“It was baffling and I don’t know if concerning is the right word. It’s just really disheartening,” Mellisa Weaver tells Inside Edition.
One woman was up for a vice president position at a large tech company and had all the skills required for the position, but she did not get the job because, she says, she was not wearing makeup.
Mellisa Weaver, who was going for a human resources position, was certain she aced her interview.
“I got an email back from the recruiter saying, ‘Thank you for your time. It was great meeting you,’ but they wouldn’t be moving on with me,” Weaver tells Inside Edition.
Weaver asked the recruiter what went wrong.
“She emailed me back pretty quickly and said my skill set was exactly what they were looking for, my values aligned with those at the company but she was concerned I hadn’t put enough effort into my appearance given I was interviewing for a VP-level role,” Weaver says. “The only ‘effort’ I didn’t put in was I didn’t put effort into makeup because I don’t really wear it.”
She says she was wearing a freshly ironed collared shirt, had painted her nails a neutral color, and wore simple earrings.
Weaver shared her story on TikTok and it quickly went viral.
Career expert at the employment website Monster.com, Vicki Salemi, says she was shocked when she saw Weaver’s video.
“They’re saying she didn’t put effort into her makeup. Are they saying that to a male candidate? Are they saying that to other candidates who maybe wear make-up but not enough because it is very very subjective,” Salemi tells Inside Edition.
Weaver is still interviewing for other jobs without makeup.
“It was baffling and I don’t know if concerning is the right word. It’s just really disheartening,” Weaver says.
