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

[B00]

I agree with your boyfriend (sorry!)

The fact that you've made an effort to dress smartly shows that you wan't the job and have pulled out the stops to impress both with your looks and proof of your capabilities.

If oyu turn up in jeans, regardless of how you really are it says "meh, ive just rolled out of bed and put the 1st thing on that I had to hand- so gizza job!"

[sqad617]

I agree with your boyfiend AND BOO.

[Leggendisgod]

Would it be a low cut tshirt ?

And would you be wearing a bra ?

And is this winter or summer ?


Not enough information for me to give a concise answer im afraid.

[sqad617]

Just had a thought, I might agree with you if you were applying for the job as "tea lady" or "cleaner"

[kchunter86]

none of the interviews i have been to in the past have i worn a suit its always been a pair of jeans and a nice top..... still made the effort.... i have never looked like id just rolled outta bed but ive never went as far as a suit....

thank you very much for your opinion. x

[redcrx]

surely it depends on the job that youre applying for.
If its an engineering job or for a carrot topper then going in in a suit is going to look out of place.

same as if you turned up for an interview for a bank manager wearing jeans and t-shirt.

Its not discrimination at all.

[gossipgirl]

i thinks its a case of 1st impressions count, and i would say if someone turned up in jeans regardless of how tidy they were, then i would think that no effort has been made. ive never gone to an interview in a full suit but ive always worn smart trousers, with a smart but casual top. Sorry but i have to say i agree with your partner x

[kchunter86]

im more talking applying for halfords down the high street..... sales assistant or a waitress job or even applying to work in spar, we both have an interview for halfords this afternoon is how we got on the discussion.

no low cut tops and yes with my size defo has to be a bra involved im not ****** and think i can get a job like that.... a smart top not too revealing, something im comfortable in and look nice in. as far as im concerned its discrimination due to the fact he said he wouldnt even interview me unless i was wearing something smarter.

x

[B00]

Yup like Red says, it does obviously depend on the type of job you're going for too.

My last job interview was for a position as a checkout operator at my local Co-op, I think you'll agree that there's nowt glamerous about that job! However I still made the effort in a smart top and a pair of dark trousers. I'm not sure if just wearing jeans would have affected me getting the job- but to be honest I wasn't taking the chances.

(I got the job by the way- lol)

[redcrx]

for Halfords shop floor then id go with smart trousers and top.

[kchunter86]

mmmmm black trousers and smart top it is..... god i so hate when he wins!! lol. thank you all. x

[Sasha-2008]

No matter what the job I would still wear a nice skirt and a blouse. just shows that you are keen to impress.

i know what your saying about your mind still being the same, and that is true. You are still the same person with the same skills no matter what you wear but it just doesn't work like that.

Would you employ a person who came in looking dirty, or was homeless for example even tho they might be the best person skillfully for the job??

[Leggendisgod]

But for hairdresssers or beautician / beauty therapist / sun bed salon assistant.

False nails , low cut top, fake lashes and plenty of slap.

[andy-hughes]

I think it's about the impression you make as you walk in - and that is what is very important for a candidate.

If I were interviewing, I would expect the interviewee to be smartly dressed - certainly not in jeans and a tee-shirt.

To dress smartly shows a degree of respect for the interviewer, and the situation, and in far more cases, you are likely to make a negative impression if you appear casual. If the interviewer doesnt mind either way, you have lost nothing be being casual, if they think as i do - and more of them do trust me, then you are off to a bad start with your self-image before you have opened your mouth.

Discrimination is a whole other area, and does not apply in this case. You may not be selected because you gave the apearence of a lack of intent to impres by being casual - thaty's not discrimination, it's a valid assessment of your potentlal worth as an employee.

Remember, it's their bat, their ball, their game, their rules.

You may stand proud for having been true to your ideals, but you can still be unemployed because of it, so that is a Pyrrhic victory.

[New Judge]

You didn�t say whether you were successful or not at the interviews where you wore �always... a pair of jeans and a nice top.....�

Anyway, your question is whether this is discrimination. It is no more discrimination than if you failed to get the job because you did not have the right skills. The employer may well set one of the requirements he makes of his candidates to be that they have the ability to dress appropriately (in his view). He calls the shots, he decides what he does and does not want to see in a candidate, he decides what is and is not appropriate dress.

So long as his decision is not made by discriminating against candidates on one of the grounds prevented by law (race, gender, etc.) then he is free to apply whatever criteria he likes.

[kchunter86]

to the last 2 replys.... the reason i feel its discrimination is not because of not getting the job....... where i feel the discrimination factor comes in is if he wont even let you in the office to take the interview not you have had the interview then the employer turns you down.

in my boyfriends view if i went to the interview in jeans and nice top he wouldnt even let me in the door to be seen or heard. this is what i think is discrimination. not even being seen or heard because i look different from someone else (not wearing a suit) this is like im not letting you in to be interviewed because your .... coloured... white.... catholic... jew.... protistent and so on and so forth.

[Razzle09]

I'm not sure that he could refuse to interview you however he could ensure that you do not get the job. Any interview panel may consciously decide that you are unsuitable especially if the position is dealing with the public and more formal dress is required.

[Allykitten]

I thought legally appearances were not allowed to be taken into consideration but of course we all have personal preferences.

Tough call.