As I said earlier, I recently joined a company founded by one of my former colleagues. Being a shareholder I’ve immediately started to look for ways to improve the company mechanisms and being a software company, the first place to look and see how things are going is… people.
Now, except my former colleague I didn’t know any of the guys working for this small but brave company, and I immediately realized that I was somehow trying to put people in categories by their appearance. Basically, in my sub-conscious I was forming my opinion on the colleagues based on how they dressed and how their overall appearance was.
That’s a bit scary for a not so handsome guy like me, that dresses entirely from utilitarian reasons. I know I dress poorly, but I’m completely missing the sense that deals with outfits. I’m wear blind! And it’s scary because I realized that each time I went to a job interview, or joined a new company, the people already there for sure have classified me one way or another based on my appearance.
On the other hand, I don’t think I ever had problems getting a job I really wanted, partially because I always looked for jobs to suit my abilities and that’s always the best deal for the employer. As these thoughts passed my mind, I also remember that there are some studies that say good looking people are more likely to get a job. While I have never ever hired a person based on the looks, I remembered that a few months ago, one of the customers contacted me requested help. By the name I could tell it’s a she – I helped her as well as I could. I did discovered some weeks later that in fact it was a man and I immediately felt disappointed (something like ah, I thought she’s a lady all the time!).
I think it’s something hidden deep in our minds to help, get together or trust more good looking people. Of course some might feel offended by my view, but hell, how many times you stopped to help a lady with a flat tire? And how many times a guy?
Now, that we have established that good looking people land jobs easier, why does really matter to the entrepreneurs?
I don’t know about you, but it seems somehow that well established professionals don’t have anything to do with the looks. While both good looking and not so good looking might do a wonderful job, I’m somehow inclined to say that people that wouldn’t qualify for a miss or mister contest might just try harder to have excellent results in work. Yes, you might say I discriminate, but what if it’s true? What if you have to overcome your natural inclination to hire the good looking persons and hire not the good looking or the bad looking but the person that is going to be more dedicated to the job?
Hiring like anything else in business can get subjective. I remember some years ago, a local software company was accussed in public that it hires only relatives or persons from the same county as the CEO. And I’ve heard the same stories about HR departments. However, the problem is that while it might sound unfair… it’s natural. When you have a company to take care as CEO, you will only want to take people on board that you trust. And you might just trust more people coming from your county or hometown. But you know what? I believe that only the ones didn’t match the employer profile haven’t been hired, and that’s regardless of your location.
So… does it mean you should hire on phone interviews (not to be influenced by the appearance?). That would be dead wrong, because besides the professional abilities it matters how well you co-work with others, how you integrate with other people and environments.
Because a company it’s a living organism.
