DEAR CHRISTINE,
I AM AN employer who has decided to use your column to reach young men and women who come before me time and again seeking employment.
I have come to the conclusion that quite a few of the young people who turn up for work are either not serious and just want to say they went for a job interview or they are too full of themselves and of fashion fads to realise they must dress the part. Thirdly, they are those who believe because they possess a degree of some sort – even when it is not related to the job offer – they must automatically be given the vacancy that exists. Not so.
Many do not pay attention to their body odour, haircuts or hairstyles. There are others who have no idea what proper English means. They speak badly, sit improperly and display little or no manners at all.
My establishment has a variety of departments and so we offer various jobs. I have nothing against an individual wearing “locks”. That’s absolutely fine with me, but I will not offer a job to a man who turns up with his hair in plaits as though he is a female. That simply will not work – at any level.
Christine, sometimes job seekers also turn up with pierced noses, tongues, sandals on their feet, and exposed tattoos which can be easily covered if they wore shirts or blouses with sleeves.
Potential employers are usually business men and women who can spot a good candidate for a vacancy sometimes by the way they are attired and their essential basic manners.
Pierced tongues, multiple ear piercings and tattoos in all the wrong places, not to mentioned exposed cleavage and boxers, reflect a person’s lack of style and values.
Whether we like it or not, customers judge a business by the appearance and behaviour of the company’s front-line employees. It makes sense that an employer will hire those who present themselves in a way that’s compatible with the image the business owner wants to project.
If an individual really wants to find employment to help him or her provide for themselves and their families, they must be willing to leave their individuality at home and conform to the standards, business ethics and expectations of the workplace.
There is a time and place for everything and first impressions do count.
– EMPLOYER
Dear Employer,
You’ve said it well and I support you 100 per cent. Those who have ears to hear – let them hear.
– CHRISTINE
