When Managers Turn Down Attractive Job Candidates

Do you think attractive people have a big advantage in the job market? A new study found that this common belief isn't always correct. Sometimes, being too attractive can actually lead to a candidate being turned down after the interview.

The study, conducted by researchers from the London Business School, involved 750 participants with managerial experience regarding their hiring decisions. Researchers showed participants pictures of 'job candidates' with varying levels of attractiveness. The participants had to answer a list of questions about each 'candidate.' Among other things, they were asked whether they believed the candidates felt entitled, whether they would be satisfied in job X or job Y, and whether they would hire these candidates.

The researchers compared the answers given for a wide range of jobs: from housekeepers and telemarketers to project managers or tech workers.

Results showed that there is indeed a bias in favor of attractive job candidates—but only for 'good' jobs. In other words, managers were happy to offer a senior position to an attractive candidate but were reluctant to hire them for simple clerical work or cleaning jobs.

"We found that participants in the experiment believed attractive candidates would feel entitled to more and wouldn’t be satisfied with a simple job," the researchers write. Previous studies, they note, completely overlooked 'undesirable' jobs when finding a constant preference for attractive candidates.

The most interesting finding, the researchers point out, is that decision-makers considered what they believed were the expectations of the candidates: they assumed that attractive candidates expect prestigious and rewarding jobs, and therefore would never be satisfied in a job that isn't.