How to make sure vitiligo does not affect your chances in a job interview

In the recent times, the world has become more open minded and accepting of the people with vitiligo and this skin condition is quite unlikely to hamper the job prospects anymore.

Having said that, it’s a chronic life-long skin condition and no one can remain completely immune to its psychological effects, be it the interview or the workplace. So, belief in one’s potential and professional skills will help keep the chins high and handle whatever be the situation with confidence.

Job interviews are all about the relevant skills, qualification, and personality traits of a person. It has got nothing to do with your skin color or appearance.

By that logic, vitiligo as a skin condition should not affect the job prospects of a person. In the practical life also, we can see so many of the people with vitiligo enjoying successful and rewarding corporate careers.

Still, a visible condition that affects the appearance of a person can sometimes become a hurdle in cracking the job interviews.

For instance, there are incidences where a candidate with vitiligo is not considered for a frontline position because it involves meeting new clients and the interview panel doesn’t want to take the risk of making a person with vitiligo as the face of the company.

Once a young girl with vitiligo revealed to us that she was denied the position of a customer support executive at a leading commercial bank because the customers may not feel comfortable dealing with her.

I have a high coverage of vitiligo patches on the face and I didn’t conceal them for the interview, rightly so. Within the first 5 minutes of the interview, I got the impression that they had made their minds that I was not fit for the role. I had all the required skills, a finance graduate with excellent communication skills, so as a ‘compensation’ they offered me a backend role instead which I refused owing to the overall distasteful interview experience.

Anticipating the interview rejections and problems at the workplace, sometimes, people with vitiligo give up on the career of their choice and pick a career path that doesn’t involve too much of the public interaction.

You will rarely meet a hiring manager who openly pinpoints vitiligo for rejection, but, unfortunately, the patchy skin may affect your job prospects in many ways.

Sometimes the vitiligo patches may grab too much of the interviewer’s attention that s/he would not properly focus on the ‘real’ things that matter and may end up having a poor impression of the candidate.

When you go for a job interview, you expect the people out there to have an idea about vitiligo already. After all, it’s not as neglected a condition as earlier. So, either they would ignore vitiligo altogether or may have a brief discussion about it and quickly jump to the meaningful discussion related to that job. But, if your skin condition takes the center stage and you are asked questions like ‘What’s wrong with your skin?’ or ‘How you got this skin problem?’ there is a possibility that vitiligo is going to play the spoiler and you are not going to sail through the interview.

Let’s look at some of the steps to improve your chances of interview success.

1. Brush up your work skills and plan your day ahead.

You have been called for the interview because they found your resume and work experience interesting. So don’t forget to give due attention to the real things that will actually decide your employability.

Brush up your job related skills and prepare and practice the answer to the relevant questions that may be asked in the interview. When you know that you are the best fit for the job, you feel confident from inside and there is no substitute for that. Carry all the necessary documents related to your qualification and previous work experiences to avoid the last minute rush. Also, do make the smooth travel plan to ensure you reach the place in time and make a good impression.

2. Feel good about yourself

It is so important to feel good in your skin. So whatever it takes to make you feel good comfortable and confident, does that. There is no right or wrong with that.  If you want to cover your vitiligo spots with makeup, do that. And, if you want to do a light makeup without covering the spots, go with that. It’s all about your comfort, nothing else matters because you can give your 100% only when you are comfortable in your skin without self-doubt and hesitation. Dress up in a way that makes you feel confident and suits the job profile and company. 

Mariah Perkins, a professional and dancer revealed that during her graduation, she was doing a part time job and she would wear makeup and conceal the spots. Gradually, as her confidence and self-acceptance grew, she stopped covering the spots.

3. Be prepared for some ‘uncomfortable’ questions

If the spots are on your visible body areas, you may be asked about at it some point of time during the interview. So, do give a brief yet easy to understand explanation, emphasizing that vitiligo is not contagious. It should be enough to brush aside any doubts or worries in the interviewer’s mind.

4. Feel nervous? Rationalize your doubts and counter them with stress busters

It’s obvious to feel a bit stressed and anxious before the interview but aggravating the things out of proportion is not going to help you.

After all, it’s just an interview and if we assume for a minute that you don’t make it, so what? There are many more opportunities waiting for you in the near future.

So do release the tension and performance pressure by practicing any of the proven stress busters such as yoga, meditation, positive self-talk and guided imagery.

Talking to your family or friends before the interview is also a very effective tool to help calm down the senses and release the nervousness.

Taking a deep, relaxing sleep is a natural antidote to the flared up emotions. Also, it will help you remain alert and focussed to give you a decent shot during the interview.