I think you got some great answers already on interview technique and such, but I also have to agree with jj0293 - appearance does matter. HOWEVER, the fact that you are overweight does not. I think a lot of people get caught up in dressing up for an interview so much that they don't take into account what the people at the workplace there dress like. Try to find a good match between "I am serious about this so I dressed my part" and also "this is me, what I wear is who I am and it fits who you are". I don't know how to explain it in English, haha. But I once got turned down for a job because they felt I did not "fit into the culture" and when I look back on the interview (was with the last 4 of 200) everything went right but what I was wearing made me look more "formal" and I know the way I speak already makes me look kinda formal/intellectual while I am really good fun and relaxed haha. So the clothes accentuated something that they did not look for and that also really wasn't the real me.
Hope this helps. I suck at explaining my point in English sometimes! Haha
I was just going to chime in with an appearance comment. Make sure you are wearing clothing that fits you well and looks good on you. I think a lot of clothing for larger women tends to not look as nice and crisp as regular-sized clothes (lots of business casual things like large tops and wide-leg pants and not so many tailored slacks and fitted shirts for my cursory looks and past experience), but I'd go ahead and make sure I had a really well-fitting, quality outfit on, and my hair and make-up was neat as well.
I am so with you about the flip flops! I work in an accounting firm and there are an astounding number of women (not all of them young) wearing strappy sandals and open-toed, heel-less shoes. I don't wear suits (EVER) but my shoes are appropriate!
It's sad we are based on looks to get a job. But if it's any better or worse my boss only tends to hire curvy girls, I think cause she is curvy herself. (which makes it a pain when you're losing weight when everyone around you eats whatever they want)
Fun fact - appearance DOES matter. A LOT. Its just the way of the world. I have a degree in Psychology and we covered this topic in my Social Psychology class. They did an experiment where they would send in two fake interviewees in for a job interview. One was average looking and had a better resume and more relevant experience and one was attractive and had less experience.
They video taped both interviews. In every case, every case, the more attractive person was hired. When interviewers were asked about this, they came up with reasons like, "so and so was more personable and charismatic. They seemed to be more qualified for the job because of their experience." When researchers would point out that the person they hired was not the best qualified person for the job, interviewers would be baffled.
Its the subconscious. People just react better to more attractive people. It's been happening since birth. Studies have shown that infants will keep looking at an attractive face for a longer amount of time than a plain face.
Depressing, right? Sorry, I just went super nerd on you, but this is my FIELD! lol
^^This.
I have worked in the dental field forever and I know for a fact looks/weight are taken into consideration first and foremost. It sucks (and it's wrong) but that's the way it is..
My husband is a partner in an egineering business and I work there part-time doing human resource/admin work. I advertise for new positions, screen resumes, set up interviews, etc. Being overweight is a huge disadvantage as both partners are fit, healthy, athletic and I know that they are reluctant to hire an overweight person (I'm not talking 15 pounds) because they are seen as unhealthy, more apt to take sick days, need surgeries, etc. I think it's also seen as a personal weakness. Yeah, I'm overweight myself so if I wasn't married to the owner I probably wouldn't be working there.
BTW, I have received several resumes that contain a picture of the candidate. It's not standard in this field, but I don't think it's weird.
I hate to say it but discrimination in Vancouver Island, yeah... I'd suspect there is some level of it (I'm from BC myself, for those who don't know, Vancouver Island is pretty much your lowest obesity rate in Canada, still almost half of places like Colorado or Washington state).
The perception that fat people are inherently lazy is a strong one. You have to beat it by being the best darn interview ever. Good luck to you!!!
My husband is a partner in an egineering business and I work there part-time doing human resource/admin work. I advertise for new positions, screen resumes, set up interviews, etc. Being overweight is a huge disadvantage as both partners are fit, healthy, athletic and I know that they are reluctant to hire an overweight person (I'm not talking 15 pounds) because they are seen as unhealthy, more apt to take sick days, need surgeries, etc. I think it's also seen as a personal weakness. Yeah, I'm overweight myself so if I wasn't married to the owner I probably wouldn't be working there.
BTW, I have received several resumes that contain a picture of the candidate. It's not standard in this field, but I don't think it's weird.
My current boss is a physician (I work for a medical center although my work is not clinical). I was nervous going into the interview about this, but she still hired me. So while I'm sure it's a very real phenomenon, it's not always the case.
more apt to take sick days, need surgeries, etc. I think it's also seen as a personal weakness
I hate this viewpoint that society has. I've never had a sick day or surgery attributed to being overweight, but yet, this is what business thinks about overweight people.
People have thoughts like - "if they don't have the motivation and willpower to lose weight, how can they perform their job when it counts?"
It annoys me to no end. I also realize the world isn't changing and I have to work within it, so career is one of the top 5 reasons I'm losing this weight.
I didn't mean to imply that this is the attitude everywhere. But yeah, I do think there's a lot of discrimination against fat people overall. It's also one of my main motivators in trying to lose some pounds. I want to be more respected.
Weight-ism in the job market is the thing that flipped a switch in my desire to lose weight. I had recently relocated and applied for several jobs. At one point I had two interviews in two days for jobs I was more than qualified for. I presented well and I was professionaly dressed. But I was rejected for both jobs on the same day. The only thing I could attribute it to was my weight and possibly age (I am 35). I want to give my self the best advantage.
It has been 6 months and I am just now starting to look for work again. I hope I have better luck this time around.
