Among the reasons why appearance matters, 89.6 percent said “impression, facial expression, and mood” were mostly reflected in hiring. (image: Kobiz Media / Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, Oct. 11 (Korea Bizwire) — Personal appearance still matters at a majority of companies when it comes to evaluating job candidates.
According to a survey of 926 companies conducted by online job portal Saramin, 58.4 percent of the companies reflected applicants’ appearance in their evaluation.
When analyzing which industry was most affected by appearance, the impact was greatest in the “Food and Beverage/Food Service” industry accounting for 79.2 percent, followed by the “Financial/Insurance” industry at 76.2 percent, “Distribution/Trade” industry at 70.6 percent, and the “Service” sector at 68.4 percent, all of which require employees to have direct contact with customers.
In fact, when asked why the applicant’s appearance affects their job evaluation, respondents said they thought it would be beneficial for face-to-face communication if their appearance was better.
Among the reasons why appearance matters, 89.6 percent said “impression, facial expression, and mood” were mostly reflected in hiring.
The average impact of appearance on being hired was 33.9 percent.
In the evaluation process, 64.1 percent said there was no difference between genders in terms of the appearance in terms of the impact of appearance in the hiring process.
However, while 6.7 percent of male candidates thought appearance mattered, more than four times as many female candidates thought appearance affected their job interviews, accounting for 29.2 percent.
In addition, 43.6 percent of these companies had experience cutting or dropping points because of the applicants’ appearance, while 39 percent said they gave extra marks for appearance even though candidates lacked capabilities.
D. M. Park (dmpark@koreabizwire.com)
