A new study published in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences finds that the attractiveness of interviewees can significantly bias outcome in hiring practices, showing a clear distinction between the attractive and average looking interviewees in terms of high and low status job packages offered.
“When someone is viewed as attractive, they are often assumed to have a number of positive social traits and greater intelligence,” say Carl Senior and Michael J.R. Butler, authors of the study. “This is known as the ‘halo effect’ and it has previously been shown to affect the outcome of job interviews.” The study explored the influence of the halo effect in a mock job negotiation scenario where male and female interviewers were shown pictures of attractive or average looking male and female job applicants.
Female interviewers were found to allocate attractive looking male interviewees more high status job packages than the average looking men. Female interviewers also gave more high status job packages to attractive men than to attractive women. Average looking men also received more low status job packages than average looking women. Male interviewers did not differ in the number of high or low status job packages that were given to attractive looking interviewees of either sex, though the male interviewers gave out more low status job packages overall, irrespective of the sex of the interviewee.
However, the male interviewers were not entirely without bias. The electrodermal response (EDR), a psycho-physiological response measured when emotions are used to make a preferential decision, of the interviewers was measured. When emotions are used to make a preferential decision, it is thought that the anticipatory EDR level increases. There was a highly significant increase in the anticipatory EDR when the male interviewers assigned the low status job packages to the attractive female candidates. The fact that this difference only occurred when assigning low status job packages ensures that the effect could not have been driven by interpersonal attraction, but rather by emotion. Female interviewers did not exhibit any significant EDR differences, suggesting their bias occurs on a cognitive level.
This study is the first application of EDR to examine the influential role of beauty, status and sex during job negotiations. “From a business point-of-view, there is a need for leaders/managers to be aware of their assumptions in decision-making processes, be they strategic or operational, and that they may be prone to emotion and bias,” say the authors.
From http://www.blackwellpublishing.com
Yes things get better. It definitely helps to have the opposite sex interview you if you are good looking and handsome when interviewed!!
I do notice a trend in my industry; the people on top are very “pretty”, but no more qualified then many of the people I work with. In fact, I’d say some might be less, but still, they are met with less resistance, or so it seems to me, then their colleagues, who are obviously more physically challenged. It’s a spartan world out there I suppose; and the “normals” are tossed over the cliff.
It’s amazing how many of these ‘studies’ always eerily parallel Nazi ideology and white supremacist beliefs. A great deal of these so called researchers secretly hold biased views. Especially in the area of gender and race. As for gender I mean anti-male. Most ‘research’ these days focuses on degrading men on all levels.
Humans are the worse species on Earth. I can’t wait till they are all gone.
So damn agree! Amazing how humans are misbegotten.
yea ofcourse looks play some part in job interviews. The way you present yourself will be what the employer first judges you on. As humans we are to some extent shallow, its not the only thing we look for but humans are very visual. Although if i was hiring I wouldn’t be focussed on good looks but more the way the person dressed for the interview, it shows how much you value the position and if you are professional or not.
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Well I’m just glad I’m good looking. With good looks comes confidence and with confidence comes charisma. No matter how difficult the job it can be learned by almost anyone (repition/practice makes perfect), it is the above qualities that are valued.
I wonder if this same technique can be used to determine how race plays a role in hiring…you know it will. Let’s just be honest, some people just get things because they happen to be something that they have had very little control over, yet get to reap the rewards of such. Then they want to act as if they’ve busted their ass their whole life…some probably have worked hard, the rest have been able to coast it.
i can agree with this article a little bit..i know one guy who was hired because the girl hiring thought he was hot..!! lol….he is i have to admit…but i don’t think he knows he got it because of his looks…
If this study was done with people of similar outgoing confident personalities along with the same qualifications but the only difference between them was their level of attractiveness i would like to see the outcome.