Ajay: How is the hiring for the new role going?
Fouzi: Its taking some time. There was this person with impressive skills and the kind of professional experience we were looking for. But I had to rule her out after spotting a career break in her resume.
Ajay: Why would a career break be a reason to reject her CV?
Fouzi: Dont you think its risky to hire someone who has been away from the workforce for so long? Who knows what caused the break! Maybe she was not dedicated. Or not good at her job. Why else would she stay jobless for so long?
Ajay: Thats quite an assumption there! Do you for sure know if the career break was due to her inability to find a job? Or could it have been her choice to not work?
Fouzi: Maybe. But then it means she was not dedicated enough towards her work, right? Why else would she just leave her job?
Ajay: Why this insistence that ones career ought to be linear? People come in all sizes, shapes and colours, my friend. They have a multitude of interests and there could be multiple reasons behind one taking a career break – pursuing new skills, familial responsibilities, health reasons, volunteer work, experimenting new things
Fouzi: So you are saying I should give her a chance?
Ajay: Why not? Rejecting a well-qualified persons CV simply on the basis of a career pause could cost you a great candidate. Given the number of people who lost their jobs during the pandemic despite their experience and talent, we owe it to the world to be kinder and more open.
Fouzi: You are right. Im bringing her CV back on the table.
Ajay: Great! If we can shun the stigma around career breaks, it would take a great deal of pressure off people, especially women. So lets normalise career pauses and build a productive workforce instead of pressure cookers.