Does my physical attractiveness get me a job??

I don't think, for any job not relating to modeling, etc., that one's looks will make or break their chances of getting a job. Sure, they have to dress professionally and show that they care about their appearance, but a person who is physically attractive but cannot do well in an interview and does not perform well under stress will not get a job over a talented person who may not be physically attractive.

I think that for most jobs all that employers look at is how well the person would do at it and if they are qualified to be doing that job. This used to be a big deal but over the years things have changed. It would be interesting to know if looks play a role at all anymore.

I think it really depends on the type of job and who is conducting the interview. For example, if a key part of the job is persuasion then physical attractiveness may be factored in because those they are trying to persuade may me intimidated or have trouble saying no to an attractive person. The interviewer may feel that other job skills required for the job can be taught but physical attractiveness can not be. With that said, I think this would only occur in very rare cases.

Explain the research a little more clearly. What do the findings mean more simply?

Great blog post! I feel that this topic is still very important today, however for smaller companies. I say this because large corporations such as Best Buy or Target have an HR team and interviews are done in teams. Doing interviews in teams promotes the recruiters to keep an eye on the other recruiters to ensure that job related questions are being asked. Also the HR department in the larger corporations help, because if sexual harassment of any sort is to happen, then there is a strict chain of command to follow. For smaller, family owned businesses this can be a huge problem. One of the biggest reasons is because one person usually does the hiring and no one is going to question that one person giving that person a lot of "freedom". Hopefully recruiters and interviewers get the right training on how to recruit/interview and this will help minimize the bias.

I agree with your post in some aspects, but I think the "jobs" that only physical appearance can get someone would be very limited if you say the physical appearance is the only quality someone has. I definitely think companies in general value other qualities way more than just physical appearance of an individual at least in America.

There have been ideas tossed around that attractive people are more successful in the long run, and that are more likely to get promoted. I think the can both help and hurt the argument in your blog. It helps because it shows the influence of attractiveness, but it hurts because you argue that the person's personality will ultimately decide what happens in the career.

I think that physical attractiveness can help get you a job in the sense that, as you said, it helps first impressions. However, generally employers are looking for someone who fits the job because of experience, and not because they look good. So I agree with your last statement. However, I think what would be more interesting to consider would be does your sex make you more likely to get you the job? If a bar is hiring for waiters/waitresses, who do you think has a better chance of getting a job, a girl in general, or a guy, even an attractive guy. I would argue the girl over even an attractive guy because it is common to use sex appeal to gain customers (and the customers are usually men). Or better yet, if you're interviewing for a big time job such as a high up wall street job or ceo position, do you think a man or a women has a better chance?

Although people hate to admit it, we are all prisoner's of the moment and fall trap to the looks of a person. For almost any job, being good looking is a positive took for a person: marketing, selling, or any personal interactions are easier for a person who is considered extremely good looking. I don't feel like a person's job aptitude should be judged by his or her looks, but there's no denying that being attractive can significantly increase a person's ability to perform a personalized job.

I don't think in a job setting it would necessarily contribute as much as you're thinking. Surely looks are the first thing people notice and they definitely make an impression, but in a job setting I would hope they'd look more into the abilities required. In any normal situation however, looks are without a doubt the impression you get from a person, it sets off your entire meeting and how you act towards each other before you actually get to know someone.