Hiring Discrimination: The Little Things to Watch Out For
23 August 2010
Read by 1563 persons
Many candidates are penalized during hiring because of their physique, religious beliefs, age, or other factors.
Recruiters often talk about presentation, attire... without ever explicitly mentioning their reservations.
To maximize their chances, a job applicant should at least take care of their appearance.
The dictatorship of appearances, Mouna, 42, knows something about this. "I've always been obese, and very often I've experienced discrimination related to my physique," she explains. "For this position, I largely noticed that only the physique mattered. Some companies, for example, were more interested in finding the fantasy image of the sexy assistant than the truly competent person," she continues. Yet, she is not the type to get discouraged at the first obstacle.
A fighter, she was still able to find her place. But, as is often the case for some people, she has to redouble her efforts to assert herself and cannot afford to make mistakes. Indeed, it is not easy to establish oneself as an executive assistant when one does not have the physique for it. A function where the dictatorship of beauty is a reality in all countries.
A victim of unacknowledged segregation, Laila B., a manager in a service company, also knows a thing or two about it. Not because of her physique this time, but simply because she wears the hijab. "Very few recruiters dared to invoke my veil to justify their refusal," she points out. Today, many veiled women say they are victims of hiring discrimination, even if companies are starting to change their attitudes on this point.
But they are not the only ones. In our image-obsessed society, we can say that physique sometimes imposes its dictates.
To put it another way, nobody dares to talk about it, but it is a phenomenon that does exist, even if it is limited.
Age is often the first form of discrimination. Job offers are revealing on this criterion. Over 35, the chances of finding a job diminish. And let's not talk about seniors in their fifties. To excuse themselves, some employers invoke retraining problems and salary expectations that may be too high compared to the expectations of a young person.
For this HR director, "Moroccan society has not yet created a favorable framework for this population. Most often, seniors become self-employed or retreat into an associative framework. At least, they have the possibility of finding other personal satisfactions, other sources of motivation, recognition, the feeling of service rendered..."
Then comes gender. A 35-year-old woman with four children has less chance of being called for an interview, even less of being selected, especially for certain types of jobs.
With equal skills and qualifications, the way one dresses, their physique, the way they speak or their accent, and the existence of a disability will be considered. Other criteria such as skin color or an effeminate appearance for a man or too masculine for a woman complete the list and can also constitute a disadvantage.
Most recruiters say they do not rely on subjective criteria
One thing is certain, appearance conveys a lot of information to our interlocutors. This is why, in Europe, some firms have taken advantage of this to position themselves in image consulting. Whether it is for personal reasons, to be more attractive, whether it is a candidate who wants to facilitate their hiring, a manager who wants to improve their impact, or a company that wants to optimize the efficiency of its sales representatives, more and more people are resorting to the advice of look professionals.
In Morocco, some senior executives or politicians sometimes use coaches to further refine their image. What do recruitment specialists think? Most of them say they do not rely on subjective criteria such as physical appearance, gender, skin color, and age for hiring. The only condition is to be competent and to respect the company's values. "It's not a matter of getting into ideological considerations with the client company. We mainly see what the position requires in terms of human skills. If a veiled woman can do the job, there is no problem," emphasizes Siham Alaoui, human resources consultant at Convergence Conseil.
On the other hand, one of her recruiter colleagues acknowledges that some clients do not hesitate to clearly specify physical criteria, without any problem.
It will probably be necessary to "force" an HR manager to explicitly acknowledge hiring discrimination or career management. There is one who nevertheless admitted that his management asked him to retain the applications of veiled women and men with beards as a last resort. Managers did not want them at all in their department, especially if it involved positions involving direct contact with clients. This kind of confession is rare.
Physical criteria are almost absent from job advertisements
"We are not a modeling agency. We are looking for skills above all," we hear everywhere. In fact, they are rarely aware of committing an injustice when they judge a person with an unpleasant physique as "charmless," a concept often used as an alibi for the cult of physique. The subject is still taboo in the company.
"We are in the realm of the unspoken," explains Chantal Aounil, recruitment manager at Bil Consulting. "Our clients talk about presentation, attire, elegance... without ever explicitly mentioning physique or anything else." Siham Alaoui also adds that a candidate who has the physique for the job may be favored over another candidate. They can use their assets to impress the recruiter.
But if companies in Morocco very rarely mention explicit physical criteria, it is more out of natural ethics than fear of legal repercussions.
No law, in fact, expressly protects employees against discrimination related to their physique, as exists in many countries. Facts that are often very difficult to prove in court...
That said, physical criteria are almost absent from job advertisements. However, we find some evasive qualifiers such as "discreet secretary," and mentions relating to gender and age, often prohibited in other countries. In terms of physical desires, the term "good presentation" remains the most commonly used expression. The photograph, on the other hand, is increasingly requested to accompany a CV. It is even strongly recommended for direct application to the company "except for veiled women who would then deprive themselves of any chance of finding a job," as some recruitment managers have expressed. Moral: it is better to give yourself the maximum chances by leaving aside your personal ideas.
Failing to be able to change certain physical characteristics, recruitment specialists recommend at least taking care of your image through simple criteria: a general appearance and correct body posture.
In short, even if clothes don't make the monk, a little neatness doesn't hurt.
Posted online on March 8, 2010
Published on August 23, 2010
Lavieeco.com
Recruiters often talk about presentation, attire... without ever explicitly mentioning their reservations.
To maximize their chances, a job applicant should at least take care of their appearance.
The dictatorship of appearances, Mouna, 42, knows something about this. "I've always been obese, and very often I've experienced discrimination related to my physique," she explains. "For this position, I largely noticed that only the physique mattered. Some companies, for example, were more interested in finding the fantasy image of the sexy assistant than the truly competent person," she continues. Yet, she is not the type to get discouraged at the first obstacle.
A fighter, she was still able to find her place. But, as is often the case for some people, she has to redouble her efforts to assert herself and cannot afford to make mistakes. Indeed, it is not easy to establish oneself as an executive assistant when one does not have the physique for it. A function where the dictatorship of beauty is a reality in all countries.
A victim of unacknowledged segregation, Laila B., a manager in a service company, also knows a thing or two about it. Not because of her physique this time, but simply because she wears the hijab. "Very few recruiters dared to invoke my veil to justify their refusal," she points out. Today, many veiled women say they are victims of hiring discrimination, even if companies are starting to change their attitudes on this point.
But they are not the only ones. In our image-obsessed society, we can say that physique sometimes imposes its dictates.
To put it another way, nobody dares to talk about it, but it is a phenomenon that does exist, even if it is limited.
Age is often the first form of discrimination. Job offers are revealing on this criterion. Over 35, the chances of finding a job diminish. And let's not talk about seniors in their fifties. To excuse themselves, some employers invoke retraining problems and salary expectations that may be too high compared to the expectations of a young person.
For this HR director, "Moroccan society has not yet created a favorable framework for this population. Most often, seniors become self-employed or retreat into an associative framework. At least, they have the possibility of finding other personal satisfactions, other sources of motivation, recognition, the feeling of service rendered..."
Then comes gender. A 35-year-old woman with four children has less chance of being called for an interview, even less of being selected, especially for certain types of jobs.
With equal skills and qualifications, the way one dresses, their physique, the way they speak or their accent, and the existence of a disability will be considered. Other criteria such as skin color or an effeminate appearance for a man or too masculine for a woman complete the list and can also constitute a disadvantage.
Most recruiters say they do not rely on subjective criteria
One thing is certain, appearance conveys a lot of information to our interlocutors. This is why, in Europe, some firms have taken advantage of this to position themselves in image consulting. Whether it is for personal reasons, to be more attractive, whether it is a candidate who wants to facilitate their hiring, a manager who wants to improve their impact, or a company that wants to optimize the efficiency of its sales representatives, more and more people are resorting to the advice of look professionals.
In Morocco, some senior executives or politicians sometimes use coaches to further refine their image. What do recruitment specialists think? Most of them say they do not rely on subjective criteria such as physical appearance, gender, skin color, and age for hiring. The only condition is to be competent and to respect the company's values. "It's not a matter of getting into ideological considerations with the client company. We mainly see what the position requires in terms of human skills. If a veiled woman can do the job, there is no problem," emphasizes Siham Alaoui, human resources consultant at Convergence Conseil.
On the other hand, one of her recruiter colleagues acknowledges that some clients do not hesitate to clearly specify physical criteria, without any problem.
It will probably be necessary to "force" an HR manager to explicitly acknowledge hiring discrimination or career management. There is one who nevertheless admitted that his management asked him to retain the applications of veiled women and men with beards as a last resort. Managers did not want them at all in their department, especially if it involved positions involving direct contact with clients. This kind of confession is rare.
Physical criteria are almost absent from job advertisements
"We are not a modeling agency. We are looking for skills above all," we hear everywhere. In fact, they are rarely aware of committing an injustice when they judge a person with an unpleasant physique as "charmless," a concept often used as an alibi for the cult of physique. The subject is still taboo in the company.
"We are in the realm of the unspoken," explains Chantal Aounil, recruitment manager at Bil Consulting. "Our clients talk about presentation, attire, elegance... without ever explicitly mentioning physique or anything else." Siham Alaoui also adds that a candidate who has the physique for the job may be favored over another candidate. They can use their assets to impress the recruiter.
But if companies in Morocco very rarely mention explicit physical criteria, it is more out of natural ethics than fear of legal repercussions.
No law, in fact, expressly protects employees against discrimination related to their physique, as exists in many countries. Facts that are often very difficult to prove in court...
That said, physical criteria are almost absent from job advertisements. However, we find some evasive qualifiers such as "discreet secretary," and mentions relating to gender and age, often prohibited in other countries. In terms of physical desires, the term "good presentation" remains the most commonly used expression. The photograph, on the other hand, is increasingly requested to accompany a CV. It is even strongly recommended for direct application to the company "except for veiled women who would then deprive themselves of any chance of finding a job," as some recruitment managers have expressed. Moral: it is better to give yourself the maximum chances by leaving aside your personal ideas.
Failing to be able to change certain physical characteristics, recruitment specialists recommend at least taking care of your image through simple criteria: a general appearance and correct body posture.
In short, even if clothes don't make the monk, a little neatness doesn't hurt.
Posted online on March 8, 2010
Published on August 23, 2010
Lavieeco.com
