Perceptions of the influence of physical appearance during job recruitment interview : an investigation on effects of shirt color and hair color in Singapore context

• Main Author: Lim, Tan Xiong
• Other Authors: School of Humanities and Social Sciences
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2015
• Subjects: DRNTU::Humanities::Philosophy
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/61993
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Previous studies concluded that physical appearance played a significant role in employment hiring decisions. This study examined the influence of two physical appearance variables, shirt color and hair color. Fifty undergraduates were tasked to rate thirty photos of a male job applicant and thirty photos of a female job applicant in ten shirt colors and three hair colors. Results showed that both these two variables influence the perception of chance of getting selected in a job interview, and white was the best shirt color for both men and women, followed by black. Results also suggested that Asian job applicants should maintain their black hair during job interviews and the tolerance of colored hair was higher for females than males.