Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

Well,he may have put it crudely but he is basically correct..She is very unlikely to find a position that pays well unless she has some really much required skills where her appearance can be discounted.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

I agree...while the job centre advisor may have been rude, it doesn't make it any less of the truth. If I went to an interview showing face studs and numerous large tattoos, I wouldn't be looked at twice, no matter what my skills are.

I think, to get a job, she needs to at least remove and let heal, the face studs, as they make her look worse anyway.

Why anyone would want to deface themselves like that is beyond me. I'm not against tattoos but having a stud in lips/cheeks is a bit much for me.

However, as she says, its her lifestyle choice, but she needs to deal with the consequences of that particular choice.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

Indeed, sometimes the truth hurts. She can keep her piercings, that's her choice, but it may well put off a good few employers.

The Job Centre was giving her honest feedback, although a little bit insensitive in the way it was delivered! :p:

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

Instead of commenting about how she looks in relation to her job hunting perhaps the advisor should be taking courses to help him do his job without having to get personal or abusive..

What an idiot!!

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

But Kymmy he still had a point, he just didn't deal with it sensitively enough.The trouble is now that she has a a grievance about the whole issue and may well lose the message.:erm:

It would be nice if we could all get the jobs we want, looking whatever way we like but realistically,pragmatically it's not going to happen any time soon.:shrug:

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

It's like X-factor. only the good looking ones get through. the ugly ones get sent home.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

And the point could have been put across by simply saying "Your Tattoos and peircings may effect your job hunting"

Instead he gave an answer that would make most people complain...

I used to turn upto a lot of customer jobs in full biking gear and strip down in warm offices to a top that showed off one of my tattoos, did they tell me to put a paper bag over my head.. Nope, instead they were happy with the quality of my work and always asked for me personally on future calls...

If comments like that are all the guy can make then he shouldn't be in a job that involves him talking to human beings..

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

The trouble is the english language can be corrupted, take this point.

You have a college that has done your head in you say "Go home will you", if that person comes from an ethic minority then it could be deem racist.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

Oh I agree.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

Dignity at work..takes a beating

I'm not keen on piercing..but always wondered about the girls getting tongue pierced
No harm thinking :D

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

She looks awful.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

True, he should not have made a comment like that (I work in a customer facing job and have been tempted to say far worse, but wouldn't because it would cause offence), but the fact is that whether he phrased it well or badly, companies will tend not to employ someone who looks like that
,because the perception is often that they are yobbish.

Now, I am not saying that all people who have tattoos or body piercings are yobs. They aren't. It's just people percieve them as such.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

He didn't tell her to put a paper bag over her head though did he ,neither did he tell her stand behind a wall .He was trying to get her to decide how her appearance would affect her job hunting without resulting to telling her she looks ridiculous and doesn't stand a cat in hells chance of getting a decent job looking like a pin cushion

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

Oh please looking the way she does i am struggling to believe she is that thin skinned and i am sure similar comments have been made in the past. Was he right in saying what he did well that all depends on the context of the full conversation something this woman has no reason to fully disclose at this point in case it shows she wasn't badly treated. I would prefer all the facts before jumping in and condemning this worker as i think there is probably more to this then what we have seen so far usually is in these types of cases.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

That's a bit harsh! I think she looks ok, but potential employers may be put off and make a judgement before she has even opened her mouth.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

Link In my opinion, if you make a negative first impression (visual or otherwise), you will have to spend the rest of the interview trying to fix that - why put yourself at an initial disadvantage needlessly?

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

Because the need to express herself far outweighs the practicalities of getting a job .I bet she is a miz aswell ;)

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

Does that mean if you're ugly you'll be spending the rest of the interview fixing it?

I would say it's all depending on what job she or anyone is after really. not all jobs mean having to have an interview, do they?

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

With so many people after jobs nowadays I think you will find that everyone now has to be interviewed before being offered a job as they want the most suitable person.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

There is no way of knowing how the complete interview went and the previous meetings went. I wonder if he was giving plain, blunt advice.
Would I, as a prospective employer, pick her out because of her looks? Nope. How much of a statement does she need to make?
Does she have other qualities that an employer requires?
She's not really redeeming herself to the fierce competition of the job market.
I think that it's difficult to give advice to people on how to make themselves employable, sometimes, seeing as they couldn't do it for themsalves.
Tact goes a long way: and back to my first sentence.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

But aren't we discriminating? or on the border of it?

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

The aspects of your appearance that you can choose to modify, can be seen to give an indication of your attitude and therefore your suitability to a job.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

No - it's not about attractiveness or otherwise (most people aren't so shallow), it's about looking as if you want the job, and are willing to make an effort to fit in (as nomadking says above)

Most jobs now have an interview, at least at the final stage.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

But what if you had a mohican, a pierced tongue, dreadlocks, face that looked like you put the make up on with a trowel?

could we get to the stage where the unemployed get told how they have to look if they want benefits?

that would be funny though. all the unemployed going to sign on in suits and wearing acceptable footwear.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

What you can do if you have face studs, is remove them for interviews, and use a wax filler.

One thing any employer will look at is "will this person fit in?" You wouldn't employ a Chelsea fan if all you works supported Millwall

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

Interesting. goes with my previous post.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

Not sure what you mean - in most jobs, you will be part of a team, so fitting in is quite important; this doesn't mean, however, that employers are looking for identikit clones - they are (usually) looking for individuals who can also be part of a team.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

Those look would unlikely get a job dealing with the public, and most campanies have dress codes.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

Not necessarily in all cases. she might just want to be a cleaner or something.

does anyone know what work she's looking for?

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

It was that comment which nearly got me sacked, and it did succeed in getting me a final written warning :rolleyes:

Believe me its best to not judge a book by its cover these days, inevitably someone will sue you!

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

facial tattoo's are part of some peoples culture ,as are ear piercings /neck stretching etc ,i would suggest that if the interviewer can't see beyond the piercings/tatts etc then they are in the wrong job ,i have never held the opinion that a shirt and tie and a clean shaven unblemished face etc makes a person more suitable to perform a given task than someone in jeans and a tee shirt with a few tatts , my tattoo's don't stop me doing my job ,my left for arm is dominated by a single tattoo i have five other tattoo's that also don't stifle my ability to do my job .

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

Good point.
Mebbe her character and appearance might fit the bill but if I had to choose between her and 200 others then I'd privately be wondering about her applitude, attitude and dedication.
And I'd hopefully be more diplomatic in my response.
I'm struggling to find a reason to say that she is the lass for a job.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

I didn't know that. Several Jobs ago, my boss asked me my opion on which one would be the best, and I suggest the one that thought would fit in.

I do know that a large number of people (even the best candidate) will be rejected just by their CV.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

Here is the story from the local paper the day before it appeared in the Telegraph - strangely enough, it doesn't mention anything about a paper bag / head interface scenario.....

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

told you she was a Ms;) obviously for her it is all about "expressing herself" and making sure everybody knows it

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

We are told not to follow 'gut instinct' anymore, to stick to the scoring techniques which inevitably means sometimes you end up with staff you feel are not suited to the rest of the team. To save going through what I've been through the last 12 months - i'm sticking to the rules ;)

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

Damn, she must have been lying about the paper bag bit because she didn't mention it before.

It's actually irrelevant anyway really. people have made up their minds about her without taking the paper bag into consideration :)

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

I disagree, Gary - If the JCP employee said what he is alleged to have said, he was wrong; I was pointing out that the original report did not mention this.

However, most people's first impression of the lady would be negative, and that may be the message he was trying to get across.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

Both versions could be true .It all depends on how the paper reporting it wants the story to appear ,the telegraph were going for the sensationalist/sympathetic viewpoint ,the local paper were leaning on the side of the job center

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

I think If he did say it then he's lucky that she's white. could have been a whole different story if she wasn't.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

And so, it begins...................

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:you just couldn't resist it could you :rofl::rofl::rofl:

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

I'm saying that it would be discrimination against the person if he had said it and she wasn't white. the bag comment wouldn't be relevant so much in that case.

---------- Post added at 22:28 ---------- Previous post was at 22:22 ----------


LOL is it really getting to the stage where any colour other than white is a taboo?

I mentioned a mohican, and dreadlocks earlier. nobody batted an eyelid. mention a colour and peoples PC senses kick in.

a psychologists wet dream :)

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

not at all Gary this thread has nothing to with colour or race it is all about a stroppy Ms who doesn't like being told her looks don't do much for her job opportunities

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

That's not very nice calling her stroppy. you read how upset she was. you've made up your mind based on her looks. are you any better? :)

I don't mean better in you looking better than her. I mean better in discrimination. be that looks, colour or race.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

20 body piercings? Seems excessive..maybe even smacks of obsessive.:erm:

One,two,three perhaps but that many would make me pause and wonder when considering someone with that many for a job..I also don't think anyone would have a leg to stand on claiming discrimination either.

True it may not have a bearing on how well she could do a job but on the other hand someone who mutilates their body that many times might just have some issues that may lead to depression.Any hint of such a condition can make a would be employer shy away very quickly.

I think she has made her self unemployable and insisting that she can't remove any of the facial ones indicates that she isn't really taking on board what potential employers may be looking for.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

What if she's the sweetest and kindest person you'll ever meet?
would you blame it on "it's not me, I like her. it's my customers. they can be a bit funny and think the worse in people" ?

or would you be honest and say what you really mean?

saying that. you can't risk her wanting to top herself in the workplace.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

I think she wants to stand out from the crowd - but in a working environment - what else can she offer?
Oh! - and I agree

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

What's so special about the working environment?

Absolutely nothing.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

just a small input to the thread, hopefully to give some perspective..

I was talking to someone who visited a food factory in Vietnam, recently - they weren't allowed into the production area until their finger nails had been trimmed.

- on the second visit, a few months later, the same person cut her finger nails before the visit, in anticipation.

- but the factory still insisted on trimming them, again, before allowing her in the production area.

NO jewellery of any kind was allowed, rings, earrings, piercings, etc were specifically forbidden.

- if you wanted a job at the factory, you complied with their standards, no arguments. There were always (several) people willing to comply, if you didn't...

Now I'm not suggesting this is necessarily an universal scenario - but it does illustrate that in an area where getting a job is subject to intense competition, compromises may have to be made..

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

What if she's a mass-murderer? One can "what if" all one wants to support a scenario, it doesn't make it true.;)

What does he really mean?

Why do you think she would want to do that?

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

On first appearances... I don't doubt that she may be the sweetest and kindest person I could ever meet - but I don't think that I'd push the reason to even have a chat except for general interest or... unless she plumped herself in my kitchen.:D
People can glance at someone for 5 seconds and know more gut instincts - to get to know them better is your choice and holds whatever is in store
and if you plain dont want to know then you don't.

I keep thinking that the interviewer reacted in a way she might understand and for some reason it got into the papers:angel:

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

Every job interview is an exercise in discrimination. The act of choosing between one person and another is by its very definition an act of discriminating between them. We all know this, and we all know personal presentation is important. That's why we put on a suit and polish our shoes.

I can wear whatever I like when working at my own desk, because I work from home. But if I go out to meet a customer I have to be able to dress appropriately for that situation and dressing appropriately is as much about what I don't wear as what I do.

The problem with body 'art' and piercings is, you can't always easily hide them or take them off. That's why they are problematic to so many employers. The girl in the article can put on a suit but she can't hide what she's done to her face. Any potential employer will see her as someone who sees her own personal body image and need for self-expression as more important than the ability to present herself in the way that might be appropriate in any particular situation.

She does of course have the right to do that to herself. But she shouldn't be surprised if other people use what she has done to herself as a factor when evaluating her during a job interview.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

That it's him that doesn't like her based on her looks.

Because she looks like she has issues and suffers from depression.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

This all reminds me of Pulp Fiction :)

The scene where he meets the drug dealers mrs and says something along the lines of -

'Who is the girl with all the (word i cannot say on a family forum but can say crap even though it means the same thing) in her face?'

'Oh, that's my wife.'

Lol worthy, I mean seriously, would you even dream of turning up to an interview like that? Come on!

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

Well since she's wondering around looking like that.....I'm guessing 'none'

---------- Post added at 09:00 ---------- Previous post was at 08:46 ----------

Exactly :tu:
It looks to me like she has made herself unemployable. I'm aggrieved that the taxpayer has to then fund such a persons existence.
Take it back to our hunter gatherer past. A hunter could, if he or she chose, wear bells around their wrists and ankles (a legitimate expression of their personality you may say) but then they wouldn't catch any game and would go hungry-tough luck! Fast forward 5000 years......we have a similar situation in a technological society and yet we are now expected to give the idiot in question a free lunch. Marvellous! :dozey:

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

????? What you on about, it's nothing to do with a culture lol

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

One thing picked up here is that she's restricting her job prospects by having such piercings/tattoos and as such has made herself unemployable...

I find that attitude quite pathetic... Have the piercings reduced her IQ?? Have they disabled her movements in any way?? Have they restricted her communting ability?? Do they stop her communicating with others??

In other words should the tattoos or piercings matter.. Just the same as color of your skin/hair, racial background, sexual preference and religion shouldn't matter...

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

You're conflating what should be with what is.

I could jump up and down and scream until I'm blue in the face about how much I'd love to be able to turn up at a client meeting in my comfy tee-shirt, combats and Merrells, but it won't make a scrap of difference. The shared, agreed values of the business community demand a certain dress code. If I want their business, I show respect for their wishes in this regard.

Simples. ;)

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

The are many businesses that she could get a job with such as in a call centre for example.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

I agree with you but sadly that utopia hasn't arrived as yet.It's back to the fat people need not apply as they cannot fit the uniform answer.

People looking for work in the present day have to be pragmatic and realistic.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

Just me viewpoint Chris ;)

I will though freely admit that my tattoos are in places I can cover up and made that choice when I had them done, that still doesn't stop the fact that it shouldn't effect my ablity to do a job ;)

Now buy me a coffee in the mods lounge before I give you a few tattoos and piercings ;)

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

You're welcome for a coffee any time, tattoos and all. ;)

I know it's your viewpoint ... and in fact, I wish the world was a little less obsessed with external appearances. The thing that gets me about all this is how unwilling she is to recognise that, for better or worse, other people have certain expectations and those other people are the ones with all the cards (money, job offers, etc).

I know the article suggests the reason for her anger is the crass way the job centre adviser went about things, but I can't help thinking that what's really behind this is a sense on her part that someone has dared criticised the way she looks.

Knowing when to stand out and when to fit in is a critical aspect of human behaviour. I suspect that the person in question here actually doesn't place much value on the concept of fitting in ever, under any circumstances. This would likely be the case even if she didn't have facial piercings and tattoos, but I don't think its unreasonable for an employer to use the fact that she has had those things done to her face to deduce that she may not be willing to conform in certain business situations.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

She'd be suited in a job that nobody else wants to do. like dealing with sickly sights where dead people are concerned. looking after deranged nutters in a top security mental institution out in the middle of nowhere.

or even emptying your bins?! :D

nobody will care what she looks like then.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

None of the above (obviously) but they have made her less likely to be employed.
The jobcenter once sent me a woman for a receptionists job......she had "big boy" tatooed on her forarm......
If someone turns up for a customer facing job interview and can't even be bothered to cover up a thought provoking tatoo like that (or sports other interesting decorations) then they don't get considered for the job :shrug:




.......obviously I took her number and contacted her for evening and weekend 'services' :D

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

Was she as big a boy as you were hoping? :D

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

No comment :D

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

Indeed, I know of someone who applied for a job. He knows, or at least does a good impression of knowing a lot about the tech we use. I have to admit, I have reason to doubt he does actually know it, but technically he "ticked all the boxes". The problem came because a large part of the job is dealing with users. Something he is terrible at (he is the sort of person who will offend you at some point, whether intentionally or not).

As such, he met the technical requirements of the job, but would have been absolutely awful at it.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

If this jobcentre person did say this in a way i find it refreshing because as someone with a visual sign of my disability there is nothing worse then going for a job interview and having the interviewer clearly looking at it all the time but never daring to mention it. We are in a visually obsessed world right now and people like it or not have to play to that to a point and while it is all well and good to say that people should be able to express themselves anyway they want and in an ideal world that would be right in the world we have right now looks count and you get both judged and discounted on them. I have had to phone back many times and promise not to hold it against some people to find out the truth for why i never got a job even though i was often the most qualified and most suitable person and the answer has always been my disability. Do i like it no i don't do i understand it yes i do and as time has gone by my skin has thickened to the point where it doesn't bother me anymore and if you want to be visually different thats fine grow the skin to go with it stop expecting the world to molly coddle you something all too many people expect and demand these days precious little things.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

I can't agree more.
She chose her appearance.
I'm sure she'll fit in fine somewhere.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

My 2p is, she wants individuality and not to live inside what we conciser to be the 'normal visual box', and I am not saying that is right or wrong.

Then sorry, but unless she has the ways and means to cover the individualityness up 'yes it's a word :/' then she has wilfully excluded herself from the workplace normalness we normal people do,

And as Caff says, "I'm sure she'll fit in fine somewhere."

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

Is that though the point here? The point being that the advisor could have handled it better..

I'd love a perfect world where looks weren't the basis of aquiring a job, but yes I agree that she hasn't made it easy for herself..

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

There isn't a "perfect world"
We're all different thank goodness - that's as close as it gets :D

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

What her attitude shows though Kimmy is that her body art is far more important to her than anything else ,she is showing no consideration ,or she just doesn't realise that employers will demand a certain dress code,not to mention the health and safety aspect ,which would suggest that common sense isn't her strongest suit .She says she is looking for any job ,well unfortunately for her most jobs requiring customer interaction (except a tattoo parlour)would be ruled out ,any job in the catering industry/food preperation i.e mcdonalds,burgerking ect will be ruled out ,jobs in factories will be ruled out ,the list goes on .Maybe she should have thought of this before deforming herself to this extent

---------- Post added at 16:33 ---------- Previous post was at 16:27 ----------

He could have ignored her looks and gone through the procedure of sending her on interviews ,her not getting the jobs and not knowing why .I feel sometimes you just have speak blunt to some people and tell them how it is with no fancy etiquette.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

I never suggested that he should have ignored her looks, instead I suggested that he could have put it more tactfully (blunt or not) and pointed it out without getting into "Paper bags"

I also don't deny that it will effect her chances of work.. Perhaps that then needs addressing in employers attitudes than her looks

:rolleyes:

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

I don't think there's a discrete class of person called 'an employer' to blame here. In my experience, the people running interviews are simply ordinary members of middle management from the department doing the recruiting, sometimes supported by someone from HR. And they make their decisions based on perfectly conventional expectations about personal presentation as well as competency. Those expectations are conventional because they are widely held.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

Employers usually have good reasons for demanding dress codes and appearance ,apart from H&E there is customer perception to their staff ,if someone looks scruffy then usually their work is and will reflect on the company .It's all about discipline aswell ,if someone refuses to remove or cover up rings/tattoos then it is unlikely they will fall in with company policy ,they will always strive to do things their way and not how they are told

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

from what i seen at the job center they do have an attitude problem. when I'm waiting or go in to use the job points a lot of them are shouting. one girl in there came up to me once and said they pick on you for anything as she forgot to put the dates in her booklet and they said they were not going to pay her her money and the bad thing is she had a kid as well to look after.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

That's not an attitude problem though is it .Job center staff have to be strict and authoritarian to discourage people from sitting on the dole .It amazes me how some people see authority as a bad attitude

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

I don't really agree with that. you could say that someone who's job it is to fine you for dropping litter has to be authorative. but if anybody other than a police officer (as long as it's a woman) spoke to me like I'm a piece of poo. I'd knock them out right there and then :)

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

I worked with a couple who used to do body building, and have full body tattoos, face and hand were free of them.

But due to the job we did we where required to wear anti-static coats, you could not see them.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

that depends on how you think and how you define being spoken to like a "piece of poo" .Some people think that just being told what to do and when to do it qualifies as being spoken to like a "piece of poo"

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

I'm sure you'll know at the time.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

Here is another one who would have a tought time finding employment :D

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

why because of the tat or lack thinking material :D

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

No, no.....as kymmy said about the woman with the facial piercings; I'm sure that having a tattoo on his forehead doesn't mean that he's stupid or not able to do a job well :D

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

He looks stupid, though?

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

Can't judge a book by its cover........well......mabey you can :D

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

Depends on why the tattoo piercings have been applied, in her case it a statement of who she is... In his case it's a statement of his IQ...

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

... which could mean she's stupid, if she did that and still expected to get a job in, say, a bank.

She has put her personal statement over and above everything else. So long as she did that in the full knowledge and acceptance of the consequences, then fair enough.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

Unless you know her IQ and the reasons behind her peircings that would be pure guesswork..

Shame the media's concentrating their efforts on her and not the advisor.. But then it wouldn't be a news story ;)

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

The job centre adviser was crass in his approach, no doubt about that. But the reason the story made the news was that the way the person in question has chosen to 'decorate' herself. We all live in community and we are all connected to one another, no matter how badly we may wish to be individual and independent. What she has done is a departure from shared community values. It was always going to set her apart, to her disadvantage, in the community at large.

The question now is, to what extent she was aware of that and to what extent she understood, accepted and allowed for the fact that she was going to restrict her own opportunities.

Re: Jobcentre told woman to put bag over head.
 

And we never gave a fig about it before now how people look different, and how they don't fit in with the now acceptable standards.

I think it's more to do with peoples opinion of the out of work and getting free money that makes it a story.