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