[ESSAY] Going for the Look

I agree on a business standpoint with Marshall Cohen’s argument that hiring employees who fit the company image is “critical” in order to maximize profits. Marshall Cohen is a senior industry analyst with the NPD group, a market research firm. He feels that hiring employees that represent and embody the store they work for may encourage more people to shop at that particular store. Attractive and trendy employees will help draw more customers to a specific store and will generate more profit for that company. This is a commonly practiced hiring technique that is not against the law. However, hiring based on looks and company image can lead to discrimination allegations. When it comes to hiring based on looks and appearance there is a fine line between what is acceptable and what is considered discrimination.

            Hiring based on appearance is nothing new as stated in the New York Times article “Going for the Look, but Risking Discrimination” by Steven Greenhouse. But the practice is spreading to new industries and is now a common hiring technique in the clothing industry. Major stores that apply to a younger demographic such as Abercrombie and Fitch, Hollister, and American Apparel have been hiring employees based on their looks and how well they represent the brand in order to attract more customers. These companies feel that having an attractive and relatable staff will draw in customers. Tom Lennox, Abercrombie’s communications director said that “we want to hire brand representatives that will represent the Abercrombie and Fitch brand with natural classic American style, look great while exhibiting individuality, project the brand and themselves with energy and enthusiasm, and make the store a warm, inviting place that provides a social experience for the customer.” These companies have created an image of what kind of style they want to represent and hire employees who fit the mold of what they are trying to portray in order to create a more pleasant and enjoyable shopping experience.

            Companies should have the right to hire employees who they feel are well suited for their company. Companies are in the business to make money and in this competitive industry should be able to do what they need in order to make money and stay relevant. Having attractive employees who represent the company image in stores have a good chance of attracting more people to the store because people will want to shop in stores where they can relate to the employees or are attracted to the employees. Fashionable employees with catch the attention of shoppers and will create a more enticing environment for shoppers. Companies feel that if a customer sees an attractive employee dressed in the companies clothes that they will want to dress like them and then will buy more of the clothes. Overall having an attractive staff that represents the company brand will most likely benefit a company in the terms of selling more clothes.

                        Marshall Cohen’s statement that “a guy wants to go hang out in a store where he can see good looking gals” is a reason for hiring employees based on how attractive they are. People are naturally drawn to what they think are good looking people. Companies try to hire based on their perspective of what potential customers will find attractive. They will tend to put the most attractive employees in the front of the store putting away clothes or helping customers while they place what they think as the less attractive employees in the back of the store where they are not as easily seen by customers. Companies think that having attractive people working with the customers will make them buy more clothes and will bring in more potential shoppers. I think that this technique works for some shoppers; I also know that some shoppers do not really care about the appearance of the employees as long as they are getting good service. The company is targeting customers that are more concerned with looks and are somewhat superficial.

            I understand why companies feel that it is “necessary” and “smart” to hire employees who fit a certain image or mold, however I do not agree morally with this practice. This hiring technique opens up a floodgate of potential discrimination accusations and lawsuits. Hiring based on looks can get companies into hot water because so many people can find discrimination in their hiring practices and patterns. It is illegal to discriminate against people based on their age, sex, or ethnicity. This is where companies can get into trouble and sticky situations. Mr. Serrano, a previous manager for Abercrombie and Fitch detailed the companies hiring procedures: “we were supposed to approach someone in the mall who we think will look attractive in our store.” Mr. Serrano also stated that they were instructed to hire these attractive people in the mall if they accepted regardless of how qualified or experienced they were. If someone applied for a job and had a lot of retail experience, but was not that attractive or didn’t fit the company image than he was told to “not hire them at all.” Companies should not base who they hire solely on looks, but instead should look for candidates that fit there company image and have some sort of experience or qualifications. It is easier in the long run to hire employees based on their experience and qualifications for the job rather that hiring based on company image and appearance because they will avoid allegations of discrimination. Companies can avoid all of this mess and scrutiny if they just practiced fair hiring techniques that do not involve only image and how well they represent the brand in an attractive way.   

            Overall I agree with Marshall Cohen’s opinion that hiring based on image could translate into more profits in this competitive retail environment. Companies need to do what ever they can to stay current and to continue to make money and this is just one way they could go about it. I agree with Cohen to the extent of the business and economical aspect, but I do not agree morally with this type of hiring practice.