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player ready...I recently suggested that job seekers wear suits of armor to interviews. It seemed to me a practical way to avoid being rejected for not wearing the “right” clothes, for having various parts of your body pierced or for sporting “unusual” hairstyles.
More important, wearing full armor would eliminate discrimination because of sex, race, age or ethnic origin.
The idea that hiring officers may be wrong to have such strict dress codes resonated with beleaguered readers.
Here are some of their responses and my comments:
“That was so old-fashioned of you to recommend job seekers wear coats of armor! Burqas are much more comfortable . . . “
That’s what the Taliban says.
“I found your column interesting but you left out a major drawback: size. With so much of our society overweight, size still is a major factor in how job applicants are perceived.
“It is never discussed, but even the most well-dressed, well-groomed large-sized women or men always will be passed over for jobs and promotions regardless of their qualifications–based on appearance only. Companies are much like individuals in their attitude toward fat: They don’t want it on them, near them or working for them.”
And they’re absolutely wrong to be so prejudiced.
“For my present job as a programmer, I asked the interviewer if he thought I should cut off my ponytail. He said he didn’t care if my hair was blue as long as I could write code.”
That’s a good human resource professional–someone to dye for.
“I like the idea of a coat of armor but someone should investigate prejudice against people with gray hair. Many mature people are going back to college and will face this problem when they are graduated. Many of us have to face it right now: I’m only 45 but I had to color my hair to hide the gray.”
Being ruled out of a job because you have gray hair comes under the category of age discrimination.
“You neglected overweight! It appears that it also is something considered when hiring. Do you really think a coat of armor can adequately conceal it?”
I guess we’re back to the burqa again.
“I think it is stupid how people think about others dressing differently. The way people dress does not affect how they work. I think if society would give everybody a chance, they would get used to their differences and realize they are not bad.
“I am a person who dresses differently and who has piercings, but I work just as hard as the people who got their jobs because they dressed `appropriately.’ I think people who judge others really stink.”
I absolutely agree with you.
“Do you know where I can get one of those head-to-toe suits of armor you mentioned? I can hardly wait to hear what interviewers will say about them!”
As far as I know, they’re only at museums and in very small sizes. But you might try asking the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission why suits of armor are so badly needed.
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Carol Kleiman’s column also appears in Tuesday’s Business and Wednesday’s Working sections. Watch her Career Coach segments on CLTV. Send e-mail to [email protected].