your oppinions... is this discrimination??

[kchunter86]

ok guys currently having a debate with the boyfriend on this subject and i would like the opinion of the rest of you......

At an interview if you were the employer and i were the employee and i showed up for the interview in a suit are you more likely to hire me than if i was just wearing my jeans and a nice top hair and make up done looking like ive made the effort but not put a suit on???

according to my boyfriend if he was the employer and i showed up to the interview NOT wearing a suit or suitable equivalent for a female he wouldnt even let me in the office for the interview he would just turn me away there and then...... I feel this is a form of discrimination but he is adament it is NOT discrimination.... the way i put it to him was it doesnt matter a damn what im wearing my mind is still the same im still capable of doing the job and in my view its discrimination. im not turning up in scruffy old jeans with holes in them or paint all over them im smartly but casually dressed.

please give me your views people!!

x

[CheekyChops]

I'm a clerical worker and generally people still wear suits to interviews. If I was a prospective employer and an interviewee turned up in jeans then they definately wouldn't get the job!

[B00]

Have you asked this in another category as well? Or have the answers already supplied (including mine) been removed?

Yours
Puzzled from Lancs.

[sandmaster]

Not discrimination. Male or female, any sexual orientation, any race, if you are not dressed appropriately you lower your chances of employment.

[Twenty20]

Dressing smartly and appropriately for an interview shows respect and that you're making an effort. I do think there's more leeway for women as to what they can wear though.

Different people have different ideas though on what constitutes smart dress, so, to be safe, you can't go wrong with a suit.

[R1Geezer]

Listen to your fella he sounds wise. When you are hiring someone you are entitled to make the rules. It's not descrimination it's natural selection. If you turn up looking like a sack of sh1t then that tells the employer that you couldn't care less and you'd probably apply that to actually doing the job in question. You may be perfect for the job but you won't get through the door. Also in these austere times when there are likely to be a lot of candidates for jobs an untidy/casual appearance just gives them an easy way of whittling down the numbers.

[saxy_jag]

I wouldn't class it as discrimination, although it may be a bit of a narrow minded attitude. After all, what is and is not considered smart dress is a subjective thing.

Having said that, first impressions can count for a lot. If a candidate doesn't look as though they've at least made an effort to impress their prospective employer, then why would that employer expect them to make any effort in other areas?

I was always advised that for an interview you should dress in a slightly smarter version of what you'd expect to wear on the job. So if you're going for a receptionist or admin post, a suit wouldn't be out of place. If, however, the job will involve mucking out farm animals, then a clean, wholesome pair of jeans or combats with suitable boots and shirt would be more appropriate.

[sue11]

While I feel that a suit shows that someone wants to make a good impression, to turn away anyone just because they are not suitably dressed for an interview shows extreme short sightedness! We employ staff for our retail business and do not expect potential employees to turn up in a suit. However one young man did and also showed us that he had researched his subject thoroughly by reciting practically the entire history of our company! However we did not give him the job, simply because he did not smile once through the interview and came across as just not that friendly. It shows that it takes more than just what you are wearing to give a good or bad impression!
Cheers Sue.

[Whickerman]

I'm with him.

Interviews are when you need to make the effort. If you can't be bothered, or feel you shouldn't have to, you will need to change the majority of society, or start your own business.

Also - all interviews are discrimination - the employer discriminates in favour of the person they want working for them.

[ashtaylor]

I own and run a very succesful marketing company, when i do a interview i do look at the apperance strait away.
This shows me if the pottential employee has made an effort or not, but i can see potential beyond apperance and if i do think they will be good at the job i will tell them the way i want them to dress for the apperance of the company jeans area big no no.