Bengaluru is once again in the news. This time not for something related to the infamous traffic or the trouble finding an accommodation in the city, but a woman has claimed that she was rejected after the final round of a job interview as her skin tone was ‘too fair’. Pratiksha Jichkar, who made the claim, shared a screenshot of the rejection mail purportedly sent by the organisation she had applied to. The mail states that the decision was taken to avoid any difference within the team.
Jichkar reportedly had to go through three rounds of interviews and one assignment before the company decided not to hire her despite meeting all the required skill sets.
"I was rejected in final round of interview, as my skin tone was little fair for the team. You read that right, after 3 rounds of interview, 1 round of assignment, with all the relevant skills, qualifications and experience I was not fit for the role because my skin tone was fair than the current team," read the LinkedIn post of Jichkar.
"Here we are talking about diversity, inclusivity, sustainability and then we are judging people based on color, creed, religion and many other biases," she further wrote.
Jichkar also shared the mail that she received from the company, which read, "thank you for interviewing with us and being patient throughout the process. Unfortunately, we cannot move ahead with you for the role at this time. We found your profile relevant and all skills and qualifications match what we are looking for but we are an inclusive organisation and believe in equal opportunity for all."
The post after being shared went viral and has amassed over 14,000 likes and over 400, reposts on LinkedIn.
However, there are a large number of people who doubt the authenticity of her story and said that no HR professional would draft the kind of email Jichkar received from the company.
Many also pointed out that Jichkar had turned off the comments on her LinkedIn post after being called out.