People looking for jobs: BRUSH YOUR TEETH!

[AgentUnknown]

If their breath smells, it smells. Doesnt matter what their ethnicity is. So dont bring up their ethnic background. I hope these people all steal your jobs that you want. That means they are more qualified and more compentent than you are. So give it up about ethnicities stealing Mr. Whiteys job.

 

[Ilmater]

Originally posted by: yosuke188
So this is just as good as saying that blacks are more athletic than whites? Or is it just as bad as saying that blacks commit a lot more crimes than whites?

You are still making a generalization based on one's race, which is not well accepted these days.

And you're still making excuses based on one's race, which is FAR too accepted these days. Listen, I'm not being mean here, I'm saying that it's possible they don't realize it or maybe don't see why it's a problem, and I'm telling you it is. As for me discriminating, I remember vividly the Caucasian that I last dealt with that had bad breath, and I didn't recommend him either.

Why do people feel the need to dismiss problems like this rather than talk about it. It's bad breath for christ's sake. It's not crime rates or drug use or something like that, it's just bad breath. Why can't I get a straight answer?

 

[athithi]

BTW, your criterion for recommending candidates could very well result in missing out on some really good candidates. If he/she is really good and joins your company and works on a team, it would be a matter of one single statement from a co-worker to fix this problem of bad breath - on the other hand, you could go on hiring sweet-smelling candidates and spend eternity trying to teach them how to do their work (unless, of course, you already have enough candidates who are as good as your company needs them to be AND don't have bad breath) . So, in that regard, you could be hurting your company more than helping it in the long run.

 

[Ilmater]

Originally posted by: yllus

Originally posted by: mzkhadir
some people are fasting that is why they cannot use mouthwash or anything else to fix it.

I don't believe there's anything wrong with gargling with mouthwash or chewing a stick of gum as long as you don't swallow it for sustenance.

Furthermore, that's silly to begin with. I respect people's right to practice religion, but if your religion causes you to smell during an interview, don't blame the interviewer for dropping you from the list of candidates.

Yeah, I hadn't even considered religion, but that is ridiculous. If you stink, I'm not recommending you. If you stink because it's your religion, it's your perogative to continue to follow those beliefs and stink, but don't assume people are going to think, "Oh, he or she is probably fasting, so it's ok."

 

[Shadowknight]

Originally posted by: athithi
Fair enough. My wife just interviewed and rejected a candidate (white guy, in the context of this thread ) partly because he was stinking and this candidate would be working out of her office. Of course, he wasn't a great match for the position to begin with, but she said the stink didn't help out any. That said, most Westerners use perfumes, colognes, etc., whereas most Indians don't. And unfortunately, it shows. I don't think it is an ethnic issue or related to skin color

When I went to UNCC for my Master's, there were a ton of Indian people there. None of them had any hygeine issues except for this one guy. If you got within 5 feet of him he was RANK. He also sat next to me in one of my classes The only other guy I can remember who smelled this bad was back in college at UNCC. He was a 300 pound butter-troll who had to walk on crutches. He took a job at the student union at the information desk, was 35 years old, still lived with his mom, and was incredibly mean and obnoxious. The smell was just the icing on the cake.

 

[Ilmater]

Originally posted by: g paw
I wouldn't tell the applicants. What I'd do is schedule an appointment with the placement department, someone from the foriegn student office, and any other department dealing with helping students. Then just tell them that there are a lot of applicants that do not present themselves well and give examples including breath. Then tell them what recuiters expect and maybe give a hand out. At least part of the problem is cultural differences. E.g., if you live in a culture that eats a lot of hot spicy food, you can't get too hung up on how someone's breath smell.

This and Mr. Lebowski's suggestion (similar) are really good. Thanks. I will give this a shot.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

GOD.

Look, people, there's a reason why all the three (or four) letter abbreviations for singles ads state Sex, Face, and Marital Status.

They're the best way to describe the person.

It's not like he said something like "i didnt hire teh fobz b/c they had curry breaf lolz." Get over yourselves.

Oh, and ibmorecriesofracism.

- M4H

 

[Ilmater]

Originally posted by: AgentUnknown
If their breath smells, it smells. Doesnt matter what their ethnicity is. So dont bring up their ethnic background. I hope these people all steal your jobs that you want. That means they are more qualified and more compentent than you are. So give it up about ethnicities stealing Mr. Whiteys job.

Dude, it's as natural as Pavlov's dog salivating at the sound of a bell. By that, I mean that I'm making an obvious corrrelation (in my mind) based on what I've observed. If people that wore red ribbons had bad breath far more frequently than those that didn't wear red ribbons, I would have made the same observation. Would you then say that I was discriminating against people that like to wear red ribbons? Would you then be in here telling me I should lose my job to someone wearing a red ribbon?

Under your interpretation of this, I should stop going indoors when the sky gets cloudy because I should stop discriminating against dark clouds. It doesn't ALWAYS rain when the sky fills with dark clouds, after all. I just need to stop relating things in my mind. Maybe not all fire burns. I'm going to start touching all fires to make sure they burn. Maybe I'm discriminating against most fires because 10 or 12 of them burned me.

(I know that got ridiculous, but Unknown is being unreasonable.)

 

[homercles337]

Dont feel bad man. When i was a TA i had a student approach me with some questions/interaction (chinese & fob). She was asking me something in horrible broken english and i noticed she kept touching/messing with her, um ... ahem, private area. Being the curious guy i am i take a quick glance and her FLY is open to boot! I never did figure out if she was scratching herself with fingers through the fly or just didnt know and her fly happened to be open. Yikes! Yes, and she had bad breath and teeth.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: homercles337
Dont feel bad man. When i was a TA i had a student approach me with some questions/interaction (chinese & fob). She was asking me something in horrible broken english and i noticed she kept touching/messing with her, um ... ahem, private area. Being the curious guy i am i take a quick glance and her FLY is open to boot! I never did figure out if she was scratching herself with fingers through the fly or just didnt know and her fly happened to be open. Yikes! Yes, and she had bad breath and teeth.

So did you put the wood to her or not?

- M4H

 

[Ilmater]

Originally posted by: athithi
BTW, your criterion for recommending candidates could very well result in missing out on some really good candidates. If he/she is really good and joins your company and works on a team, it would be a matter of one single statement from a co-worker to fix this problem of bad breath - on the other hand, you could go on hiring sweet-smelling candidates and spend eternity trying to teach them how to do their work (unless, of course, you already have enough candidates who are as good as your company needs them to be AND don't have bad breath) . So, in that regard, you could be hurting your company more than helping it in the long run.

Totally understand, but I have yet to see a candidate whose only flaw was the breath. Luckily, they usually come off as generally unprepared/unorganized regardless.

 

[athithi]

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
GOD.

Look, people, there's a reason why all the three (or four) letter abbreviations for singles ads state Sex, Face, and Marital Status.

They're the best way to describe the person.

It's not like he said something like "i didnt hire teh fobz b/c they had curry breaf lolz." Get over yourselves.

Oh, and ibmorecriesofracism.

- M4H

You are comparing a singles ad to a professional resume (which usually doesn't have a photo, gender or marital status listed on it)? Unless these positions are essentially people-facing, I think those would be the last points of consideration in defining the person's candidature. They wouldn't necessarily be ignored, but they are definitely not the best way of describing a person under all circumstances. Not even close!

 

[Ilmater]

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
So did you put the wood to her or not?

- M4H

That was so wrong. Funny, but wrong.

 

[Ricochet]

The answer is simple really. These people come from culture/country where hygeine is not up to par with the United States. (In the same token, they are not as superficial either). This is especially true of people coming from underdeveloped countries. My experience is the same as yours. I often find Middle Easterners, Indians, and asians of the FOB variant to not have great hygiene.

I'm asian BTW. I even experience this among my parents' friends. It seems the older generation has not caught on to American standard. Showering, brushing, and using deoderant everyday seems unnecessary for them. You don't find the same problem with the asians that grew up in the US, though.

 

[homercles337]

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire

Originally posted by: homercles337
Dont feel bad man. When i was a TA i had a student approach me with some questions/interaction (chinese & fob). She was asking me something in horrible broken english and i noticed she kept touching/messing with her, um ... ahem, private area. Being the curious guy i am i take a quick glance and her FLY is open to boot! I never did figure out if she was scratching herself with fingers through the fly or just didnt know and her fly happened to be open. Yikes! Yes, and she had bad breath and teeth.

So did you put the wood to her or not?

- M4H

If she stuck around i would have had to learn how to say, "How bad do you want that A?" in chinese! Ah, the good ol days of grad school. I miss 'em.

 

[LS20]

Originally posted by: Ilmater

And you're still making excuses based on one's race, which is FAR too accepted these days. Listen, I'm not being mean here, I'm saying that it's possible they don't realize it or maybe don't see why it's a problem, and I'm telling you it is. As for me discriminating, I remember vividly the Caucasian that I last dealt with that had bad breath, and I didn't recommend him either.

Why do people feel the need to dismiss problems like this rather than talk about it. It's bad breath for christ's sake. It's not crime rates or drug use or something like that, it's just bad breath. Why can't I get a straight answer?

Its not about discrimination, or race, or a dismissal of problems. Its about some dumbshit who correlated breath with intelligence, and, though claiming to have recruiting experiences, dont have the capacity to deal with interpersonal issues

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: athithi
You are comparing a singles ad to a professional resume (which usually doesn't have a photo, gender or marital status listed on it)? Unless these positions are essentially people-facing, I think those would be the last points of consideration in defining the person's candidature. They wouldn't necessarily be ignored, but they are definitely not the best way of describing a person under all circumstances. Not even close!

If he were telling us how candidates with degrees from Harvard had bad breath more frequently than others, would you accuse him of being a Harvardist?

Since the core message he's trying to communicate relates to their appearance (which includes ethnicity) and the frequency with which a certain group of races and bad breath coincided, it is an important factor.

- M4H

 

[Ilmater]

Originally posted by: LS20
Its not about discrimination, or race, or a dismissal of problems. Its about some dumbshit who correlated breath with intelligence, and, though claiming to have recruiting experiences, dont have the capacity to deal with interpersonal issues

Someone wondered if I lost my job to someone with bad breath, but now I'm wondering if you don't have bad breath and are mad that people don't like it.

Listen, I never once said that I don't think these stinky people could be intelligent. In fact, I can see extremely intelligent people possibly being so involved in "thinking" that they might neglect something like personal hygene. However, I also don't hire people that might be extremely intelligent that I don't think have drive or good communication skills because I don't think they're the kind of person we're looking for. I have turned down people with 4.0 GPAs before because they don't seem to be very personable, as have others at my company. It's not just being smart that makes you a good candidate.

 

[LS20]

"Amazingly, most of these students are intelligent enough to brush their teeth, use mouthwash, or eat a breath mint before talking to a prospective employer. "

You suggest that it takes only a smattering of intelligence to maintain good hygience. Now, what is the obvious and direct implication of that statement? If my comprehension is way off-base, someone please do enroll me in remedial English. Coupled with your reverence for scholastic grades, I doubt your claim of being assigned to the position to "hire" anybody.

BTW, I smell like spring rain

 

[PlatinumGold]

Originally posted by: LS20

Originally posted by: Ilmater

And you're still making excuses based on one's race, which is FAR too accepted these days. Listen, I'm not being mean here, I'm saying that it's possible they don't realize it or maybe don't see why it's a problem, and I'm telling you it is. As for me discriminating, I remember vividly the Caucasian that I last dealt with that had bad breath, and I didn't recommend him either.

Why do people feel the need to dismiss problems like this rather than talk about it. It's bad breath for christ's sake. It's not crime rates or drug use or something like that, it's just bad breath. Why can't I get a straight answer?

Its not about discrimination, or race, or a dismissal of problems. Its about some dumbshit who correlated breath with intelligence, and, though claiming to have recruiting experiences, dont have the capacity to deal with interpersonal issues

actually, it shows the ignorance of the OP.

fact is, different cultures have DIFFERENT DIETS, leading to different odors coming from the mouths. not surprising that you don't find the odors of the mouth of someone from the same culture as yourself.

OMFG, that obviously never occurred to the OP.


btw, let's redo this whole thread and change the OP's little quote

Especially international students

to Especially black students.


hmmm, wonder what would have happened then?

 

[yllus]

Who cares if different cultures have different diets? No matter your culture, you're expected to not stink in a professional environment. Why do people seem to think that everyone should make an effort to delve into a bad-smelling person's past and ethnic heritage to justify odour? It's there or it's not, the reason is immaterial.

I would link bad hygiene to a lack of ability to perform in a job. If the guy with bad haliotosis is going to be working solo all the time, then maybe. If he has to deal with other people, as 90% of jobs will likely require him to do, then it's a valid reason to strike someone out. More to the point, if you have bad breath during an interview you don't have enough common sense to begin with. You put your best foot forward in that situation, and that includes every facet of yourself.

 

[Ilmater]

Originally posted by: LS20
"Amazingly, most of these students are intelligent enough to brush their teeth, use mouthwash, or eat a breath mint before talking to a prospective employer. "

You suggest that it takes only a smattering of intelligence to maintain good hygience. Now, what is the obvious and direct implication of that statement? If my comprehension is way off-base, someone please do enroll me in remedial English. Coupled with your reverence for scholastic grades, I doubt your claim of being assigned to the position to "hire" anybody.

BTW, I smell like spring rain

Hey genious, why don't you draw a conclusion about what I said that goes WAY beyond the context of the sentence.

To be clear, I was speaking about the laziness of the average, American college student. The word intelligent may have been a poor choice on my part, but you're the only one that actually thought I meant that people with bad breath = stupid/low IQ people. I meant that it is a good idea to think about these things (personal hygene-related issues) and that I'm surprised that they are thoughtful enough (outweighs their laziness) to make sure they're smelling good.

If nothing else, why don't you read the rest of the freaking thread where I state outright that I don't equate intelligence with breath quality. Wouldn't that make more sense in determining my feeling of stinky people than what you gleaned from a sentence?

I'm done arguing with you, you obviously have some issue with this discussion, but it doesn't change the observations of myself or those I attend career fairs with.

 

[Shortcut]

i hate how it is considered nearly taboo to tell someone their breath needs improvement. bad breath is easy to cover, and the differnce between good and bad breath can make such a huge difference in social situations!

 

[Ilmater]

Originally posted by: PlatinumGold
actually, it shows the ignorance of the OP.

fact is, different cultures have DIFFERENT DIETS, leading to different odors coming from the mouths. not surprising that you don't find the odors of the mouth of someone from the same culture as yourself.

OMFG, that obviously never occurred to the OP.

OMFG! I HAD NO IDEA!

Of course I know that. However, that doesn't explain why the overwhelming majority of Asian and Indian students don't have this problem. I understand that many will change their eating habits because of what is available here, but you can't tell me that they don't smell the difference between the breaths of the people in their home countries versus the breath of people in America. That's impossible.

What I don't know is how much they realize this is an issue for some in this country, and that's part of the reason I started this thread. I KNOW they can tell a difference, but do most believe we don't really care or are they so accustomed to it they don't think it smells that different, etc. How difficult is it for those with different eating habits to combat the smell? Maybe they are trying and just not doing enough.

Again, these are questions that I'm looking for answers for on this forum where - when people like you get offended - I don't have to see you every day or interact with you on a regular basis. I can't ask this question to someone of that origin for fear of offending them when, in my mind, this isn't an unfair observation. You disagree, I accept that, so if you're not going to help, go crap in someone else's thread.

 

[Ilmater]

Originally posted by: Shortcut
i hate how it is considered nearly taboo to tell someone their breath needs improvement. bad breath is easy to cover, and the differnce between good and bad breath can make such a huge difference in social situations!

What's funny is, it is pretty easy to counteract, and if people wouldn't get offended by such simple things, I wouldn't mind mentioning it. Fact is, you can't say this to anyone for fear of idiots like some in this thread suggesting you're a racist because you don't like a certain smell.