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Women: Looking For a Job Interview? Better Not Be Too Good-Looking

By HERWriter Guide
 
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Well no wonder you and I can’t get work! We’re too beautiful!

On a more serious note, a study from the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel has some interesting findings when it comes to the levels of success that good-looking people have when it comes to getting a job, or even an interview. It’s common to send a picture along with a resume in Israel so researchers sent resumes from two people to each employer. One person’s resume included his or her picture, one did not. A panel of eight men and women had been chosen to look over the photos of hundreds of students and ranked them in terms of their rates of attractiveness.

The companies chosen (2,600 of them) all had real job openings so over 5,000 resumes were sent in. For men, 20 percent of the "good-looking" ones got an interview, whereas the “not so good-looking” ones were at 13.7 percent. Men who sent in no photo at all scored at 9 percent in terms of scoring an interview. A very interesting finding is that a good looking male needed to send out five resumes before being called, and a plain man had to send out a whopping eleven.

For women it was a different story. Applicants who sent no photos had a 16.6 percent success rate in getting a call, which was the highest response for women. For women who sent photos, “plain” woman received a call 13.6 percent of the time, and the good-looking ones came in last at 12.8 percent. Twice the amount of “plain” women got interviews than the good-looking ones, when resumes were sent directly to the company. There was no difference when going through agencies.

At the end of the study, researchers contacted the hiring companies to find out who in the company was sorting resumes and choosing the candidates for interviews. The majority of the people were young females. Hence researchers believe this explains why good looking men (potential romantic partners) were chosen and good looking women (potential romantic rivals) were not.

Essentially this study is saying that women sabotage other women when it comes to careers.

Another troubling finding was that employers were impressed when a man sent his photo with his resume. To them, it showed strength and confidence. But when a woman did the same, employers found her to be showing off, or using her looks to get a job.

The general thought about good-looking women is that they have life (and work) a little easier. This study may cause some to stop and think before jumping on that train of thought.

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What do you make of this study? Do you feel you have been treated differently, due to your looks? Tell us about it!

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EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

Yes Anonymous, but wouldn't that still count as sabotaging women they perceive to be better looking than themselves?

December 6, 2010 - 1:13pm

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EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

Ms. Cody misses the point: women are not sabotaging 'women.' This has nothing to do with femanism and everything to do with biology. These women are looking out for their own evolutionary advantage, and thus, favoring plain to good looking women. Nothing shocking about that.

December 2, 2010 - 1:06am

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We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.