In a society where youth supersedes experience, looking young and vital is important when seeking employment. This is especially true in a tough job market in a bad economy when any job applicant is up against dozens if not hundreds of candidates. An article on the CBS website, More Job Seekers Opting for Cosmetic Procedures, should come as no surprise. A nip there, a tuck there, turn back some years with a little botox, a skin peel, and of course some serious plastic surgery.
People need to find work, and employees need to keep their jobs. You can say in away, looking youthful is but one more background check that whether is is openly discussed or not further qualifies a candidate to advance through the preemployment screening process. According to the article, some ten to fifteen percent of the patients seeking procedures are doing so to be more competitive in the workplace. Makes you wonder what those job candidates who have had their savings and portfolios drained after having been laid off in the economic downtown are doing, but that’s another matter. Plastic surgery, even the small stuff, is expensive.
But some employees go inf or botox treatments so they can look their best for a major presentation. These employees believe they represent the company and as such they want to0 make the foremost impression. Okay, you look good, but are you really getting the work done and helping the company innovate in this highly competitive business market. Anymore, than great credentials, but are you actually good at what you do? Another time for that.
As someone who I dare say did not receive his degrees within the last couple of decades, I suppose I could take the sides of the older employees who are often getting passed over in favor of the more youthful applicants. But in truth I understand both sides of the issue. Senior employees may have the experience, but sometimes they founder when it comes to acquiring more contemporary skill sets. Especially the technological skills that are needed to keep pace.
I suppose the less polite way to say it is that some of the senior employees can be lazy and set in their ways, not particularly inclined to venture out and learn new things. They may be tucking in, hoping for the best, hoping what they lack will go unnoticed. On the other hand the youthful good looking well dressed recent MBA can be so impressed with himself and so lacking in both experience and people skills, he can run his company right into the wall. It happens. The recent couple of years and the Great Recession are filled with both examples.
But in the end looking good has its own rewards. There are esteem issues to be considered. The better your feel about yourself, generally, the better you will perform. That does not only go for senior employees trying to appear more youthful, but for the junior employees who believe greasy hair and disheveled dress are genuine signs of individuality and rebellion. Not quite.
Perhaps somewhere in the future the astute human resources manager will no longer refer to a resume to assess a job candidate’s age, position, and experience. Instead they will ask, “who did your plastic surgery?”
