Dress for success: why UK workers think looks matter in recruitment

A new report from CV-Library has revealed that employers may look at candidates’ appearance more than they should

Dress for success: why UK workers think looks matter in recruitment

Dressing up for a job interview is nothing new. But what happens when your sense of style affects the chances of you landing the job? New research from CV-Library, the job board, reveals that nearly three-quarters of Brits think the way you look affects your career prospects.

Having surveyed 1,040 UK workers around the topic of physical appearance and their opportunities to advance at work, the researchers also found that a staggering 81.9% believe employers discriminate against individuals based on their looks. In fact, over half of the professionals think appearance can impact the way co-workers see them. Even more shocking, 30,4 % of the Brits state that they think your appearance affects how much their bosses likes them and 23,3% believe it has an effect on your salary. Luckily, 75.8% of the workers did say that they wouldn’t alter their looks for a job.

Looking at how British workers think this issue should be fought, nearly half of the workers said that more than one recruiter should be involved in the hiring process while others believed that telephone interviews should take place early on in the process. Some even suggested blind hiring, others think recruiters shouldn’t be allowed to google potential employees to help avoid unconscious bias.

Commenting on the findings Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library, said: “With continued focus on discrimination in the workplace, our findings could be cause for concern for UK businesses. No one should ever be made to feel that they can’t advance in their career because of their physical appearance and this is an issue that needs to be addressed.”

He added: “Organisations should make a conscious effort to hire individuals that are the best fit for the job and eliminate discrimination entirely.”

Indeed, no one should ever be made to feel that they can’t advance in their career because of their physical appearance and it’s encouraging four out of five wouldn’t change their looks no matter what. Seriously, it shouldn’t have to matter if you choose bows before hose.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Anne Struijcken
Anne Struijcken
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