Does Age or Appearance Impact Career Growth for Women in HR? Let's Discuss!

Respected Sir/Madam, Recently, I was discussing the scope of HR with one of my friends. During our discussion, a question arose that I would like to share with you: "Does the age or physical appearance of any female employee affect the growth of her career in HR?"

Hierarchy of Designations in Human Resources

Additionally, if possible, could you please provide a brief explanation of the hierarchy of designations that the Human Resources department follows? Please do revert. I shall be thankful to you.

Regards

Yes, it does in some sectors like marketing, sales, hospitality industries, air hostess, etc.

Regards,
Pon

I don't think age can be a deterrent factor in HR jobs. It would rather indicate a person's sensibilities and experience. Physical appearance is also not an indicator of a good HR professional. But yes, ideally, it's expected from them to be smart, energetic, and have good interpersonal skills.

Hierarchy in HR

Hierarchy depends on organizational structures. It could be as follows, for example: HR Coordinator ➔ HR Executive ➔ Assistant Manager ➔ Manager ➔ Sr. Manager ➔ Assistant Vice President ➔ VP-HR

In my opinion, in some industries like retail, marketing, finance, and service industries, they prefer good-looking individuals and young professionals. Appearance should not matter, but some service industries give preference to a pleasing personality and good-looking individuals.

Hierarchy of Designations

The hierarchy of designations depends on the organization. However, the general structure can be as follows:
- Associate / Assistant / Jr. Officer
- Executive / Officer
- Sr. Executive / Sr. Officer
- Asst. Manager
- Dy. Manager
- Sr. Manager
- AGM / Dy. GM
- General Manager
- AVP
- VP
- Sr. VP
- Director

Thank you.

In my view:

There is no denying the fact that gender and appearance do play a role in the selection process of a candidate. When considering the influence of appearance and gender in HR, it is more to do with the organization's policy, the average age/population of the organization, and the mindset of the recruiting person. A younger organization like call centers would prefer a younger and smart HR professional, whereas a more mature organization like a manufacturing setup would prefer a middle-aged person. In the long run, it is only the quality of the candidate that will determine the growth of a professional.

Regarding the Aspect of Structure or Hierarchy

There is no defined hierarchy. The hierarchy will be based on the type of organization and the strength (headcount) of the organization. For example, if the organization is a manufacturing setup with maybe 100 employees, then there would not be a chain of HR members, maybe an assistant and a manager who would be reporting to the Operations head. On the other hand, if it is a service industry with a similar headcount, then you may have 4-5 people in HR at various levels of the hierarchy.

Regards,
Preetam Deshpande

Well, age and physical appearance do matter, at least in the initial stages of a career. When one reaches the pinnacle of their career, establishes, and carves a niche for oneself, age does not matter, and consequently, physical appearance also does not matter much. We can find numerous examples of women in the corporate world who have reached great heights.