday to come in, I verified they had room at the center for my 7-month-old.”
Despite being relatively good the entire time she waited, she quickly noticed her infant started to get fussy just as the director came out for the interview.
While she could’ve simply soothed the baby or tried another option, as many commenters suggested, she instead turned to the director to ask for time away.
The woman told the interviewer they’d have to wait because her ‘fussy’ baby needed to be fed.
“After filling out the forms, I was called back to the director's office just as my son was fussing for his lunch,” she admitted. “I asked the director if there was something I could set his car seat on while I fed him.”
When the director looked at her confused, she couldn’t help but get a bit defensive. She was interviewing at a childcare facility, so she assumed they’d provide some grace for her situation. “I smiled and said, well, he's hungry now, and I'd like to go ahead and take care of that. She told me there wasn't anything to put him on, and she had no food for him.”
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After clarifying that she’d brought his food but needed a few minutes to settle him down, the director doubled down, letting her know that it would have to wait until after the interview.
“I laughed a bit and invited her to explain to my infant son that he needed to wait, saying he may listen to her, but I'd doubt it since, you know, he's a baby, and when babies are hungry, you feed them.”
While commenters were divided on how they’d handle the situation, most argued that it seemed “unreasonable” to make your interviewer wait. “The fact that they allowed you to bring your baby in the first place speaks to their flexibility, but you took it too far," one commenter pointed out. "I would even give you a pass for wanting to feed him, but read the room. Being snarky with your interviewer isn't going to go well."
Delaying the interview didn't do her any favors.
While hesitant, the director ultimately agreed to interview other candidates first, allowing her time to feed her baby. However, when she came back, she was met with an unfortunate response.
“I sat on the floor, out of the way, in the lobby,” she wrote. “I was almost immediately called back by the director. I thanked her for being flexible.”
When she sat down in the interviewer’s office, they let her know they’d be moving forward with other candidates, as she “wasn’t a good fit for the job.” Being that she’d already had a phone interview and discussed her qualifications, it was clear the situation with her infant was the reason.
She expressed annoyance and confusion over the rejection in her post, but she didn't receive much sympathy. “I’m struggling with this one because it seems inappropriate,” one commenter said. “They made the exception for you to bring him there, but feeding him immediately when he was fussy seemed like a waste of the interviewer’s time.”
At the end of the day, some parents don’t have the luxury of childcare. Perhaps it should be more normalized to allow people the option to bring their children to professional spaces. However, we're not there yet.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a News & Entertainment Writer at YourTango who focuses on health & wellness, social policy, and human interest stories.