Looks do matters - Employers give more importance to ‘lookness’ than qualifications

A new study has revealed that employers give more importance to ‘lookness’ than qualifications and job experience while hiring a candidate for a job. Though recruitment based on appearance is nothing new but the practice is becoming more explicit.


How a candidate looks, dresses and speaks, are all part of the “lookness” that employers are using to determine who gets the job. Unfortunately, there is not much that candidates can do if they feel discriminated.


Professor Chris Warhurst, an expert in employment studies from the University of Sydney said that people “perceived to be better looking” were up to five times more likely to be hired over others.


They had better careers and could earn up to 16 pc more than others doing the same job. He further added that physical appearance also influenced perceptions of job competence and performance, among men and women.
With 30 pc of the Australian workforce considered over-qualified, employers are looking at “soft skills” such as appearance to help decide who gets the job, Warhurst said. “The degree might get you to the interview but having good soft skills will get you the job,” The Courier Mail quoted him as saying.

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