Jalonni Weaver is an in-house recruiter at a life insurance company in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. She’s worked in the field since 2021. The following has been edited for brevity and clarity.
I was interviewing a candidate for an early-career role. We got on the call, and she introduced herself, then moved the camera. She was like, “My toddler’s sitting right here eating. Is it OK? He’s not going to be a problem.”
She explained that she couldn’t afford childcare because she was unemployed.
Her toddler wasn’t a problem. I have a one-year-old, and she’s a problem. Most of the time, her toddler was just eating. He would make noises every now and then, but we were able to get through the full interview.
I’ve been unemployed with a kid. Thankfully, I could still provide because I had a significant other, but I understood where she was coming from.
People face challenges. Not every applicant may have a strong WiFi signal. Not every applicant may have a super quiet environment. I’ve had several times when people have been interviewing from their cars or from closets. I don’t really look at where you are because I try to put myself in everybody’s shoes.
I’m like, “In this market, if you’re doing this, you need a job.” I try to look at the bigger picture and not flag people just because they’re not in a suit sitting at a desk.
I try to look at it from a human lens rather than, “You’ll get docked because you had to reschedule your interview because you’re in the hospital.”
That doesn’t mean there are no red flags. If someone reschedules and reschedules, I’m sending an email asking, “Hey, is there something going on? Are you still interested?”
If somebody doesn’t show up, I’ll send one email and say, “If you would like to reschedule, here’s the link.”
It’s all about communication. The people who show up with their kids or interview in their cars are making an effort.
In this case, I moved the woman forward in the process because she did well, not because I felt pity for her.
For the second round, she came in person to interview with a panel after finding someone to watch her son. After her interview with the team, they said they wanted to hire her.
A couple of hours later, I called her with the good news. I knew she was with her toddler again because I could hear him in the background. I told her she got the role, the pay, and that they enjoyed meeting her. She was ecstatic.
After she got the offer, she said it would allow her to look into childcare. She’s also moving closer to the office.
That matters because in Dallas, if you live in a suburban area, and you’re coming into a busier area, it’s going to take you a good minute to get here. If you’re getting off at 5 o’clock, you don’t want to have to rush across town before day care closes.
There are so many things that happen in life, and you don’t realize what a small gesture of being human can do.
Since I have a toddler, too, I know that feeling as a mom: You just want to provide for your child.
When she found out she got the job, you could hear the relief in her voice, like she was thinking, “I can finally start living again and doing what I need to do.”
