74. Should Women Wear Engagement Rings To Interviews?

In a recent article posted on the Huffington Post, Katherine Bindley posted the question...Should Women Wear Engagement Rings To Interviews? 

I questioned this immediately. Are we to be ashamed of the beautiful rings our partners worked and paid for only to be judged by others? How rude. I love my diamond engagement ring and can't imagine taking it off. I would be livid to find out I didn't get a job based on the ring I know my husband worked his ass off to buy me.

In the first part of this article it mentions a post on UrbanBaby - and to be quite honest...the post sounds like a bitch.

I've been a hiring manager for over 5 years, and this is a PSA. Ladies, when you go in for an interview, please remove your giant diamond rings. Please. Many people out there do not share your aesthetics or your cultural values, and the diamond carries a huge stigma for many many individuals. I work at a non-profit, and when I interview someone who is sporting a huge diamond, I immediately deduct points from that person. I talked about this with some of my colleagues today, and they feel the same way. It's just an unnecessary risk when you interview. Diamonds are offensive to many many people, so don't risk it, leave the ring at home.

 This post caught me as incredibly offensive -- not only does this woman sound bitter...she sounds harsh and judgmental. Certainly not the person you want interviewing you.

When you read on in the comments the "OP" or "original poster" says: Our work deals with women and children in Africa, a good portion of whom suffered greatly due to the diamond trade in that region. Somebody who comes to the interview wearing a diamond is clearly unaware of the issues and is not a good fit for our organization or the position. 

Clearly this is something to be stated initially in your rantings.

My favorite response is: So then you must ask all your male candidates if they purchase diamonds for their wives/girlfriends, right? Because as part of an organization focused on women and children you would NEVER want to be involved in any kind of gender-based, discriminatory hiring.

Snap.


Now, I understand that in this situation...it makes total sense. But it makes me wonder...do people judge based on your engagement ring? Every single time a couple gets engaged the first thing the girl's friends do is "let me see the ring" and after casting judging they generally look at the guy and go "good job."

Would you ever take off your engagement ring for any circumstance? Let's hear what you think both about the poster on UrbanBaby and the article on Huffington Post.