Attractiveness is what the majority of people deem as being physically desirable. There is a stereotype in the society that what is considered beautiful is good. When it comes to employment, attractiveness plays an essential role as attractive people are seen as they possess positive traits. Attractive people find it easier to establish trust and create networks because people perceive them positively. The objective of this essay is to establish the role attractiveness plays in determining employment.
Perception
Attractive people are seen as more friendly, successful, and happier than unattractive people. The bias exhibits itself in areas such as when people evaluate other people. This bias has been proven in areas such as when teachers judge students, voter preferences for candidates, and even in jury trials. In an interview, the interviewers are most likely to judge candidates who are more attractive positively. In Israel, where people attach a photo to their resume. 19% of attractive males get a call back compared to 13% of plain-looking males. This only worked for men as plain-looking females were called back more times than beautiful females in the same study (Associates, 2010) .
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Attractive Jealousy
In the Israel study, where beautiful females did not get a favorable call, 24 out of 25 organization, the person in charge of the hiring and CV, was a female resource manager. This shows that when the person evaluating the callbacks, there is a type of attraction jealousy where more attractive people are locked out by the members of the same sex.
The halo effects
There is a term used by sociologists called the halo effect. This is the cognitive assumption that if an individual look good, they are good people. Research has shown after employment, and attractive people are paid more than unattractive people. In the United States and Canada, attractive people earn 12 to 14% more than unattractive people. The same study showed that if an interviewer is unappealing, there is a chance that attractive applicants will receive fewer job offers than plain-looking people.
Research has shown that men are likely to agree to unfavorable terms in the workplace if the woman asking is more attractive. There seems to be a bargaining power that attractive people hold over plain-looking people. They find it easier to get people to agree to their terms (Shahani-Denning, 2009) .
Attractive people tend to be more confident and have better social skills that are suited to pass an interview. This can be used to explain why beautiful people quickly get a job when they are called back for an interview. Down the line, attractive people seem to have some bargaining power. They get better pay rises, and when they get to top positions, they find it easier to get people to buy into their ideas and organize them (Morrow, 2006) .
Conclusion
Physical attraction is one of the factors that determine individual employability. Human beings tend to form an opinion about an individual based on the way they look. This is a cognitive bias because no one does I consciously. When people in charge of employment are less attractive, then attractive people are less likely to be hired. Women tend to look down on attractive women as there is a sort of attractiveness jealousy that exists. Being attractive is better for employment chances for men.
Work cited
Associates, A. (2010). Are good-looking people more employable? Ben-Gurion University of the Negev .
Morrow, P. C. (2006). Physical Attractiveness and Selection Decision making. Journal of Management .
Shahani-Denning, C. (2009). Physical Attractiveness Bias in Hiring: What Is Beautiful Is Good. Psychology Today .
