Would You Give This Woman a Job?

Is she high or hired?

This is a story about a job applicant. A true story in fact, with the names changed to honor privacy.

A qualified candidate (we’ll call her "Lisa") applied for a job with The Image Studios. The job was an entry level support role that involved client relations and sales. Lisa’s resume was excellent. She passed the phone screen with flying colors. We invited her in for a live interview – fully expecting that we would make her an offer on the spot. In short, the job was hers to lose.

Lisa arrived early, but not the dreaded too early that makes the interviewers feel like they are running late. She met one-on-one with three members of our team. Each teammate was impressed with her background and resume. But after the in-person interviews, each interviewer was not so sure about extending Lisa a job offer. Here’s why.

Interviewer #1 thought Lisa seemed distracted and unexpressive during the interview. “She fidgeted in her chair – couldn’t keep still. She kept a neutral face the entire interview. She answered my questions quickly and succinctly – but there was no feeling, no filler. I cracked a joke, and she seemed afraid to laugh. Perhaps she doesn’t have a sense of humor – that’s not a fit for this team.”

Interviewer #2 was distracted by Lisa’s appearance. “Why was her hair so, so blonde, with so many dark roots? Why did she look so young, perhaps because she didn’t have on any makeup? Regardless, I think that having her at the front desk could undermine our credibility with prospective clients. She looks like a kid that colored her hair without permission.”

Interviewer #3 decided that Lisa was brilliant – and high! “Did either of you smell weed? I smelled weed. Do you think she gets high? She’s really smart, but no way can she be in front of clients.”

What do you think – should we offer her the job? Remember, she’s qualified and smart! Let us know in the comments, and stay tuned to find out how we resolved this hiring decision.

Tagged as: job searching , interviewing , personal branding, image, hiring and resume

Kali Raoul is founder and president of The Image Studios, a Chicago-based communication firm that specializes in personal branding and leadership presence. She blogs in “Successful Expression” to help you learn to communicate your true self.

Comments (4)

VC Posted on 15:28, Jan 2nd 2012

Isn't it considered discrimination to not hire someone based on their appearance? Perhaps Lisa has been out of work for some time and cannot keep up with her hair coloring appointments at the salon; is this really a legitimate reason not to hire her?

Being unexpressive may also be a symptom of discomfort with the interviewing process, and not necessariy a reason to disqualify a candidate.

As for her smelling of weed, it's really none of an employer's business what an employee does on her off-time, although I would think reeking of mary jane during an interview would be high on the list of no-no's most people convey to interviewees. She sounds like a flake, but not a bad person. If you don't have any other candidates for the position, give her a chance. It's a crap economy, and people are going up for any job that will remotely pay their bills.

TJ Posted on 15:58, Jan 5th 2012

I think it is unfair for a person to discriminate against a person because of the above reasons. Would you prefer a person that is dumb as a rock, can't do the job BUT they are cute.

For the candidate, I would advise her in a way that is not going to cause a lawsuit. That she is the first person that a client, etc. sees or explain the dress code policy to her.

TB Posted on 18:35, Jan 6th 2012

This is interesting. Her resume conveyed her great capabilities, but her presence was greatly lacking...There seems to be a disconnect that makes me wonder if it might be best to have a second round of interviews to see if everyone's initial impressions were valid. If there was a sincere interest, maybe a second round would be best before a final conclusion. The second round thing happened for me once and I was certainly glad it did. i ended up clearing their confusion and held the job for quite a few years and was constantly promoted. I really hope you did a second round... this is interesting...

YR Posted on 14:17, Jan 11th 2012

VC, lets be clear, it is dicrimination to not hire somebody based on their appearance, but it is not necessarily illegal discrimination. It is illegal discrimination not to hire somebody because of their race, color, gender national origin, pregnancy or national origin. Youthful look and unkept and weird color hair is not on that list of prohibited discrimination. The interview process is all about discrimination. You discriminate against people that may reflect something in their appearance or communication that may hint that they are not a match. As an employment lawyer, I am amazed that people do not realize that the list of prohibited discrimination is not indefinite.

You are right, it is a crap economy, so you better believe that employoers are going to be very discriminatory in their hiring practices because they have a lot of choices. It is an employers market. You better believe employers are looking at Facebook and Twitter pages, doing background checks and looking at what employees are doing in their private time (particularly if it suggests use of illegal substances). Be real! You absolutely have to preserve your image in this competitive market. Don't be naive people!