Staff engineer was excited after acing the final interview — until HR asked one 'quick question' about her family that raised a giant red flag
A promising interview can help candidates decide whether they see themselves building a future with the company. They may leave thinking the role could be a strong fit, especially after doing well in technical discussions. That was the case for a staff engineer interviewing with a regional SaaS company. They had reached the final stage and felt confident about the opportunity. However, an unexpected question from HR at the end of the interview made them rethink the company. They shared the experience on Reddit under the username u/Over_Building7479 on August 13, 2026.
HR ended the interview with a strangely inappropriate hiring question
by u/Over_Building7479 in whatdoIdo
They said the coding exercises had gone better than expected, while conversations with engineering managers had also been positive. The compensation range was also close to what they had hoped for, adding to their excitement. As the interview ended, the HR lead said, "I have one last quick question before we finish..." and asked the individual, "Are you expecting to start a family soon?" They froze after hearing the question and even asked the woman to repeat it, thinking they may have misheard it and not believing such a question could be asked so directly. The HR lead then said the company wanted to "understand any future family commitments for staffing and planning reasons."
They told HR they were not comfortable answering the question and that it felt too personal, commenting that the "question isn't appropriate in a hiring process." The woman appeared surprised by their objection, which made the exchange even more uncomfortable. They shared how they had taken part in many interviews over the years, including difficult ones, but had never faced such a blunt question about their family plans. A hiring discussion should focus on qualifications and experience rather than private decisions, making the candidate's concern understandable.
The question also changed how they viewed the company after an otherwise positive interview. They still thanked the HR lead but explained that they were concerned about the way the question had been handled. They said it seemed as though the company considered such questions normal during hiring. On the way home, they kept replaying the conversation and wondered whether they should report what happened. They also questioned whether leaving the matter behind and focusing on other opportunities was a better idea. They ended the post by sharing, "I'll be applying for other jobs, and this time I'll try to avoid some of the preparation mistakes that could cost me the job."
The questions and behavior of hiring teams during an interview can say a lot about a company and its workplace culture. In another incident, a woman was seen discussing her decision to turn down a job with two male interviewers at a coffee shop. She calmly told them that she had "personal reasons" related to her mother, but their attitude changed after she left. The men reportedly made rude comments about her and joked about her having "mommy issues." The observer described their behavior as "disgusting and misogynistic" and felt the woman had luckily avoided a bad workplace. "Girl, you dodged a bullet," she further added.