[Recruitment officers' attitude toward smoking habits of applicants]

This study sought to determine the implications of smoking cessation/prevention policy in college students.

We conducted an internet survey to investigate the attitude of recruitment officers in a company concerning acceptance evaluation and smoking of applicants.

Among 838 respondents, more than one-half had unfavorable impressions when they saw new employees or college students smoking. Among the respondents, 3.7% answered that their companies had already introduced the policy of considering smoking status during acceptance evaluation to be acceptance policies, and 14.3% answered that this introduction is under consideration. Among the remaining 687 respondents, 7.6% answered that it can be included in the acceptance policies in the future and 45.7% answered it will not be included in the policies but can be considered during acceptance evaluation itself. Regarding their personal impression, 30% have experienced the case in which smoking status might have affected acceptance and 48.7% answered that it might affect acceptance in the future.

Our study clarified that smoking status affected acceptance evaluation by recruitment officers in not a little cases although smoking status is not included in formal acceptance policies. Considering that there are only a few countermeasures for smoking among college students, job hunting activities can be a good opportunity for smoking cessation/prevention among them in collaboration with companies, colleges, and policy makers.