Hey good looking, avoid applying for low-paid jobs

WHEN it comes to securing a coveted job, it has often been suggested physical attractiveness may be a factor.

But being good looking could be a liability for those in search of less sought after jobs, research suggests.

London Business School carried out experiments involving students looking for work and managers looking to hire. Managers were shown profiles of candidates with photographs.

Results showed they were significantly less likely to hire the attractive candidate for a less desirable job and more likely to hire them for the desirable one.

Jobs described as less desirable included warehouse worker, housekeeper and customer service worker. Manager, project director or IT intern were described as more desirable.

Margaret Lee, a psychologist who led the study, said: “We found participants perceived attractive individuals to feel more entitled to good outcomes than unattractive individuals, and that attractive individuals were predicted to be less satisfied with an undesirable job than an unattractive person.”

Ms Lee said the findings were surprising because previous research suggested attractive candidates were offered work no matter the position.

The research was published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.