It turns out that interviewers are more likely to hire people with whom they can see themselves becoming friends . And people who are friends tend to be of the same race, gender, and yes, marital status. Granted, I’ve been interviewed by people of every make and model, but the fact that this marriage question kept popping up led me to believe that some employers were viewing my single, childless state as an odd element that they didn’t want in their offices. Was I just focusing on something easy to obsess over? Maybe? But I can’t imagine a hiring manager asking an 18-year-old applicant about her family life. There was no way for me to alter my gender, race, age, or height. My marital status seemed like the one variable that I could control. And there’s nothing like a growing pile of bills to motivate you to find ways to win a game whose rules you did not create. I thought the ring might make me seem a bit more mature, more hireable, more what employers were looking for.