‘Wanted us to meet her husband’: Mumbai CEO instantly rejects candidate’s request to ‘interview’ him

A Mumbai-based CEO turned down a senior-level candidate after she requested that he meet her husband before she accepted the job.

Vinod Chendhil, founder and CEO of Naturally Yours, shared the incident on X (formerly Twitter), calling it an “instant reject”.

“Spoke to a candidate today, who wanted us to meet her husband after we had selected her. Instant reject,” Chendhil wrote, clarifying that she was chosen for a senior role.

In a follow-up post, Chendhil explained that the woman wanted her husband to “interview” him to assess if the company was a good fit. He called it a “huge red flag,” questioning how she would make independent decisions in a leadership role.

“Because she wants her husband to say yes for her to join us. Why would an independent woman want that? Basically, she wants her husband to interview us to see if it’s okay 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?” he wrote.

His stance sparked mixed reactions online.

Hiring debate erupts on X

Some agreed with Chendhil, calling the candidate’s request unprofessional.

“I have had conversations with female candidates’ parents BUT at intern levels. Mostly to allay any anxiety around their kid being safe & taken care of. At senior levels, it’s a crazy thing. There’s no way it would have worked. Good call,” an X user named Jaipal wrote.

Another entrepreneur, DK Agarwal, shared a similar hiring experience: “We interviewed a person from Delhi who agreed to join in Bangalore but then said my family may not allow it. We said an immediate no.”

However, others pushed back, arguing that women often have less agency over career decisions due to societal pressures.

Sakshi Shukla, founder of Saturn Studios, pointed out: “This isn’t a red flag on her part. It’s a sign that her family wants to control where she works. You might have rejected a really solid candidate just because society functions against women.”

Chendhil responded, saying the decision was not solely based on this request, but on “other red flags” that surfaced during her three-hour interview.

As the debate continues, the incident has reignited discussions on workplace autonomy, gender roles, and professional expectations in hiring decisions.