New research has suggested that a person is judged to have either ‘softer’ or ‘harder’ workplace personality traits depending on how attractive they are.

Our survey discovered that during a job interview, an attractive person is more likely to be perceived as having ‘harder’ leadership qualities such as ambition, confidence and intelligence, and a less attractive person is more likely to be assigned ‘softer’ team-player abilities such as being ‘hardworking’ and ‘trustworthy’.

Survey participants were told to imagine they were interviewing job candidates and to choose one person, from a series of paired headshots that contained a more and a less attractive person of the same gender, that they thought best suited a series of work-related personality traits.

When asked who was more ambitious, 64% chose the more attractive person over the less attractive person; 74% selected the more attractive headshot as the more intelligent person, and three-quarters (75%) said the more attractive person was the more confident of the pair.

the beauty bias in action

Michael Saul, the head of Cosmetic Surgery Solicitors, said, “Based on the results from our survey, it is clear to see how job candidates are at risk of beauty bias during an interview process due to preconceived notions of what an intelligent or a hardworking individual looks like. It is therefore easy to understand why many people turn to cosmetic procedures, and potentially put their health at risk, in order to try and conform to societal ideals and improve their career prospects.”

The headshots were paired together based on the results from a previous survey for Cosmetic Surgery Solicitors where participants were shown a series of headshots and asked to arrange them in order of attractiveness.

One respondent said, “People are quicker to like attractive people and presume they are more intelligent so, therefore, better at their job.”

Another said, “I think people judged as more attractive are given the edge when companies are recruiting as they are felt to take more pride in their appearance and there is a belief (rightly or wrongly) that this applies to their work ethic too.”

trustworthy and hardworking

By comparison, when asked to select who was the more trustworthy, 68% of participants voted for the less attractive person in the pair. When asked who was more hardworking, 68% selected the less attractive person, and three-quarters (75%) selected the less attractive person as someone they’d prefer to work with as part of a team.

One respondent said, “Beautiful women struggle to fit into a female team due to intimidation.”

Another said, “I’ve seen it happen where people didn’t hire the prettier candidate because she had less to gain from the job and the ‘weirder’ one would be more loyal.”

Mr Saul added, “Good looks don’t always help an individual improve their career prospects, and can sometimes become more of a hindrance than an asset depending on the type of position they are interviewing for. I’d advise anyone considering a cosmetic procedure to first fully consider the impact surgery may have on all the different areas of their life.”

how we can help

If you decided to undergo a cosmetic surgery or procedure that then went wrong due to medical negligence, you may be able to make a claim for compensation.

Find out how we can help you today on a no win, no fee basis - get in touch by calling freephone on 0808 256 9318 or complete our online enquiry form to request a call back.