Judging people on looks alone is an instinct as old as humanity. But in the workplace, it could give you the wrong picture altogether.
Just as we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, so shouldn’t we judge a person by their Facebook Profile Picture. But we do. My experience of modeling and social media has taught me that image can influence the way we are perceived and treated.
My first job after university taught me so much about society, preconceived ideas, and myself. I had two degrees to my name, including a post-graduate degree from Wits Business School, and half a modeling career.
My education was always more important to me than a short-lived stint in fashion. Entering the workforce, I was young, educated and attractive. A “perfect combo”, right? Well, I experienced both sides of that coin.
Since I had featured in several magazines, many colleagues, clients and superiors treated me as nothing more than a dumb model. On the flip side, I was told I had landed a new client’s business because of the way I looked.
I was in sales, dealing predominantly with male decision-makers. I had been chasing one deal for weeks, putting in hours of overtime to pitch the perfect proposal.
My nerves were shot on the day of the presentation, and got the better of me. I walked out feeling like a failure. I was dreading breaking the news to my boss, but continued to work furiously to make up for it.
A week and a half later, my boss called me in to let me know we had heard from the client. My heart pounded. I started thinking where my next job could be. To my surprise, the business was ours. Maybe I had been too hard on myself. Then my boss told me what the client had said: “We have a few changes to make, so thankfully Kirsty was pretty.”
I felt gutted. I was proud of landing the business and knew it was deserved, but I felt like a piece of meat. I learned very quickly how to read people and knew almost immediately when showing off my brain power would work over flashing a smile and vice versa. Some may call this shallow, others may call it smart.
It worked for me at the time, but I don’t do this anymore. Now, I always flex my brain. It did make me realise a lot about humans and society, and the way we are hard-wired. We are biologically programmed to gravitate towards attractive people. Animals seek the healthiest and fittest beings to mate with. Gravitation towards someone attractive is just primal, isn’t it?
Even in 2016, when we’re at the top of the food chain and have access to so much information, we are still in an era that celebrates a certain type of beauty. A perfectly symmetrical face and a tiny waist are celebrated more than a PhD.
We all understand this. It is the cornerstone of the beauty industry. It is why people spend billions on hair treatments, pedicures, diet fads, plastic surgery and a myriad of other things intended to enhance their outer appearance.
We focus on beauty so that we can create an image of ourselves that we present to the world. As a model, I was immersed in this. In the business world, I quickly realised how important it still was. On social media, everything is built around trying to present an attractive and perfect version of ourselves to the world.
First impressions and appearances make an impact. Nowhere is this more true than in the job market. Like it or not, when you’re being screened for an interview, you’re unknowingly a piece of clay. Your potential employer is shaping you in their mind to see if you’d be a great fit for their organisation.
But remember, before you’ve even walked through the door, you’ve been judged. Social media can give recruiters a glimpse of who you really are, and how you present yourself.
Whenever I’m hiring, I take a look at a candidate’s social media accounts. I recently had a job opening for a highly-skilled position. I received a CV and portfolio that made my heart flutter, but on inspection of this person’s Facebook profile, I quickly learnt of their racism. I’ve never deleted an email so quickly.
You will be judged by who you are on social media, and how you present yourself in person. Either way, you’ll be an open book. Make sure you’re worth reading.
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