Women who wear low-cut tops on job applications 19 times more likely to get interview
A French study showed female applicants were 19 times more successful in securing job interviews when pictured in revealing clothing rather than more conservative attire.
The research carried out in Paris found that women stood a much greater chance of earning job interviews for both sales and accounting roles.
The results were quite shocking and negative but not necessarily surprising – they show we need to conduct more research.
Dr Kertechian decided to research the impact clothing had on the recruitment process after realising it had never been studied.
As job advertisements came up over a period of three years he put two women forward for the roles.
Both have similar looks and near identical skills and experience on their CVs but were dressed differently in their application photographs with one wearing a low-cut dress and the other in round neck clothing.
Each woman was forwarded for 100 roles wearing the revealing outfit and 100 jobs in the more traditional clothing, to ensure the experiment was fair.
Dr Kertechian found the applicant wearing the low-cut dress captured the attention of the recruiters more successfully.
Among the 200 sales role applications, the low-cut dress submissions received 62 more interview offers than their counterparts.
From the 200 accountancy applications there were 68 more interview offers for the more provocatively-dressed candidate.
“Our results showed interesting trends as low-cut dresses significantly influenced the choice of the recruiters, even for accounting positions," said Dr Kertechian.
"Regardless of the job, whether customer-facing saleswoman or office-based accountant the candidate with the low cut clothing received more positive answers.
“The results were quite shocking and negative but not necessarily surprising – they show we need to conduct more research.”
Among the academics presenting their work at the conference will be Dr Amy Slater, whose study found young girls reported heightened body dissatisfaction after playing a children's internet ‘makeover’ game for just 10 minutes.
Is this true ? Does it apply all over the world ?
Brit: Lebanon is more European than eastern. The non-Muslim community of that country wear low-necks and short skirts. Once, one such very pretty girl from Lebanon wore something of this type to office here. It was an all black pretty low-neck blouse over a quite short school-type skirt with frills on it.
The management reacted!
They told her she had come to work and not to a club or a dance party. That's not all. Another Lebanese girl wore a T-shirt with something dirty splashed across it. That too was not acceptable to the management. The incidents took place at company managed totally by US nationals.
I firmly believe the atmosphere of an office must be maintained. Low- necks, mini skirts or T-shirts with dirty words splashed across them, should not be accepted as attire suitable for office.
acchabaccha: With all due respect, you're generalising again. have you never noticed the lebanese secretaries or the flashily dressedfemale news readers
Here lies the line of difference between the west and the east. In the west, a low-cut and revealing clothes attracts; in the east they distracts. When it comes to business in the east, employers want to maintain at atmosphere of work in their offices rather than an atmosphere of a clubhouse.
I'd say it's true in most (but not all) parts of the world.
Icapall: I've seen some really tight tops on display .. Those will do the trick
that low cut wont fly by here for an interview
It's a 'bumpy' road to find a job as a woman.