Are redheads less desirable as job candidates than dark or fair hair applicants? We all know that first impressions are important in every job interview. That's why we polish our resume until it shines like the beckoning bright star we are, and put on our best bib and tucker to impress HR.
I am a carrot top myself and subconsciously always credited my "room presence" to stature, red hair and confidence. There is absolutely no way I go unnoticed anywhere, ever. That's a good thing, right?
It has always worked for me, but here are a few quoted sources that seem to say differently:
- "Its latest report shows that, per head of population, redheads suffer more discrimination than ethnic minorities. Only disabled people suffer more." http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/newsreview/features/article1006495.ece
- "...Sadly redheads also receive a great deal of abuse. The Centre for Equality Policy Research think tank recently claimed that redheads suffer more discrimination per head of population than ethnic minorities. Having carried out an experiment they said, “A job applicant with ginger hair is seven times more likely to be rejected than a dark-haired applicant, and eight times more likely than a fair-haired applicant.”
http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Could-Irelands-cloudy-weather-be-the-reason-for-the-stereotypical-red-hair-178077221.html#axzz2BkJgG0pd#3
Let's step back and look at this. The first quote is from a British source and the second from an Irish website, last year, where it appears to describe an ongoing form of discrimination. Is the situation different here in the USA? In fact 2-6% of our population has red hair, which gives the US the largest population of redheads in the world!
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_hair)
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_hair)
An interviewer at a traditional type business in the US is more likely to reject an applicant because of dramatic false hair color more than any color of a natural appearing shade. So, is your hair color holding you back if you are a redhead? Probably not.
If you can't honestly blame the failed job interviews on your red hair, or black/brown/blonde hair then take another look at your resume, or have a friend look over it for you. Pick your interview clothes carefully, be sure they are business-like and make the desired impression. Know more about the company you are interviewing with so you can visualize yourself fitting into its corporate culture.
We seldom get the first job we interview for, or sometimes not even the 12th. Consider having a quiet time of introspection after each interview to critique what you might do better, or differently , in the next interview. And don't be too hard on yourself. A job interview is always a mix of both interviewee and interviewer.
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