CEO Rejects Candidate For Asking To Meet Husband: Mixed Reactions

New Delhi, Mar 19 (PTI) A Mumbai-based health-focused brand's CEO took to X to share how he instantly rejected a female candidate for a senior role after she asked him to meet her husband, triggering mixed reactions from netizens.

Naturally Yours CEO Vinod Chendhil called the request a "huge red flag" that indicated the candidate's inability to make independent decisions.

Chendhil explained that after selecting the woman for a senior position, she requested that her husband meet him. This, he believed, showed that she was dependent on her husband for decision-making, which he deemed unsuitable for a senior role.

"Spoke to a candidate tdy, who wanted us to meet her husband after we had selected her. Instant reject.

"P.s: This was for a senior level hire," he wrote on micro-blogging site X.

Chendhil further said that the woman wanted her husband to "interview" him to assess whether the company was a good fit for her.

"Basically she wants her husband to interview us to see if it's ok for her to join. Shows she is totally dependent on him. How will she ever take any decisions, if she cannot take a basic one. And she is not an intern to be asking us to speak to someone elder right. Huge red flag," he wrote in response to a comment questioning the rejection.

The post is drawing mixed reactions on social media. Some users support Chendhil's decision, noting that such a request is unusual for a senior-level candidate.

Others, however, argue that societal pressures might have influenced the woman's request, suggesting that Chendhil might have missed out on a talented candidate.

One user called him "misogynistic", while another vented out angst at Chendhil for breaking Indian values and expressed respect for women who prioritise their families over and above work.

Another user pointed out that sometimes a woman introduces her husband during professional interactions to signal that she is not alone and deter any unwanted advances.

"I would reject even a junior-level hire if this request was made," another wrote.

"It's a job, not a marriage proposal!" another user commented.