Employment site caters only to hiring beautiful people
Out on the ‘net, there are your Monsters, there are your Workopolis’ and there are your MSN Careers.
Yet, surely, not every employment site is created equal. Where the above domains aim not to discriminate on race, gender, religion or creed, some portals have no qualms about their selective membership.
And this leads us to BeautifulJobSeekers.com.
The preposterous press release announcing BeautifulJobSeekers.com was forwarded to me near the end of last week. As it describes itself, BJS.com aims to “close (the) ugly gap between beautiful job seekers and employers looking to hire them,” says Ralph van Troost, the site’s founder.
“BeautifulJobSeekers.com is an employment website which helps beautiful, skilled and talented job seekers, to stand out from the competition in the job market,” the release states.
Now, we can leave it to readers to discuss their own opinions of a site like BJS.com (sure looks at lot like HotOrNot.com. Remember that one?), but the real beauty of the URL is what happens when you try to browse job listings.
Out of curiosity, I gave the site a try, performing a broad search of available jobs (BJS.com does not feature Canadian listings).
Surprisingly, the current postings aren’t just for barmaids and those Abercrombie & Fitch live mannequins. There’s an opening for a VP, Corporate Realty Services in St. Petersburg. One for a Pharmacy Technician in Cleveland. Another for a Legal Secretary in Oakland.
But here’s the kicker: not only does the site feature a banner at the top of the site with the quote, “We’re not saying don’t hire people that aren’t beautiful, we’re saying here’s a place to hire skilled and talented people that are also beautiful!” you must be a “member” of the site to look at detailed listings and job descriptions.
What’s that mean? You have to sign up, submit a photo of yourself and wait to see if you’re beautiful enough to warrant admission.
Here was the email I received after trying to gain membership to BJS.com today:
“You can not login to your account yet. Our visitors and our members will rate your picture first and, depending on the rating it receives, your account will either be activated or rejected. The outcome of the rating process will be e-mailed to you within a few days. Please keep an eye on your inbox in the meantime.”
As of press time, calls had not been returned from a BJS.com spokesperson, but I’ll update this post ASAP with comment in defence of the site’s motives.
(Update: a site spokesman called me Monday evening. Of the site's feedback, he said, surprisingly, "60 per cent has been positive. It's been better than I initially thought." Of the site's need-to-pass-a-looks-test-to-become-a-member policy, he said it's a way of "targeting" employee demographics. If you can't pass the site's five-star rating system, which he said he wasn't aware of how high a score you need to get through, you "have no business on the site anyway.")
What do you make of a site like BeautifulJobSeekers.com?
By Jason Buckland, MSN Money
Posted by: Le Grand | May 3, 2021 8:22:58 PM
Nothing wrong with being attractive, but would you trust the ability and probity of an employee whose main claim to employability was their looks?
Posted by: Jessie | May 3, 2021 8:54:35 PM
Oh that's interesting. Their motto though is quite convincing that they value skill as well as looks. Can't wait to hear the rest of this article.
Posted by: Kathy | May 3, 2021 9:37:36 PM
I am considered good looking. I have had many breaks in my life due to my looks. At work, I am valued for my ethics and ability to perform the required tasks I am hired for.
I think this agency is a blemish on our society. What message is this sending to our youth? Who are the judges and what are their qualifications?
I am good looking. I don't need or deserve any MORE added benifit.
Posted by: JL | May 3, 2021 9:59:49 PM
Any company that basis their hiring practices on looks, is a company I would not work for.
Posted by: CP | May 3, 2021 10:22:10 PM
unbelievable - 4 out of the 5 responses have either a spelling error or a grammatical error !! Too funny - given the topic. EEEEEE-HAAAAAW
Posted by: Rob | May 3, 2021 10:40:11 PM
Companies putting weight on appearance when recruiting? At times this may be legitimate, but there will no question be times when it is illegitimate discrimination. Using that website to make recruitment decisions is asking for lawsuits.
Posted by: rasta | May 3, 2021 10:46:17 PM
this site is whack yo, rasta is mad flex and can get a job anywhere...i wonder if i can put a pic of my whip up there..that should seal the deal..nuff respect.
Posted by: TannerNanner | May 3, 2021 11:38:55 PM
I wonder if this site is run by the same people that run the dating site for "beautiful people only"?
This kind of shallow prejudice makes me absolutely sick. I am appalled that there are still people this vain and ridiculous in the world.
Posted by: spot | May 4, 2021 12:31:43 AM
wooow.......sounds like a site for dirty oldmen or horny cougars to hire there toys. wonder how long before you start hearing about sexual arasment lawsuits against some CEO
Posted by: Sunny | May 4, 2021 1:48:08 AM
Brain should be in gear before inventing such sites !!!I have seen enough cheerleaders and ex-cheerleeders
trying to push new meds,But this takes the cake!OOooooOOOOoodoes it ever.Next research I will propose
for the new grads is a vaccine and genetic research on this
Posted by: Sunny | May 4, 2021 1:53:19 AM
Pharma reps they tried and tried and tried,ENGAGE BRAIN BEFORE CREATING B.S
Posted by: Trisha | May 4, 2021 5:26:20 AM
yes, quite an idea here. I propose we put up a counter-site: 'Not exactly good-looking, but honest, hard-working people'
maybe set a link for the employers
show them there are people out there who'll actually DO the jobs
Posted by: havoc72 | May 4, 2021 6:46:00 AM
ok, not to rain on the parade here, but there have been verified studies to show that when given two photos of men or women and asked which one has a criminal record most test subjects scored 85% accuracy and the number increased to 97% when they asked children ages 5 to 9 yrs. , when testing a seperate group of people on who they would hire, date or allow their child to date using the same photos, they came back with the same numbers! the moral ,trust your instincts people.
Posted by: Barube | May 4, 2021 8:29:26 AM
Nothing wrong with this at all. If you are not interested in "Beautiful" as a demographic, then don't use the site to employ. If you want or require a beautiful person working in your companies spotlight, then use this site to hire someone. It is that easy! In Canada and the US, we are free enough to allow people to choose what they want with reference to their own business. What works for one may not for another. Thanks you for allowing me the freedom to express MY view.
Posted by: Brendan | May 4, 2021 8:44:03 AM
i think this is a GREAT idea. good looking people go further in life than ugly people do, you all know it's true but you don't want to admit it. This site just helps us beautiful people get to the top that much faster!. Thank you BJS.COM!!!
Posted by: Dragon Fire | May 4, 2021 8:44:14 AM
This is disgusting, and as Rob has said, is most likely illegal. My husband thinks I'm the most beautiful woman in the world; I doubt that my employer does. I am a great employee; I work hard, I am honest, I am ethical, and I love to learn. The thought that I could be rejected for having an extra 20 lbs. on, or a mole in the "wrong" place, or a bad haircut, is sickening. We know of a group of people who "culled" another group of people on the basis of a "genetic lottery". I believe it caused a World War, or do people not remember Nazism? Who decides what is beautiful? Tastes change, fashion is fickle, and beauty is not just in the eye of the beholder. It is the emanation from a total package of looks, skills, brains, morals, and confidence. On the basis of morality and intelligence, I give the people responsible for such a site a very ugly rating indeed.
Posted by: Bryan | May 4, 2021 8:46:51 AM
Seriously, it's already like this everywhere. Any company I've worked for, only the best looking people have the cushiest jobs. They start where they are actually qualified to be, in the crap positions. And then they get this respectable position in the company that they don't even know how to do because some "big wig" thinks they're hot. It's sick. And then these so called "hot" people start making policy and passing judgment on the more qualified and more educated people that actually deserve the better position. It's no wonder all these huge companies need bailouts in a recession, because they all have good looking idiots running them. I bet all the companies that didn't need a bailout, were the ones that were run by the educated and qualified average looking people.
Posted by: A.J. | May 4, 2021 9:32:55 AM
I have always been hired by my experiences and qualifications(not looks).
I agree, that this IS a blemish of sorts and it is PREJUDICE!!!!!
This will teach kids to say things like "Oh well you're not good looking enough to get the job"
a teenager goes to apply for a job and is told, " I see you have a certificate and you have some experience,but there is one other thing we are looking for, you need to be in top fit form."
What is this teaching us and our children? Unless we are going to join the Military or the R.C.M.P. WE DON'T NEED TO BE IN TOP ATHLETIC FORM(unless you want to be an athlete).
What people need is the average healthy body, proper diet, daily exercise.
I believe that BJS.com is another form of the fashion industry, people are beautiful the way they are, trying to change that, will make them less beautiful, not more beautiful.
the fashion industry takes 15-16yrs old girls and transforms them in to a stick figure (with afew exceptions)of some women, while others go on to develope eating disorders.
THE DAMAGE IS PHSYCHOLOGICAL AS MUCH AS IT IS PHYSICAL.
Posted by: ficklevixen | May 4, 2021 10:11:48 AM
I think that requiring someone to be beautiful to work in a place is bad practise and eliminates those people who actually have the skills/expertise for these positions. In my workplace a woman was recently hired to looks good but doesn't do any real work. Her work that she does is horrible and yet she is still kept on staff only because some idiot likes her looks. She knows her looks is keeping her in the current position and plays the whore to retain that position. Wonder how she feels knowing it's not for her skills but for her looks that she's still employed. What a loser, her lack of skills will probably see her in a management position because the people hiring don't have the brain cells to rub together.
Posted by: Magdalen | May 4, 2021 10:44:06 AM
Beautiful people take care of themselves and are more likely to take care of their surroundings. They are confident and smile more, contributing to a more positive workplace. Many beautiful people are talented, and come from more educated family lines. Unfortunately Canada discriminates against beautiful people, and hire mainly based on minority, unfortunately such a site would be forbidden in Canada. Well, the face of Toronto (especially) is changing and soon beautiful Europeans will be minorities. Isn't it time that the discrimination towards beautiful Europeans stops and that beautiful, talented and educated are given a chance to shine? I am therefore in full support of such a site. If the employer has two candidates, of equal skills, talents and education, I am in full support of hiring for looks, as it adds to a more positive work place, they are more likely to smile more often and take care of their surroundings. Beautiful people get noticed, why shouldn't this be looked at as a talent, and not a hindering factor, as it is in Toronto.