We’ve all heard the stories about how pretty people have it easy: babies
smile more around good-looking parents; handsome kids get better grades
and jobs, and earn more money; the list goes on. Still, we’d probably
all like to think that we’ve earned our jobs on merit alone—and that, in
this economy, it’s our skill that will get us back in the game. But if
you believe the results of two new NEWSWEEK Polls, you’d better think
again—because in the current job market, paying attention to your looks
isn’t just about vanity, it’s about economic survival. Job candidates
have always been counseled to dress up for interviews. But our surveys
suggest managers are looking beyond wardrobe and evaluating how
"physically attractive" applicants are.
NEWSWEEK conducted an online survey of 202 corporate hiring managers, from human-resource employees to senior-level VPs, as well as a telephone survey
of a nationally representative sample of 964 members of the public,
only to confirm what no qualified (or unqualified) employee wants to
admit: that in all elements of the workplace, from hiring to politics to
promotions, even, looks matter, and they matter hard. The eight most
interesting revelations:
1. Just Admit It: Looks Do Matter at Work
When it comes to getting hired in the first place,
57 percent of managers believe an unattractive (but qualified) job
candidate will have a harder time getting hired; 68 percent believe
that, once hired, looks will continue to affect the way managers rate
job performance. It’s a view that’s reinforced among survey respondents
from the general public, a third of whom are either retired or looking
for work themselves: 63 percent said being physically attractive is
beneficial to men who are looking for work, and 72 percent said it was
an advantage for women.
2. Looks Matter More Than Education, Apparently
3. Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is. (We Suppose That Could Be Taken Literally.)
Fifty-nine percent of hiring managers advised
spending as much time and money “making sure they look attractive” as on
perfecting a resume. Botox, anyone?
4. Yes, We Knew This: It’s Worse for Women
Most news junkies have probably heard the story of
Debrahlee Lorenzana, the Queens woman who sued Citibank last month,
alleging she was fired for being “too hot.” Whether or not there’s any
validity to the woman’s case, women in the workplace are often faced
with a double bind: they are expected to be sexy but can be punished for
being too attractive. Sixty-one percent of the hiring managers we
surveyed—60 percent of whom were men—said they believe a woman would
benefit from wearing clothing that shows off her figure at work.
Meanwhile, 47 percent of those same managers said they believe some
women are penalized for being too good-looking in the office. As a
whole, women are perceived to benefit more from their looks: 39 percent
of managers believe that being “very good-looking” is more of an
advantage for women than men, while only 16 percent believe the
opposite—that it’s more beneficial to men than to women. (Is anybody
surprised?)
5. We Hate Fat People—Even Though Most of Us Are Fat
Almost 75 percent of Americans may be overweight, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control,
yet the fact remains that we discriminate against fat people at work
and in life. Two thirds of business managers said they believe some
managers would hesitate before hiring a qualified job candidate who was
significantly overweight.
6. We Also Dislike Old People
Eighty-four percent of managers said they believe
some bosses would hesitate before hiring a qualified job candidate who
looked much older than his or her co-workers.
7. And Apparently We Think ‘Lookism’ Is OK. (In Certain Situations.)
Sixty-four percent of hiring managers said they
believe companies should be allowed to hire people based on looks—when a
job requires an employee to be the “face” of a company at retail stores
or in sales. But here’s the contradiction: 60 percent of them also said
they believe most Americans would favor a law making it illegal to
discriminate in hiring based on looks. The reality is more evenly split:
46 percent of the public said they would favor a law making hiring
discrimination based on appearance illegal.
8. Don’t Throw Yourself Off the Balcony Yet—Confidence Is Important, Too!
Confidence—and experience, of course—can still go a
long way when it comes to succeeding at work. Remember, both ranked
first and second on a list of the most important employee attributes.
Beauty bias notwithstanding, there are still opportunities for people
who aren’t hotties—and lots of them.
