Appearance
How much do you weigh decision of a candidate on appearance?
Brooke,
Apearance is not supposed to be a deciding factor, but I think it is important that employees look the part for the position to which they are to be hired. Rightly or wrongly, our student-customes will likely make some judgements based upon appearance.
Jeffrey Schillinger
Appearance is a huge decision making when interviewing. Also, it all depends what position they are applying for.
The very first impression we get of people is how they look, are they professionally dressed, are they neat, presentable. How do they come off? Intelligent, nervous, scared, can they speak clearly? How will they handle a room full of students? At first, appearance weighs heavily but over the course of the interview process, it starts to wane and the skill set and knowledge the person brings becomes more evident and more important.
Karina,
Does appearance trump attitude or teaching ability?
Jeffrey Schillinger
I would have to say yes and no to this question. In my experience appearance expectations are a little broader in the massage therapy industry. I have hired instructors with gauges in their ears, nose and eye piercings, tattoos, etc. I would not hire them in a different setting so my feedback on this is appearance expectation vary based on the industry and the type of class being taught. I hire the instructor that can and will inspire the student to succeed in the program. The only deal breaker as far as appearance would be body odor,dirty fingernails, dirty clothes, etc.
This is a good question when hiring in this sector. One has to consider if appearance makes a difference in hiring instructors in different fields. For example, would a well qualified applicant with top qualifications in IT be given more leeway in appearance than an individual applying for an instructor position with the Business Department/
