A few weeks ago, I agreed to meet a “friend of a friend” who was looking for employment. As I shook the person’s hand, I noticed he reeked of smoke. I immediately wrote him off as a “do not hire” and feigned interest for the remainder of our 30-minute conversation.

Wondering if I was being too judgmental about his smoking habit, I decided to poll a group of business people about this topic. I posted the following question on several LinkedIn group discussion forums:

“Would you hire asmoker for a customer- facing position such as sales or account management?”

Someone immediately sent me a private note suggesting that I should seek psychological help for asking such a stupid question.  I made a mental note to do so.

As expected, smoking is a very polarizing subject for business professionals. Respondents were very strong in their beliefs – either adamantly no or yes.

Over ninety percent WOULD NOT HIRE a smoker, offering reasons such as:

• “Smoking is not socially acceptable”
• "There is no way to get rid of the smell
• "Smokers are bad for business (more sick days,higher insurance premiums, smoke breaks during work hours, etc.)"

The ten percent who WOULD HIRE a smoker were just as blunt with their comments:

•  “I find it absurd and offensive not to hire aperson because of a habit”
• "Hire the best person for the job. There is no difference in ability between smokers and non-smokers.”
• "Smoking is totally acceptable in our country (UK)”

Some of the most vocal WOULD NOT HIRE people were current smokers. Apparently, they see smoking as a barrier to personal and professional acceptance.

A few attorneys joined the discussion to warn people that refusing to hire a smoker could be deemed discriminatory.  Where would we be without the lawyers?

My bottom line – Most people (in the USA) do not smoke and are turned off by people who do. Smoking is a choice – one that could become hazardous to your career.