Mirror, mirror on the wall who is the fairest of them all? The issue of someone's physical appearance affecting whether or not they get a job offer is not new.
In fact, there have been many cases in which this has been a central issue.
I was given an assignment in one of my classes, which involved me reading about a woman who was preparing to apply for a job.
She spoke about putting her résumé together.
She needed to decide what to say about her previous jobs, which picture of herself to include, etc.
This shocked me.
She was not only required to include a photograph of herself in her résumé, but she also had to state whether she was single or married.
This is simply unheard of in the U.
S.
However, in France it is considered normal.
I brought this matter up in class the next day because I was curious about whether she was looking for a job or a date for Friday night.
My professor said that although requiring that type of information to be included would be considered to be a form of discrimination in the U.
S, it is not viewed that way in France.
I found the prospect of being required to submit such information offensive, and I was feeling quite pleased to live in a country that does not require that type of information to be included in a résumé.
A moment later, I was faced with a rather harsh reality check.
My professor said that we do the same things here in the U.
S.
; we are just more subtle about it.
If you just look at someone's résumé, you can discover pretty much the same things that a photo will tell you.
For instance, often times a person's name will reveal what their nationality is.
If you look at the date of their graduation, you can guess their age pretty accurately.
The rest will all be revealed at the job interview.
The French like to know about the whole package before they hire a person.
That is why their résumés typically include how many children they have, their marital status, etc.
This gives the potential employer a better idea of where the person is in his/her life.
There is more to life than merely working for a living and, whether we would like to admit it or not, personal lives do affect work lives.
For instance, someone who is single may have more freedom to switch jobs due to having fewer personal obligations than a married person.
This may lead to a higher turnover rate than if the company hired more married people.
A more typical concern for women is that companies will discriminate against them if they feel that the women are likely to become pregnant.
This concerns American's because they see that type of information as something that could cause discrimination during the hiring process.
American's try to keep their work lives separate from their private lives.
Their résumés contain their various accomplishments such as awards received, jobs held, degrees awarded, etc.
They are not typically personal in nature.
The goal is to show what you have done, not who you are.
After a potential employer decides that the accomplishments are suitably impressive, the individual is invited on an interview.
This is where the individual will display his/her personal traits.
Although, the interview usually focuses on what the person is like to work with, not what they do in their spare time.
This makes the potential employee feel like he/she is being evaluated solely on his/her professional abilities.
The issue of discrimination during the hiring process is an important one; however, it is important to note that very few companies will hire someone without having met with them at least once.
Most, if not all, of these personal questions will be answered by the end of that meeting, even if there are no specific questions asked regarding them.
Discrimination in the work place and during the hiring process will always be an issue, but it is not necessarily a very personal résumé that will keep an individual from obtaining a job.
It may keep them from obtaining an interview though.