The impact of low-cut clothing on the selection of saleswomen and accountant candidates: A french empirical testing.
BACKGROUND: Physical appearance has shaped interpersonal relations for a long time. Half of all recruiters even consider it as a criterion of selection (Holzer, 1993). More precisely, appearance is considered to be a dual concept: physical and sartorial (Pages-Delon, 1989). Previous studies were focused on its physical aspect, while the other ones concerning sartorial aspects were rather focused on the use of cosmetics (Etcoff et al, 2011). However, to our knowledge, apparel hasn’t yet been treated scientifically within the field of human resources. Indeed, clothing as an object carried by the body, shapes impressions according to its style (Howlett et al., 2015), and highlights the bust. Just like makeup, the bust is affected by personological inferences (Dixson et al.,2011). Thus, clothing plays a significant role in shaping impressions more or less positively. These points lead us to ask a main question: Can the sartorial appearance capture greater attention from recruiters when selecting résumés?
METHOD: In order to measure the impact of clothing at the time of selection of candidates, we used the testing method. In response to a job posting, we sent out a couple of résumés, identical in terms of skills and experiences, but with different pictures. Our main candidate was dressed in a somber outfit, while our test candidate sported a low-cut dress. The leading objective is to verify if a candidate’s apparel has an impact on landing a job interview. FINDINGS: Taking into account positions with (saleswoman) and without customer interactions (accountant), our results showed that low-cut dresses captured the attention of the recruiters more efficiently. Firstly, concerning our saleswoman candidates (n:200), those wearing low-cut dresses got 62 additional positive answers (p≤,001) than the normal candidates. That is to say, our candidates sporting low-cuts have 18.6 more chances of getting a positive answer than the ones wearing a normal outfit (odds ratios). Identically, for the accountants (n:200), our results showed that candidates wearing low cut dresses got 68 additional positive answers (p≤,001), as they have 19.12 more chances of getting a positive answer.
DISCUSSION Using résumés rotation, we were able to target and assess the effects of a low-cut dress. Indeed, our results showed interesting trends as low-cut dresses significantly influenced the choice of the recruiters even for accounting positions.
Erotic capital check
Aesthetic labor check
literature:
A top researcher discovered that women who apply for a position with a picture of themselves in a low-cut top are more likely to get the role than those wearing more conservative clothes.
The research, carried out in Paris, found that showing cleavage makes a woman 19 times more likely to get the job than those with less-busty pics.
Paris-based Dr Sevak Kertechian decided to research the impact clothing had on the recruitment process because it had never been scientifically studied.
He said: "Our results showed interesting trends, as low-cut dresses significantly influenced the choice of the recruiters, even for accounting positions.
"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."
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 - 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 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 less-revealing counterparts.
From the 200 accountancy applications, there were 68 more interview offers for the more provocatively-dressed candidate.
Dr Kertechian, based at Paris-Sorbonne University, is set to reveal his findings at the Appearance Matters Conference, this week.
The scientific event is being hosted by Centre for Appearance Research, a research centre based at the University of the West of England, at The Royal College of Surgeons in London.
Similar study:
Low-cut dresses BOOST women’s chance in job interviews
The study, by Dr Sevag Kertechian at the Paris-Sorbonne University, suggests applicants who include a photo of themselves in revealing clothing are more likely to secure an interview.
