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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To agree that employers don't want fat employees

135 replies

Moti · 03/05/2012 21:47

www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2138551/Get-job-size-Fat-chance-After-160-interviews-job-offer-Louisa-says-CV-s-letting--curves.html

Sorry, it's from the DM. But doesn't the woman have a point? She would stand a better chance of getting a job if she lost weight. I was made redundant and claimed JSA for a few weeks before getting a temping job, I noticed that a lot of the people claiming JSA were fat.

OP posts:
Birdsgottafly · 03/05/2012 22:22

I also don't agree that being fat stops you from getting work, unless your appearance matters for that job (or the boss is an arsehole).

In all fairness, she isn't fat, she is obese,there is a difference.

carernotasaint · 03/05/2012 22:30

Spartak ive managed to lose a stone and a half since 29 Feb and the nurse at the surgery said to me yesterday that its really good and more than in line with the rate of healthy weight loss as stated in NHS guidelines. Which are the guidelines we should be following rather than the subliminal messages put out by celebrity magazines. You cant help at what rate the weight comes off. Everybody is different. To achieve this i have totally stopped eating chocolate,cake bread, crisps and cheese. I cut these out on 8th Feb in preparation for starting this plan. I am on the Slimming World plan but being weighed once a fortnight at my surgery as i cant afford to go to class AND pay for the fresh food needed on the plan.

WhereYouLeftIt · 03/05/2012 22:38

I am a size 22. My face-to-face interview (7 months ago) probably lasted about 15 minutes. I got the job. But then, I smiled and was enthusiastic about working for them.

If I was being bitchy (which is my default mode Grin ) I'd say that if she is so convinced it was her appearance that put them off, she should rethink the way she dresses - assuming she dressed for her DM photos as she would for an interview. There's not only a VPL but a VBraL. And tights would be more appropriate for office wear rather than bare blotchy legs. And a smile.

carernotasaint · 03/05/2012 22:40

So its taken me three months to lose a stone and a half. People at my slimming class (which i did attend up until 2 weeks ago before replacing the class with the nurse) were losing 5 to 7 pounds a week and some of these people were already slim but feeling pressure to lose weight. This they achieved by eating that bloody awful Scan Bran which i cant stand. Its not really that far from doing that to abusing laxatives. I told the NHS nurse about these amounts of losses and she said it wasnt healthy and it was too fast.
Throwaway comments like yours Spartak are completely irresponsible.

iphoned · 03/05/2012 22:41

Maybe she should put a smile on her face instead of looking so grumpy!! That'll get her a job!

totallypearshaped · 03/05/2012 22:44

It's not cos she's larger than average, it's cause she looks like no fun!!

I wouldn't employ her, but only because she seems a bit miserable and not much of a self starter - and there is a risk of her being off sick more than a thinner healthy person.

Lovelynewboots · 03/05/2012 22:44

She is just the same as that other wierd woman who said that women discriminate against her because she is too attractive. She has seen an opportunity to turn the spotlight on herself. She is an idiot and will still be an idiot when she loses weight. (Incidentally I am a size 18 but go against the grain by not claiming JSA).

misslinnet · 03/05/2012 22:46

I think for most jobs, things like having relevant experience and a good attitude matter a lot more than your weight. A lot of fat people do have jobs after all.

The lady in the article sounded like her size is really affecting her self-confidence though - if she's feeling bad about herself, that could well be coming through in interviews and putting employers off.

Spartak · 03/05/2012 23:24

Healthy weight loss is around 1 to 2 pounds a week, and for most overweight people that is achievable. If she is so bothered by her weight that she will spout off and display a "daily mail face" for the papers, I am surprised that she is not eating less and moving more.

BustersOfDoom · 03/05/2012 23:49

I've done lots of interviewing and it absolutely never occurred to me to judge someone on their size or weight. You can't assume that an overweight person will have more sick leave than a thin person. It certainly hasn't been my experience with colleagues of all shapes and sizes.

When interviewing I was far too distracted listening to how they answered the questions that us board members set. There is no way that we would have given the job to a stick insect who did badly instead of someone of larger build who did very well. I think this lady perhaps needs to review her interview technique and work on her self confidence.

carernotasaint · 03/05/2012 23:49

Fair enough. Most women writers (the ones with any nouse about them) wouldnt touch the Daily Mail with a barge pole. Maybe this is the Mails cack handed idea of an alternative to Samantha Brick.

slowestwildebeast · 03/05/2012 23:59

"I noticed that a lot of the people claiming JSA were fat"

what extensive study did you conduct? perhaps a move into statistical analysis?

2rebecca · 04/05/2012 00:16

She looks like a miserable grump. That may affect her employment ability more than her size. If your job involves people having to squeeze past you eg filing it may be an issue, plus if it involves alot of lifting fat unfit people (and she does look wobbly fat not toned fat) may get more back problems. It doesn't sound as though her job involved either of those.
She talks alot about feeling bad about herself and I suspect it's the negative self image and the psychological problems that led to her becoming overweight that are more of a problem than her weight in itself. If ind it odd that she says she is only trying to lose weight because of the job rejections, rather than the fact that her self confidence and relationship with her husband are affected. It doesn't ring true. She also says she'll have the "same personality" when slim again as she has now but admits to feeling miserable about her size and less confident where as when slim she was confident.
If she really only became fat 4 years ago she should lose the weight fairly easily as she will have her previous eating and exercise behaviour to fall back on. people who have never been slim find it much harder.
Agree alot of slim people are struggling to find jobs currently.

piprabbit · 04/05/2012 00:24

I've been large all my life. I make the woman in the article look undernourished.
I have never had any problem getting the job I wanted.
But then again I've always worked in a very male-dominated industry. Perhaps men are less judgemental about weight than other women?

Morloth · 04/05/2012 00:26

Well my anecdata doesn't support her claim. I have never had any problem getting a job and when I landed my 'best' job (practice manager for a big law firm) I was much fatter than she was.

I found it harder to get work this time around but I believe that was because I wasn't presenting in my usual way. I wasn't nearly as confident as I used to be. Once I got my shit together and hit them with the charm offensive I had a stack of offers.

So to sum up, my experience is fat=get job quick and thin=took longer.

Do you think maybe it is just the timing which is more important here?

Finding work is tough for everyone at the moment.

I would also comment about clothes, at interview I like to see suits. The jobs I interview people for now are not that different to that of a senior legal secretary and what you wear says a lot about you. I want sensible people who have their shit together. If you are rocking up in a pretty dress (or any other casual clothes regardless of sex) then you had better have a knock out CV to help me get by that.

manicinsomniac · 04/05/2012 00:30

What a ridiculous woman/article

I have 3 work colleagues who are fatter than her. And that's from a total of only about 40ish with a 50/50 male-female split. Plus we're teachers so arguably need to be reasonably healthy and positive role models.

Her weight won't be stopping her getting her job, her attitude plus the shit economy will.

carernotasaint · 04/05/2012 00:30

piprabbit a study by the University of the West of England found that 46% of women have been bullied or ridiculed because of their appearance.
The bullying wont ALL have been done by other women.
Ive heard lots of men shout insults to women in the street.

Icelollycraving · 04/05/2012 00:31

What nonsense. She is simply out of work,so are plenty of people. Her attitude is the problem,the job offers aren't going to be flooding in now are they?
Did you have a clipboard whilst doing your checking out of others claiming jsa? One that said fat/quite fat/ok/probably spending the money on drugs (to really get in the dm spirit of things?!)

katykuns · 04/05/2012 00:33

As ashamed as I am of my weight (which I have struggled with through my teens) I have managed to hold down jobs since age of 18. I am a size 24/26... I have worked in several care jobs that require me to be physically active, and it's never been an issue.

Definitely think its more down to her victim attitude...

Thumbwitch · 04/05/2012 00:33

She's 48. I'd say that had more to do with her having troubles with getting a job than her size - the nearer you get to 50, in general the less people want to employ you because you don't have so many years to give to the job before you retire. So if she's up against younger people, then they'll probably take someone 10 years younger and with 10 years less experience than her, regardless of size.

Although yes - going in with a defeatist sort of "you're going to think I'm too fat and not employ me" attitude is likely to be highly counterproductive.

But I don't think that's it - I have various friends of larger-than-average size who didn't have troubles getting high powered jobs - but they were not nearly 50.

Mspontipine · 04/05/2012 00:34

"I was made redundant and claimed JSA for a few weeks before getting a temping job, I noticed that a lot of the people claiming JSA were fat."

Teehee Grin You're so funny

NotGoingOut17 · 04/05/2012 00:47

I found out i was successful for a job today and i am by no means skinny :) so i dont agree with this lady, it is perhaps the side effects of the recession that everyone is feeling at the moment however, i do also believe there was some research regarding attractiveness leading to more success at interviews, though dont know the details so there may be some validity in what she is saying although i think she seems obsessed with perceiving this to be the issue when in actual fact it is more likely a result of her being obsessed with her weight gain and thus it affecting her confidence.

Totally pear shaped, i haven't read the article properly but to say she is "not much of a self starter" is pretty ill judged regarding someone who started out as a secretary and ended up earning a six figure salary, running her own consultancy and working for a number of huge organisations, maybe you have some amazing top job and your perceptions are therefore skewed, but i would say that her professional achievements are far and above the average person.... if that isnt self starting, i don't know what is.

I also find your comments about her having more absence than a thin healthy person highly offensive - i am overweight and yet have a fantastic attendanc record. Whilst the side effects of being over weight can lead to health conditions that may cause absence, i highly doubt being overweight for 4 years is likely to lead to such things immediately - as someone said, because she has been slim until recently she should be able to lose the weight. For you information, one of the biggest causes of absence in this country is stress/mental health, which isn't exclusive to fat people. With an ageing population we will find a larger number of our workforce not being deemed as in 'full health', regardless of their weight but to assume someone is likely to have absence for no reason other than being overweight is ridiculous - until that weight leads to long term effects of being overweight, there is no more reason for someone to be off work than a thin person. I say that as a size 20 person who has no health conditions, never had absence or needed to go to hospital - i know of many thinner friends/colleagues with worse absence than me.

Icelollycraving · 04/05/2012 00:53

Congrats on the new job notgoingout

Morloth · 04/05/2012 00:59

I probably would agree on the attractiveness comment. However attractiveness is not solely down to the size of the person in front of you.

I would go so far as to say I think I was better looking when I was fat than I am now. I think my face is more suited to being filled out etc.

General presentation also goes towards attractiveness (I don't wear makeup but my skin is always clean, my hair is washed and under control, finger nails clean and trimmed, clothes appropriate for situation etc) as does making eye contact, smiling and generally making the other person like you. All really important when trying to get a job.

ShadowsCollideWithPeople · 04/05/2012 01:35

I think, perhaps, her problem is down to confidence, rather that appearance. I have never had an employer who took me on based on appearance. Case in point: I once interviewed for a job in a very staid, conservative, suit-wearing office. As I had been working in a laid back, sandal-wearing office for the past year, I showed up in skinny jeans, Cons, a big, on-trend red a-line jacket, with super cropped blonde hair and fire engine red lipstick. Completely at odds with the conservative office environment. Got the job though, worked there for quite a few years.

Morloth, you say 'If you are rocking up in a pretty dress (or any other casual clothes regardless of sex) then you had better have a knock out CV to help me get by that'. I guess I had that knock out CV. I got away with wearing much edgier clothes that the rest of the staff, because I was damn good at my job. My employer took me as I was at that interview, so accepted my 'edgy' dress sense.

Actually, in that office though, there were several overweight women, one scruffy slightly whiffy man, one horribly fake-tanned woman, one irritating 'always with a political opinion woman' and one slightly pervy man. Point is, they were all employed, regardless of what they might have believed to have gone against them re obtaining a job.

Sorry, am blathering, have had some wine. Essentially, I have been hired based on my experience and my confidence that I can do the job, not based on my weight / looks / corporate image (I am the least technically 'professional', 'corporate' looking woman, ever). If the woman who wrote this article stopped being so hung up on looks, and projected self-confidence, professionalism and a positive attitude, she might just fare better.