Alex Buscemi
A woman’s story about being rejected from a job has sparked a debate about double standards in the workplace.
In a viral video, TikTok user Melissa (@_melissaweaver) says she was rejected from a recruiting role due to her appearance.
The internet was stunned by the story, wondering how such a thing could be legal and observing that a man would never be rejected for his appearance.
Keep going for the full story and see what the internet says about it.
This woman was rejected from a job because of her appearance
Melissa wanted the job badly. And everything was lining up perfectly. She had ample experience in the recruiting role and nailed the interviews.
So she was stunned to find out the company had rejected her job application.
When she asked for feedback about why, she was even more stunned.
She said:
“Okay, TikTok, I need your opinion on something. So I interviewed for a job earlier this week. The interview went so well. Every question she had, I had a great answer for. I used to work in recruitment. I know how to interview.”
“My background and experience align perfectly with what the role entails. So I thought it went great. But then I get an email from the recruiter saying that I’m not going to be moving on to the next round. I was really bummed because I wanted the job. But I was also very confused.”
“So I did something I never do, and I emailed her back and asked for feedback. And she said that while my background was exactly what they were looking for, my experience lined up with what they need for the position, and my own personal goals and values align with the company’s, she was concerned that, for my interview, I hadn’t put in enough effort in my appearance, given the level of the role I was interviewing for.”
“I was interviewing for the vice president position. And now my appearance: I had done a blowout for my hair. I had on a nice top, a blazer, some earrings, but I only had on chapstick. I didn’t have on any makeup because I don’t really wear a lot of makeup. Not to be quirky. I just don’t.”
“So my question is, does not wearing makeup, for women, to job interviews or to jobs, make it seem like they aren’t putting as much effort or care into their job?”
Watch the full video here
@mel_weave Does wearing make up to work make a difference? #work #corporate #career #interview #job #jobsearch #makeup #jobinterview #opinion #advice #women
She was shocked that she was rejected for such superficial reasons
Melissa was disappointed that she didn’t land the role due to her appearance.
“I left the interview feeling confident, so when I got an email from the recruiter a few days later saying I wasn’t moving forward in the hiring process, I was dumbfounded,” she told Newsweek.
“She was concerned that I hadn’t put enough effort into my appearance given I was interviewing for a VP-level role,” she said, adding, “I believe this was the only aspect of my appearance that could have been perceived as lacking effort.”
“My previous companies didn’t care about how people dressed in the office, so long as people weren’t showing up in pajamas or workout clothes. No one ever commented on whether or not a woman wore makeup,” she said.
Melissa won’t be outing the company, however. She says that she doesn’t want to shame an entire company based off the opinions of one employee. Further, outing the company could get her “blacklisted” and make her virtually unhireable.
The internet was appalled by the workplace double standard
Some viewers, however, actually sided with the company
Other commenters chimed in with similar experiences
Read More: 40 IT Professionals Share Their Wildest Work Stories