Tall, dark and handsome men are renowned for making the ladies swoon. And, according to a recent study, they have the same effect on HR managers as well.

“We sent questionnaires to 250 hiring managers from 150 large companies and 100 start-ups spanning IT, e-commerce, BPO, manufacturing, hospitality, retail, BFSI, advertising and pharma and found that taller candidates are 30 per cent more likely to get through to the next round than shorter ones,” says Mohit Gundecha, CEO of Pune-based talent assessment and analytics firm Jombay.

That’s not all. The study found that most hiring managers in India today are also influenced by a job seeker’s name, state of origin and dress.

Spectacles = focus The Jombay survey revealed that 62 per cent of the hiring managers perceived candidates who wore glasses as more sincere and focused.

Poor dressers were 60 per cent less likely to make it to the next round in large companies whose hiring managers noticed brands, colours and even the fabric worn by candidates. Start-ups, however, just look for neat and clean dressing.

Candidates wearing religious accessories such as rings, chains and wristbands were not preferred by 26 per cent of the hiring managers surveyed. “Many hiring managers like to stereotype candidates based on their first and second names, which part of the country they come from, whether they are from metros or small towns.

“A significant percentage take note of the sun sign (Libra, Pisces), marital status and hobbies of the candidate, all of which helps hiring managers create a persona of the candidate in question,” observed Gundecha, who has a Masters in Management Science & Engineering from Stanford University.

However, there are some exceptions.

The exception A manager at a well-known recruiting firm in Mumbai recounted a recent experience to BusinessLine. “I was interviewing a guy last week; his eyes were red, teeth were tobacco stained, and his bulging tummy was making his vest pop out of his shirt.

“For the first five minutes, I was struggling to focus on what he was trying to say because I had already decided that I would not hire him,” said the manager.

“Once the interview progressed, I was pretty impressed by how much he knew about our firm, our company culture and his willingness to be moulded. I changed my mind and hired him, and he is already showing a lot of promise.”

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