Good looks up chances of getting hired, experiment shows

MANILA, Philippines - Age and diploma matter, but are looks also essential in finding a job?

Though no employer will admit it, good looks and confidence really do matter when one is applying for employment.

A video of a social experiment that has gone viral indicated that searching for a job is like a beauty contest that puts importance on good looks aside from skills and intelligence.

In the experiment, an actor played the role of two job applicants applying for the same job with the same qualifications and credentials, but with a different appearance – one was well-groomed while the other was not.

Three recruitment managers interviewed him in a room with four hidden cameras. After deliberations, the recruitment managers unanimously chose the good-looking applicant over the not so good-looking one.

No local study

Acting labor Chief Ciriaco Lagunzad III said the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has not undertaken any study to prove that good looks are an advantage in applying for employment.

But Lagunzad said that DOLE has been advising job applicants to prepare a good resumé and observe good grooming so they could better qualify for the jobs they are applying for.

“It is not really a company policy, but it is a subliminal process that employers would choose a job applicant with a good disposition and has confidence,” he said.

“I have also read studies indicating that decision-making of people is influenced by certain features,” he added.

Lagunzad said DOLE has not received any complaint concerning a job applicant who was rejected because of his looks.

According to him, a law needs to be enacted to prevent employers from discriminating against job applicants because of their looks.

Based on the Vaseline Men social experiment, hiring practices are influenced by the attractiveness of interviewees, thus job seekers will have to work on having well-groomed, clean and acne-free skin to get the job they want.

Appearance crucial for jobseekers

Two separate studies conducted by researchers from the University of Sydney Business School and University of Houston arrived at the same conclusion – that appearance is a crucial factor when applying for a job.

Statistics imply that good-looking applicants have a higher success rate in getting interview callbacks from prospective employers.

A 22-year-old commerce graduate, who requested anonymity, told The STAR that he failed to get the position he was applying for in a commercial bank apparently due to his “not so clean appearance.” 

He eventually became a call center agent. But it still took him months after his graduation to get the job.

Archie Geneta, John Robert Powers Manila curriculum director, said he was not surprised with the outcome of the experiment and the studies because it is a fact that one’s appearance and confidence affect the chances of landing a job.

“Leveraging on credentials is a given, but physical and social attractiveness have social benefits that an employer would want to take advantage of,” he said.

Geneta said this is the reason why there is an uptrend of enrollment in personality development schools.

“We cannot disregard the fact that good-looking people get paid closer attention. So, more Filipinos are starting to build up on their looks and personality – apart from their resumes – to get noticed by employers,” Geneta said.