My brother, Eric, is a senior sales executive with a major Logistics integrator. A successful executive and gifted writer, Eric is a contributing author to Logistics Recruiter.com. He shares the following article as career advice. Eric may be reached at [email protected].
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Ok, it’s January. How many of us will pledge to drop a few pounds (again) as part of our New Years resolutions? I’m amongst those who will be working on converting the wish to reality. There are obvious health benefits, but possibly less obvious, are potentially serious career implications as well.
I have a great friend who recently retired after 30 plus years in the airfreight business. One of the most fantastic human beings I know, and a real genius in our space. He routinely describes himself as being the ideal weight for someone 6’8”. Tom uses that as a punch line to the fact that he is about 5’ 9”! He is, in his mind ... not overweight ... he is under tall!
The real irony is that all the CxO’s I ever knew, especially growing up in the ocean freight business in the 80’s and 90’s, had several things in common. They were all tall (over 6 feet), lean, white and male. I mean…universally so. Diversity programs have broadened the sex and race spectrum somewhat, but one thing hasn’t changed: If you are overweight your chances of getting to the boardroom are “slim”. (Sorry for the pun…)
For job candidates being considered for internal positions, as well as those looking for new positions, this is a serious issue. In a culture where “thin is in,” getting a promotion or getting that next job can be difficult for an overweight candidate.
As Sharon Voros highlights in this article in Career Journal, in companies where image is important, such as fashion and retail, or in key sales positions, there is an association between personal appearance and success; therefore candidates who are significantly overweight may not fit well within the corporate culture of a company despite an otherwise good fit.
Image is one angle, but the reality is that HR departments in most industries are increasingly focusing on wellness of employees. This is for both quality of life as well as hard financial reasons. Lean employees take less sick time, have fewer accidents, and are less likely to suffer from mental illness, depression and alcoholism. In industries like logistics where margins are always tight, boards are demanding aggressive control of health costs as a way to improve overall financial performance.
I know in the case of my company, our HR group works hard at overall employee health by providing proactive health screening, personal health coaching, and benefit choices driven by individual needs. These factors help employees who have a desire to improve their health find a way to do it.
In these days of political correctness, most hiring managers won’t mention health or weight as an issue in the course of an interview for fear of possible legal implications. Nevertheless, the issue while unsaid, will be there as a concern.
Several years ago, I remember interviewing an overweight job candidate who volunteered in the course of our talk that he had had three heart surgeries. That immediately gave me concern for this gentleman’s energy level and ability to handle a stressful, fast paced work environment. What eliminated him from job consideration in my mind though, wasn’t the weight or even the heart condition. It was the fact that the guy also volunteered that he was a 3 pack a day smoker. Frankly I wondered whether he had the critical ability to link cause and effect. That’s what cost him the job opportunity.
People will assume a linkage between image and performance. Therefore, if you have an image liability, to the extent you can control it, by losing weight etc., you should. In the meantime, focus on a resume with high concentration on performance, dress professionally and do your homework on the company you are interviewing with. Know their business style well enough to understand whether you and they will be happy together.
In the meantime, remember that you aren’t overweight …you are under tall!
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You can tell when my executive search practice is rocking because my blog posts fall off. Sue me. Deals pay better than blogging, and I've got kids to feed. Anyway, last month I closed a VP of I.T. search for REI. Great company. Wonderful candidate -- from Whole Foods, no less.
