Anyone who has been to a tradeshow, a business networking event or just has been following business news may be well aware of a typical look of top executive and business people – certainly nothing that is close to a model or a rock star. However, there is a lot of marketing out there that associates success with an unrealistic – mostly manufactured -- appearance. The point is certainly to sell products: from cosmetics, to clothes to plastic surgery.
This can turn into an unneeded distraction from a real problem that is the market is more competitive. While looking good can be a plus, it is important not to confuse the reality of what contributes to having a rewarding career for both men and women and the images that are pushed for pure marketing purposes.
To start, let’s get back to the basics: concepts that have been always applicable in job interviews and business environments still apply: Candidates need to show up for job interviews with a clean and tidy appearance; those who want to position themselves for promotion must be able to dress for the job they aspire to get rather than the job they have, etc.
What is not necessarily and, in fact, harmful is to obsess over appearance issues that are hard to change and let them diminish your self-esteem when you most need it – to get a job or to get ahead in a job. Unfortunately, women are often an easier prey when it comes to such obsessions which can get in their way even without being aware of the damage that is taking place.
Here are a few examples of how wrong perceptions of appearance can get in the way of your career.
Shape up
If you think life-work balance is tough, try body weight-life-work balance. This certainly is even a tougher formula. Busy professionals are often tight on time and squeezing time for fitness may be a mission impossible – especially for women who take a larger responsibility in household chores. For many, hitting the gym may drop down the priorities and excessive work hours trigger bad eating habits. The end result is being out of shape. While this is not a unique problem, people react differently. From avoiding personal interaction and networking events to depression and hiding into rather unattractive clothes. This type of reaction – rather than the problem in itself – is what can limit opportunities that are available to others who positively deal or simply overlook the issue.
Age
All types of commercials are out there telling everyone that being young is good and ageing is unacceptable and unattractive. A person who fights his/her own age in a job interview and attempts unnecessarily to look younger may be shooting themselves in the foot. First of all, a hiring manager can easily guess a candidate’s age by looking at the year of graduation and the approximate number of working years. Therefore the invitation to the interview in itself is a statement of acceptance – regardless of the legal requirement not to discriminate. Being over-conscious of your age – just as the case with appearance – can rattle you if you find the interviewer is significantly younger. The solution is to focus on the skills required for the job apart from any factors. Plus have the young-at-heart attitude; this is what your interviewer will most likely be looking for.
Being yourself
Let’s face, regardless of how much whitening cream one may use, it hardly can change the skin tone – before it begins to cause side effects. The same goes going extreme for example with a plastic surgery to look more competitive. This type of action points to someone who has lost sight of the criteria that most employers are looking for in a new team member. Unless your ambition is to be a movie star, the odds are that your interviewer is just looking for strong credentials, excellent technical skills, strong work ethics and positive attitude. You get the point: Your colour, height, teeth, hair, etc are not part of the equation, and if they become you’re subject to an unfair hiring situation. This is not a green card to show up for interviews unkempt, but to put things into perspective and focus on what can actually help you nail the job.
Rania Oteify, a former Gulf News Business Features Editor, is currently a journalist based in Seattle.
