I had my first interview over the phone with a recruiter, and honestly, it was a bit of a mixed bag. It felt like a basic chat to see if I’d be a good fit for the role and if I’d move forward to the hiring manager. But throughout the call, the recruiter kept saying things like, “don’t quote me on this,” which made it feel like she wasn’t really sure about the position. That kind of threw me off.
At one point, when we were trying to set up a date to talk with the hiring manager, I mentioned my childcare situation—how I’m currently working an extended 4-day week (so effectively 5 days of work in 4 days). Out of nowhere, the recruiter cut me off and kind of scolded me for not bringing it up sooner—despite the fact that I had it in my cover letter. That felt really belittling, especially as a parent just trying to balance everything.
I get that the role might require someone to be available 5 days a week, but I really expected HubSpot to be more inclusive, especially considering they promote that kind of culture. After the call, I followed up with both the recruiter and the hiring manager to clarify my situation and open a discussion, but I never heard back.
It’s disappointing, especially when it feels like they’re not really embracing the idea of flexibility for parents like me
