A Presentable
Graduate
For
many of us, graduation time is coming closer. During our university
years, we gain information, become expert in a field, benefit from the
facilities that our university offers us and perhaps participate in
sports or the arts. Let's move the clock forward to June. Now you have
your own diploma that proves you're a university graduate. You've come
a long way from primary school to now. There's a new life waiting for
you, and it's time to start looking for a job. If you don't have any
useful business contacts and aren't starting your own company, you
need to check the employment ads in the newspapers. But your diploma
may not be that useful by itself, even with the addition of the
activities and certificates listed on your CV. As you start looking at
the ads, don’t be surprised to see a phrase like this: “We are
looking for presentable people.”
What
does presentable mean? Most people I asked say that it means being
good-looking and well-dressed. But isn't being presentable a
subjective idea? Some people may like those with pink hair and grunge
outfits. Or, do all people agree that presentable means the same
thing? Well, that would be a surprise to me! This magic word is
defined in the dictionary as "attractive and tidy enough to be
seen by other people."* The term is not exclusive to business
employment advertisements in our own country--it's also used globally
in such ads. However, the whole world might be making a mistake in
terms of the way it defines what types of people are acceptable.
In the
21st century, there seems to be an effort to make all of us look the
same way. But, is what I look like what I really am, or is it totally
different? A well-dressed, clean-shaven man with nice hair can still
be a murderer. A grungy, dirty-looking person can be a genius. I
wonder if people can see this difference, and realize that appearance
may be a kind of mask. Or, let's just assume that you're well-dressed
but are not attractive at all. You'll be told, “We'll call you.”
(In other words, "Sorry, you're not presentable enough, even in
an expensive suit.")
Okay,
let's say that being presentable is no problem--you're a beautiful/
handsome and well-dressed person. Have you ever thought about what
might urge people to use this word in employment ads? Do they need to
have beautiful people in their offices? In fact, wouldn't it more
likely be a distraction if someone like Ashton Kutcher or Liv Tyler
walked into your office or worked on the same project as you? Or, even
if this wouldn't be a distraction, think about what it would be like
if your office were like a modeling agency and you had to be
presentable every day.
It
would mean a lot of work--getting up earlier in the morning to be
pretty like your colleagues, and checking out your makeup and hair
every five minutes.I don’t like to see this word in employment ads.
After all, no one goes to job interviews with dirty hair, in their
pajamas. If you're serious about the job you're applying for, you'll
show it. I don’t want to feel like I'm locked in a cage, to be seen
as merely attractive in order to serve as the face of the company.
That would be a presentable monkey in a cage, not a presentable and
talented university graduate.
*Longman
Dictionary
Gülay Acar (COMD/III)
howtoreachgulay@yahoo.com
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