Resumen de The effect of facial piercing on perceptions of job applicants

James C. McElroy, James K. Summers, Kelly Moore

• his research examines how facial piercings affect impressions of a job candidate and whether these impressions are affected by gender or job type. Findings, based on two samples, indicate that individuals with piercings were viewed as less suitable job applicants and as possessing more negative characteristics than those with no piercings. These negative impressions were pervasive and unaffected by either applicant gender or job type. Specifically, using students, we found that pierced individuals were perceived as more extraverted, less agreeable, less conscientious, less attractive (from a social and task perspective), of more questionable character, less competent, less sociable, and not as trustworthy, and these imputed characteristics mediated the piercing�job suitability relationship. The results of a second sample of working adults found pierced applicants as less conscientious, less open, having less character, being more sociable, and being less trustworthy, with most of the imputed characteristics mediating the piercing�job suitability relationship.