to ask if you think being fat is a disadvantage in job interviews?

[AteRiri]

Especially in corporate world? Just curious.

Also, before anyone suspects fat shaming, I'm a 16 myself. So really curious as I am doing the rounds of graduate job interviews currently.

it doesnt just affect job interviews. It affects how you are judged day in, day out by all kinds of different people. I think people see it as lazy, greedy and just generally unhealthy - and look at how celebrity obsessed people are these days? Going to the gym is the new going to the pub. I think people are getting alot more switched on about their health so fat/unhealthy looking people are being judged quicker.

I've no idea what your sex or height has to do with anything

Short people also do less well at interviews and for lots of jobs women do too.

I think people see it as lazy, greedy and just generally unhealthy

Absolutely.

I think people are getting a lot more switched on about their health so fat/unhealthy looking people are being judged quicker.

The minority are. The majority in the UK are now overweight.

I am trying to do something about my weight, thanks very much. Unfortunately it's not an easy task for me for reasons I don't want to go into on this thread.

It was pointed out up thread that height can also be a disadvantage as well as gender and I also experienced this first hand before I became over weight.

yeah we are overall an overweight nation, but doesn't stop the magazines drilling into us how our bodies should look on the beach. I am amazed when I go to the gym though at how obsessive people are getting - personal trainers, the body attack/pump etc classes are always rammed, and there are posters all over the place displaying perfectly toned, muscular models. I'm guilty of it - I hired a PT for the 6 months before my wedding and went from size 10 to a size 6, I also got back into attack/pump when my ds was 9 weeks old, I was horrified at the weight I'd put on pregnant, no confidence at all. I am inspired by other women though. I also want to demonstrate to my kids how to live a healthy lifestyle and take care of yourself.

IT depends how fat.

It human nature to assume that very overweight people are less disciplined, greedier, and lack self control. All qualities that are not desirable In most jobs.

It's not right but it's understandable.

Ha, ha. Like splendide, I'm a short, fuck ugly, woman.
No problems getting jobs so far.
But if you have any remedies to my problems, please feel free.....

Losing weight is really NOT that easy. Actually. Hence why the BILLION pound dieting and weigh loss industry... that's trots along for the last 30-40 years, achieving very little.It fails miserably. If it was THAT easy, we'd all be thin right. But we aren't. 3/4 of us are overweight.

Right, our 2pm call for WW, Slimming World, etc is imminent.

I'll be with you in a jiffy. Just give me 5 minutes, to shove a humongous doughnut in my gob, and I'll be with you .....

This is pure speculation on my part but I wonder whether part of the issue is that people who are overweight are more likely to be self-conscious about their appearance/have lower self-esteem, resulting in a weaker performance overall? I know that has been a major issue for me in previous interviews (the self-confidence bit, not the weight bit).

Yes.

But so is being pretty if it's for a professional job.

I wear glasses for job interviews to make myself look uglier.

Yes I'd say so. I was asked years ago when I interviewed for my last job what do you do in your spare time. At the time I was training for a marathon, hiking, snowboarding and rock climbing (this was all before I met my DH and had kids!) - it provoked interest as the interview panel were all young, energetic looking people, in their 30s too. With health and sportiness, comes confidence.

I see a lot of overweight women in senior positions in the public sector. Whilst that may sound good, the output of the public sector is generally not up to much.

To the pp who mentioned about your friend being frightened because her midwife was wheezing.

As a regular patient on the respiratory ward due to my asthma. Never underestimate the ability for ANY of the Nurses, large or small (or other HCPs like MWs etc) to run like fuck when a patient crashes.

I interview people all the time and don't give it a second though

This means you don't understand the issue. It's about unconscious bias not just outright open prejudice.

In studies on recruitment time and time again, being white and/or male gives applicants an advantage. I'm not surprised that fat cam be added to this list. Tall too.

Clothes size clearly means little in terms of real physical size.

OP in my experience at work of 20 years it makes absolutely no difference at all.

I work for a big blue chip company. if you recruit you have to go on "unconscious bias" training to help counter the trend to hire people who are just like yourself.

I agree with posters up thread that the higher you go, the more image counts as you have to be "front of house" doing big presentations, media interviews and more client/industry facing tasks. DH lost a lot of weight a few years ago and the link to him doing more of this as he "looked the part" was clear.

Does not make it right, but it does have an influence.

Honestly yes. If it's any kind of customer/client facing role it will be harder to get, and there's extra pressure to look extremely put together, whereas slim, attractive women can usually get away with a certain degree of sloppiness.

It's far from an insurmountable obstacle, but it is a factor.

Yes.

Very good point itsnoteasy

In my job it absolutely does make a difference and there are no overweight people there at all.
DHs company it doesn't make any difference.

I think it depends on the job, how fat and how toned they are. I would expect people who are a bit overweight but toned and lively to be fine. BMI over 35 and rolls of fat likely to be self confidence and chronic psychological issues contributing to the over eating so they may have more of a problem

I will also add though that DH does feel that, in most cases of those that are very overweight, it does impact on their work.

Confidence and the way you hold yourself have impact on the interview. many women feel crap about themselves if they are overweight and as someone who worked in recruitment they are easily spotted. Choice of clothing, fidgety and if they hate the way they look the interviewer will see or sense that.

Itsnotsoeasy - the output of the public sector is on the whole very good. What evidence are you basing your comment on? If you compare %GDP, per capita spending and KPIs for health services across Europe and wider the NHS comes close to highest performing organisation.

Size 16 is just a bit overweight; size 16 is completely ordinary nowadays. Who would notice? Your interview panel is probably just as chubby and so are most of their colleagues.

Size 26 or 36, otoh, those would make an impression.