Good looking men: Here's why you may not land sales job

It’s widely accepted that good looks can increase one’s chances of success. Previous research implies that, as trivial as it may sound, personal appearances do influences decisions around hiring and promotion.

However, a new study contradicts that notion and suggests that good looks can hamper your chances of landing a job when it comes to competitive roles. 

According to new research from UCL School of Management, handsome men may be rejected for competitive jobs but they are preferred for roles that require cooperation.

Assistant Professor Sun Young Lee at the institute found that handsome men are seen as more competent, so managers in collaborative workplaces such as R&D departments hire good-looking male candidates over less good-looking ones.

Similarly, in workplaces with rewards for team performance, a decision maker prefers handsome male employees, as they help further their own success.

It’s a different story when it comes to competitive roles such as sales departments. The logic behind this reasoning is that good looks signalling competence can make handsome men seem threatening to future colleagues. “If decision makers expect to compete, they would rather discriminate against them,” says the author of the study.

Dr. Lee along with her co-authors from the University of Maryland, London Business School, and Insead, didn’t find the same effect for pretty women.

“Female attractiveness wasn’t associated with competence. She believes it’s because physical stereotypes interact with gender stereotypes.

“Managers are affected by stereotypes and make hiring decisions to serve their own self-interests so organizations may not get the most competent candidates,” said Dr. Lee.

“With more companies involving employees in recruitment processes, this important point needs attention. Awareness that hiring is affected by potential work relationships and stereotyping tendencies can help organizations improve their selection processes.

“For example, engaging external representatives may improve selection outcomes as outsiders are likely to provide fairer inputs. Also, if organisations make managers more accountable for their decisions, they’ll be less motivated to pursue self-interests at the expense of the company.”

(Image via Shutterstock)

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