Social experiment claims good looks help in getting a job

MANILA, Philippines - A social experiment made by a personal care company has shown that recruitment managers would prefer the good-looking candidate over another who has the same qualifications but less attractive looks.

According to Vaseline Men, a video of this social experiment has gone viral on the Internet and has "sparked debates on whether looks matter in landing a job."

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

Three unsuspecting recruitment managers interviewed him in a room with four hidden cames, capturing everyone's natural reaction.

After deliberating, the recruitment managers unanimously chose the “pogi” candidate over the less attractive one, proving that when all else is equal, looking good and being confident can make a big impact in an interview and can spell the difference in securing a job.

John Robert Powers Manila curriculum director Archie Geneta suggests that the outcome was not surprising because it is a proven fact that one’s appearance and confidence does affect the chances of landing a job.

Geneta said good looks exude confidence and enhances one's chances of getting a call back from employers because that is what makes memorable impressions.

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

The conclusion of the experiment reiterates the findings of a study, “Searching for a Job is a Beauty Contest,” conducted by Italian researchers from the University of Messina in 2013 that physical appearance plays a crucial part in the hiring process. They sent out resumes for job vacancies, with some bearing attractive headshots, while the others don’t. The results of the study which were featured in the New York Daily News and Business Insider revealed that handsome men had a 54-percent callback rate compared to seven percent of the less attractive ones.

Two separate studies conducted by researchers from the University of Sydney Business School and University of Houston tested out the same theory in their respective regions and still arrived with the conclusion that appearance is a crucial factor when applying for jobs. Statistics imply that good looking candidates have a higher success rate in getting interview callbacks from prospective employers, regardless of the varied nature of employment in every country.

In the Philippines, an uptrend of enrollment in personality development schools has been observed, signifying an increase in awareness of the advantages of having good grooming and a pleasing appearance and behavior.

“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, in an effort to get noticed by employers,” Geneta said.

The Vaseline Men social experiment confirms what experts have found out in previous studies: hiring practices are influenced by the attractiveness of interviewees.