It’s difficult to forget the day my two daughters accompanied me to a job interview.
It’s not ideal to have to cart a baby and a toddler along to any professional meeting. In the end, it came down to a choice between taking them to the interview or forfeiting an opportunity to secure a position I had been working towards for years.
One of Beijing’s prestigious magazines was looking for a writer to join their Family department. The job caught my eye because it held the promise of being able to be performed remotely. It seemed like the perfect marriage of my two passions — documenting meaningful topics and being present for my children’s daytime adventures.
I submitted my application and continued with daily life. Within days, I received a phone call to inform me that I was through to the interview stage. I was elated.
During the call, we briefly discussed the logistics of the interview — time, date, what to bring, etc. As the telephone call was coming to an end, I asked a question that the HR guy was almost certainly not used to hearing, “Is it alright if I bring my daughters along to the interview?”
“Sure!” the man shot back.
I was hopeful.
