Shape of your job search

The Chicago Tribune published an article on the front cover the career section on Sunday, August 29th titled "Body of Evidence" that focused on the link between a candidate's physique and ability to get hired.  Before you start emailing and calling The Chicago Tribune, know that their article is based on the findings of a Newsweek Magazine survey of over 200 national hiring managers. Of those surveyed, 60 percent were men and 40 percent were women, something to keep in mind when you consider the results. Here's what the survey found:

• 63% believe physical attractiveness is beneficial to men; 72% believe it's beneficial to women
• Looks matter more than education: 59% advised spending as much time and money on making sure you look attractive in person as you do on paper. 
• Ladies, we've got it worse. Respondents said women are better off wearing figure flattering clothing at work yet 47% agree that women are penalized for being too good-looking in the workplace. 39% believe being "very good-looking" is an advantage for women.
• Being fat is the worst (despite most of us are). Almost 75% of Americans may be overweight according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, yet 2/3, nearly 67%, of hiring managers would hesitate before hiring a candidate that's qualified but significantly overweight.
• Ageism, alive and well. If you're older looking, it's even worse. 84% of hiring managers said they believe bosses would hesitate before hiring a qualified candidate who looks much older than his, or her, co-workers. Facelift? Botox?
• 64% of hiring managers believe companies should be allowed to hire employees based on looks.
• Confidence matters. When ranking the Top 2 qualities in a candidate, hiring managers listed confidence and experience first and second.

This past week I was asked by a reporter to comment on this article and my response will likely cause controversy. While I believe there's a serious issue with the perception of what overweight looks like in America, I also think that hiring managers have to consider hiring practices that keep their bottom-lines healthy.

Hiring an overweight candidate can have a serious impact on the health of their bottom-line. Let me clarify what I mean when I say overweight. As a slender woman people think I automatically think everyone needs to be a size 0 or 2. The average American woman is a size 12, that's healthy. America's distorted sense of weight has no part in hiring practices. On the other hand, hiring obese candidates (men or women) causes a strain on companies. Here are a few facts on what obesity is costing employers*:

1. $93 billion in direct medical costs
2. $3.4 billion annually for sick leave
3. $2.5 billion annually for obesity-related life insurance spending
4. $1.1 billion spent on disability insurance

When hiring a normal weight employee, the annual health care premium average is $4,016 which nearly doubles for an obese employee (BMI >40) to $8,359*. (*source: Optifast)

Hiring a candidate that keeps their weight under control and takes care of their body directly impacts the company's productivity, health insurance costs and, as a result, the bottom-line.  When it comes to hiring a new employee, the hiring manager has a responsibility to consider more than just the look of a candidate. They need to consider the productivity, cost of the candidate to the business both short-term and long-term, the impact on the team and their qualifications.

As a veteran career coach, former HR executive and hiring manager, I'm an advocate for equitable hiring practices. As a woman, minority, family member of an obese person and career coach of high caliber 45+ candidates, I am far too familiar with unfair hiring practices. This study is not new information, it's simply confirmation of what we knew has gone on for decades.