Forget the CV – beauty is what employers look for

WHEN applying for a job, most of us hone our CVs and practise our interview skills.

But it might make more sense to spend that time hunting for beauty tips.

That’s because scientists have found that attractive workers are more likely to land the job – and get a higher salary.

They also say that good-looking people receive better performance reviews at work. But the researchers claim this is down to more than just a ‘beauty premium’ – it is also due to how attractive people carry themselves.

Beautiful people develop traits as a result of how others respond to their looks, researchers said, meaning they are better able to improve non-verbal communication skills such as presence. However, researchers found that less attractive people were able to make up for lack of presence by using strong body language – for example, by placing hands on hips or holding the chin up.

For the study, by a team at the University of Buffalo in New York, two evaluations were made of 300 participants in a mock job search who were asked to pitch themselves to a potential employer. Study author Professor Min-Hsuan Tu whose research was published in the journal Personnel Psychology, said: ‘Power posing is not the only solution – anything that can make you feel more powerful, like doing a confidence self-talk, visualising yourself succeeding, or reflecting on past accomplishments before a social evaluation situation can also help.’