No laughing matter: Jobs where teeth are your CV

Youths seeking to join the armed forces are undertaken through various checks. [Antony Gitonga, Standard]

You will never secure jobs in the military, the police service or in hospitality industry if you spot dental deformities, including broken, discoloured, crooked or chipped teeth. Teeth are the first thing recruiters for careers in the disciplined forces check, and if the teeth are coloured, then you are categorised alongside those with syphilis and gonorrhoea, diabetes and high blood pressure, who are basically not eligible.

It is also not a laughing matter if you have brown teeth during an interview for a job as a waiting staff or receptionist in a hotel. Other jobs where teeth matter includes acting, modelling, air stewards and hostesses, anchoring TV broadcasts and other careers pegged on ‘customer facing’. Think bank tellers and salespeople, PR and advertising.