OK. You knew I’d report about this.

After I was done feeling disgusted, I could employ a little prejudice and feel slightly better about this subject. (Sorry, Muriel Jacques. You know you feel this prejudice all the time. If you don’t know Muriel, check out her blog.)

It was the headlines that caught my eye. Yours, too, I’ll bet. My R&D magazine led off with this story: Wearing Low-Cut Dress in Photograph Increases Woman’s Chance to Nab Interview.  The lead sentence: Sometimes less is definitely more, and in the least likely place you’d expect—a job interview.

The study is being presented by Dr. Sevag Kertechian (Paris-Sorbonne University) at the Appearance Matters Conference. Already, I was feeling a bit better. After all, any conference that goes under that moniker is bound to discuss matters like this. And, there are plenty- some 70 author presentations, plus social events and panel discussions. But, they really do seek out the body image results for those who undergo weight-loss surgery, eating disorders, and “Twiggy” models.

Nevertheless, Dr. Kertechian chose this analysis because it had never been subjected to scientific scrutiny.

The three year long study submitted two women for various jobs (the women responded to 100 advertisements each). Both of the women had nearly identical skills and experience and were similar in appearance. But, their application photographs were clearly different- one exposed cleavage and the other wore round-necked clothing.

Of the 200 sales job responses, the woman exposing cleavage got 62 more interview requests than their counterparts. For the accounting positions, the risque approach won out 68 more times. That works out to be about 19 times more likely to snag a job interview.

Now, for my editorial comments on the study.

1. This study involved Parisian firms. Yes, as I stated above, that is the sterotype that many of us have. And, despite claims to the contrary, this study seems to justify the stereotype. It’s time for this research to be repeated, with London, New York, San Francisco, and Washington, DC jobs at issue. (I can tell you the last city will probably match the Parisian results. But, that’s also my bias, having seen how this area works over the past 3+ decades.
2. Most American jobs don’t have folk submitting pictures. For this reasons and for other anti-discrimination considerations. I’m pretty glad we do, just in case these results are more universal than I care to believe. (I do want the best folks hired for the job at hand.)
3.  I also admit that most of the sales persons I have seen have been “of good visage”. I am sure their employers want to impress potential customers. (And, the sexual tension may be part of the allure they seek.) Just like I’ve rarely seen a less than beautiful woman working at the cosmetic counters at Macy’s, Nordstrom’s, and the like.
4. Given that this was a supposed scientific study, I would like to have had the data for how many other applicants for the positions sought also submitted pictures with their applications. (I do not know how most Parisian firms go about hiring folks; when we had our office in Paris, it was “manned” by folks from the States. [Yes, the folks we sent to France and Taiwan were men. None of our female employees wanted that docket.]

Do you also feel the need for some mouthwash right now?

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