‘Zero English, 1-year gap’: Ahmedabad founder reveals why he hired candidate with potential, not perfect CV

Ahmedabad CEO hires candidate despite career gap. (AI-generated representative image)

In today’s competitive job market, career gaps can make even experienced professionals invisible to recruiters. Many CVs are filtered out before a single conversation takes place. Yet, sometimes the most valuable qualities are not on paper.

Recently, Ahmedabad-based founder Pritesh Lakhani shared the story of a young woman who had interviewed for an operations role. She had four years of work experience but had taken a one-year break for personal reasons. “Yesterday, we interviewed a girl for an operations role. She had four years of experience but had taken a one-year break for personal reasons,” the post read.

The interview was conducted in a conference room by Darshit Lakhani, co-founder and COO, and lasted around 20 to 30 minutes. After the meeting, Pritesh asked Darshit for his feedback.

Darshit described her as good, confident, and very polite, but he also pointed out two concerns. “But her English is almost zero (eliminates inside sales), and there’s a one-year gap. Good companies are probably filtering her CV because of that,” he said.

Despite these drawbacks, Darshit noted that her attitude was strong and that she could be trained. The main challenge, he added, was that there was no clearly defined role for her at that moment. Rather than closing the discussion, Lakhani chose to be transparent with the candidate. She was called back and told there was no fixed role. He wrote, “Called her back and explained the situation transparently. No promises. No polished pitch. Just the reality.”

Yesterday, we interviewed a girl for an operations role. She had four years of experience but had taken a one-year break for personal reasons. Darshit was conducting the interview in the conference room and I could overhear parts of it through the glass walls. It lasted around…

— Pritesh Lakhani (@priteshlakhani) February 27, 2026

The candidate accepted the offer and joined on Monday, arriving at 9:30 am on the first day. Her response reflected a willingness to learn and adapt. She said, “I’ll watch and learn from everyone. It will help me understand what is expected so I can prepare myself.”

The story quickly gained attention online, with many netizens praising the approach. One wrote, “Sometimes people don’t lack capability, they just lack someone willing to bet on their potential. This is so wholesome. And in an early-stage team, it’s not even an easy call to hire without a defined role…so kudos to you both.”

Another comment read, “Confidence + willingness to learn beats a perfect CV any day. Hope she crushes it.” One more added, “Most companies want finished products. The best ones build them.”