Getting a Job based on Looks (interviewed, owner, employer, pay)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
As a male who's forgettable in appearance and in his mid-30's, no, I've never had that good fortune.
However, my former employer had a habit of nevery laying off any women under 30, especially the better looking ones.
Oh, and there was that one engineering company I interviewed at where everyone in the place (aside from the 2 owners and the engineering manager) was well under 30. The HR rep there was also clearly hired for her looks since she had no clue how to do her job. She was the one who scheduled TWO phone interviews, skipped them both and ignored me for a week afterwards each time, and then "forgot" to give me an application to fill out before the on-site interview. The most likely reason is that they never intended to hire me, but since they called ME about the job (I never applied), that really makes no sense at all...
Ah, well... looks beat brains, and connections beat skills every time.
When I first graduated from college I had an interview with a really attractive youngish guy who was head of the division I would be working at. It was a casual interview and he was really nice, but he asked me if I needed to go to the bathroom four times and I thought that was kind of odd. I think I said "I'm good, thanks." and then I remember him looking disappointed. Maybe he just didn't want me to have a full bladder haha I don't know.
Looks definitely can play a part in a hiring decision, but skill is also (obviously) way up there as well. You can hire a very attractive woman to be your automation engineer, but if she doesn't know what the heck she's doing, you're going to look stupid for hiring her.
Has Anyone on here ever gotten a Job just based on there looks? Does it pay off to be fit? I have heard stories about overweight people being passed over for my healthy fit people but maybe less qualifications. anyone here experience this?
Good-looking, slim, tall people tend to make more money than their plain-Jane counterparts, according to a study released this month by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, with researchers finding that beautiful people tend to earn 5 percent more an hour than their less comely colleagues.
After variables like education and experience are factored out, Fed researchers said the "beauty premium" exists across all occupations, and that jobs requiring more interpersonal contact have higher percentages of above-average-looking employees.
For example, the study found there was a higher beauty premium among private sector lawyers than their government-supported counterparts since private attorneys need to attract and keep clients.
If that weren't enough, the Fed also discovered a "plainness penalty," punishing below-average-looks with earnings of 9 percent less an hour.
"Certain characteristics, such as appearance, might affect productivity in ways that are not as easily measured (or as obvious) as are other characteristics, like education or experience," said the report, adding that the effects looks have on self-confidence, communication and social skills were unknown.
Another possible explanation for the wage disparity: good, old-fashioned discrimination, said the Fed.
For example, the wage differential discovered for obesity seems to be limited to white women, the study said, belying an unmeasured productivity explanation.
Economists also found that women considered obese in terms of their body mass index (BMI) in both 1981 and 1988 earned 17 percent less than women within their recommended BMI range.
And while weight seemed to dog women, short men get the short end of the stick. Economists found a "height premium" among white men, with a 1.8-percent increase in wages for every additional inch of height over the national median.
Enjoy
of course there are certain problems with the above that...ah never mind...enjoy
I talked to a young male in my cab last month who is a manager at a hip Boston bar/restaurant. I asked how competitive it is to be hired in Boston in that industry now...
All I realy remember from his answer is that the server had to be attractive.
No surprise, really.
Driving a cab, you can pretty much look as dumpy as you want, as I'm sure some here would agree. Although I do see a driver on occasion who really dresses well...would never know he drives a cab.
I talked to a young male in my cab last month who is a manager at a hip Boston bar/restaurant. I asked how competitive it is to be hired in Boston in that industry now...
All I realy remember from his answer is that the server had to be attractive.
No surprise, really.
Driving a cab, you can pretty much look as dumpy as you want, as I'm sure some here would agree. Although I do see a driver on occasion who really dresses well...would never know he drives a cab.
Well that sounds about right, I don't want a UGLY person serving my food so I can lose my appetite LOL
I was reading something on a new site (turned out to be an old article) about an overweight woman who was suing Southwest Airlines for not having a clear person of size policy. Some of the comments were beyond hateful. You see the same thing on Youtube, and other places where folks can watch something or read an article and comment on people's appearances. Heck there is that peopleofwalmart page too.
So when you consider how nasty and cruel adults are to each other for having handicaps, weight issues, grooming issues, etc-- you can imagine that there will be people interviewing candidates who will be just as bigoted and judgemental-- after all hiring managers are people too.
I am overweight, not obese, but one of my "goals" while finishing up business school this year is to get into a much more athletic shape. Why? Because for a woman in more senior leadership and consulting roles generally judgement is placed higher on being overweight or not.
A couple of my acquaintances spent their severance time while looking for jobs getting in some pretty mean physical shape JUST to help out during interviews.
This is my opinion right here and from experience.
So currently I'm unemployed and looking. I was about 230lbs. So while during this time, I thought to myself, why don't I just lose weight for a healthier lifestyle. Make a long story short, I lost 45lbs an counting. If you were to compare both images, I look more confident in my current pics than my "fat" pics.
Think about it this way, if feel you're more confident losing a few pounds, then go for it! The confidence thing worked for me so it might change the interview process because you might feel better about your well-being.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
