29 Comments to “Bloggy Question 74: Will Good Looks Get You the Job?”

1. February 10th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
   Jonathan Fields said

   Hmmm, yeah, because that Jack Welsch, Sumner Redstone and Brenda Barnes were real hotties!

   Not buying it.

   Sure, looks might help you get in the door. And, they might even accelerate your ride, sad but true. But getting from the door to the top of the heap, especially the C-level multi-national heap, requires not just looks, but extreme ability.

   Ones small-time CEO’s humble-opinions.

2. February 10th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
   ME Liz Strauss said

   Hi Jonathan!
   I hear you. People often assume that folks who are good looking are one dimensional. It’s not any more true than assuming that old people like me aren’t cool.

3. February 10th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
   Jonathan Fields said

   Hey Liz,

   In The Happiness Hypothesis, Jonathan Haidt talked about how there is a strong tendency for many people to secretly (and not so secretly) yearn to see those who strive for greatness fail.

   Especially when that greatness represents something you’ve always wanted but either tried and failed at or never had the wherewithal to try. Add “good looking” to that heap and it’s just one more thing to inspire envy.

   I think the negative attitude of the person who is talking smack about the good-looking CEO speaks volumes about why that person is not in the CEO spot.

4. February 10th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
   ME Liz Strauss said

   Hi Jonathan,
   I think that you’re right about why the guy talking isn’t and will probably never get to be CEO. He doesn’t have the skills to recognize the good in other people — a key trait in great leaders . . . to inspire and motivate.

   I think the guy is talking more about himself than the CEO and what he’s saying sounds a lot like what you describe.

5. February 10th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
   Lani Anglin-Rosales said

   It has been proven that “pretty people” earn more, so it stands to reason that looks are one of many factors in getting ahead. It may sound harsh, but good looks can disarm people and create a sense of charm.

   I would posit that like-minded people are attracted to each other, as are like-looking and anyone that says they prefer to surround themselves with ugos is lying.

   I have been told more than once (at past jobs) that my looks were why I was hired- but I have always found that to be unfair because I would never have kept a job if that were the sole factor in my hiring. The flip side is though, that there were more qualified candidates.

   Like Jonathan said, looks might get you in the door, but it’s up to the individual to keep themselves there.

6. February 10th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
   shel israel said

   good looks and charisma have covered a great deal of incompetence if you ask me. Don’t just look at CEOs. Look at politicians, news anchors, etc.

7. February 10th, 2008 at 10:06 pm
   ME Liz Strauss said

   Hi Shel!
   I think most politicians are ugly.

   Not saying that incompetence doesn’t run rampant in many occupations that hire for looks. On the other hand, good looking folks often get typecast by that.

8. February 10th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
   Rocky said

   I think that it is absolutely true that looks will open a lot of doors. But once the door is open you have to be able to perform. There are people with looks and talent it is not an either or thing. However, it is easier for someone with looks and charisma to capture the attention of those making decisions. There are numerous instances to support this. Take a look at politics and hollywood for examples.

9. February 10th, 2008 at 10:45 pm
   Rick Cockrum said

   “You do look as good as him, Mr. Good Looking friend. Do you really think the company’s board of directors would keep him on if he weren’t making them money.”

   As the article Lani linked to points out, we do have a predisposition to react positively to decent looks as well as height. We have even more of a penchant to prefer people within certain physical range, though. Fall outside of that range, and you’ll have a harder time of it, whether it is in the economic realm or personal relationships. Too pretty, or too ugly, too tall, or too short, too thin, or too rotund, all tend to make life harder. But get past the first impression, and our own spirit is the determining factor in our success.

10. February 11th, 2008 at 12:46 am
    DaveOlson said

    Hey Liz,

    Two thoughts… 1.) Good looks are unimportant online 2.) Why do I need to respond?

    I know… not really well thought out answers but I really need to gradually ease back into the week.

11. February 11th, 2008 at 12:53 am
    Mother Earth said

    I say form your own opinion - if you liked the ceo - good looks and all, let him destroy thatreputation on his own. Tell your friend that too. Good looking folks often get misunderstood.

12. February 11th, 2008 at 1:25 am
    Rose said

    Nothing drives me more nuts then someone using a superficial characteristic to belittle someone else’s accomplishment. I got that in college when I got a summer internship. “Oh you got that because you are a girl and they were looking for diversity.” Um, why thank you I guess it had nothing to do with good grades, hard work and checking every contact I had.

    That doesn’t mean I don’t think looks or other superficial characteristics don’t sometimes help but they aren’t the reason. More of an all other things being equal tie breaker. If a super model and an MIT Comp Sci grad both applied for a programming job I would expect the MIT grad to get it… unless the super model was also an MIT comp sci grad. Then she would probably would.

13. February 11th, 2008 at 3:07 am
    Joanna Young said

    Hi Liz

    In the blogging world we get to choose the company that we keep.

    There are lots of blogs that ‘look good’ with a big group of people gathered round, hanging on their every word. Some are worth staying with because they do what the CEO did here - he listened, swapped stories, paid attention.

    But if you discover after time that it’s all superficial, he never answers your comments, he’s not really interested where you’re coming from… well there are plenty of other places you can go instead.

    Happy Monday!

    Joanna

14. February 11th, 2008 at 5:25 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Rocky!
    Good looks do get many people’s attention, but like beautiful objects with no substance, great looking people who have nothing more soon grow to be boring.

    Often I find the longer I know someone the harder it is to remember what I thought when we met, because I always find my friends to be good looking.

15. February 11th, 2008 at 5:41 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Rick,
    As you said, in such a nice way, we’re shy of anyone who’s a litle too different. Some of our expectations are made to preserve the species . . . some of them come as our own personal/cultural biases.

    Beauty, brains, talent, skill, artistry . . . no gift comes with a price.

16. February 11th, 2008 at 5:42 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Dave,
    I think you’ve got a point. Sometimes the best answer to a person making false assumptions is no answer at all.

17. February 11th, 2008 at 5:45 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Mother Earth!
    It’s a powerful idea to make our own opinions about people. We learn from junior high we’re supposed to agree with other folks ideas. . . . An interesting thing happens when someone is talking negatively about a person and I answer “I never would have guessed. He speaks so highly of you.”

18. February 11th, 2008 at 5:50 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Rose!
    I sure understand what you’re saying. Folks love to abuse us of our possible misconceptions, even the ones that are thin and irrelevant. You also got the job because you wear clothes.

19. February 11th, 2008 at 5:53 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Joanna!
    A person who is truly engaged and listening is a value whether he’s a CEO or a visiting traveler. We have many insights and experiences to offer each other. Finding ways to bring someone down to raise ourselves up doesn’t do much to add to that.

20. February 11th, 2008 at 7:13 am
    Anthony Lawrence said

    At another site, the subject of “design” being important for blogs came up.

    After giving examples of really badly designed websites that have nevertheless become important because of content and pointing to the millions of beautiful sites with nothing to offer, I pointed out that no one would dare say that unattractive people cannot succeed: tall, handsome and incredibly intelligent is nice, but the latter will do fine.

21. February 11th, 2008 at 7:59 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Anthony!
    I agree, beauty without content gets boring very quickly. It offers no surprise, no mystery, or challenge. Without those, we don’t get much satisfaction from thoughts or emotions we might invest.

    Who wants to use time on something meaningless? I’m with you a great facade doesn’t mean much.

22. February 11th, 2008 at 8:24 am
    Mihaela Lica said

    Well, from your scenario I understand that the man was not only handsome, but also had the ability to communicate and listen. This is what great leaders are made of.

    Looks do matter. They add to that charisma and charm needed to make people believe in a message, idea, ideal and eventually leader. I doubt it that beautiful people don’t have the brains. Being successful because of the looks is a matter of pure luck - and it only really works in the fashion industry (top models).

    I am sure that, if the guy was not really good in his work, no looks in the world could save his derrière.

23. February 11th, 2008 at 11:24 am
    Kirk M said

    Do looks matter? That depends on what kind of business you’re talking about. But like some of the folks above state, looks alone don’t cut it.

    Warning: Here comes another wordy comment…

    In a traditional “brick and mortar” type of successful company of medium to large size with a good customer base absolutely, good looks still matterif you’re applying for a salaried position (the hierarchy so to speak) but good looks alone does not. You have to know what you’re doing as well. If you don’t make the money come in, if you don’t know your stuff then good looks won’t get you far. However, as unfair as it might seem, if you have two equally qualified individuals (gender notwithstanding) applying for the same position, one with average looks and build and the other with what you might call “Hollywood” features–guess which one will get the position? Besides, who wants to negotiate with someone whose looks resemble more of a frog instead of a prince or princess? I know that sounds cold but presentations do tend to be more successful if the members of said meeting are attracted to the person speaking.

    Now in a “virtual” business being good looking or not doesn’t really seem to matter at all. Sometimes even gender is “assumed” and assumed incorrectly. Take (Winifred) Mitchell Baker, recent CEO of Mozilla Corp. Up to the day she stepped down as CEO, many still thought she was a man. Or Larry Page and Sergy Brin of Google, average looking guys (okay, they moved out of the garage and into the Googleplex but their dealings are still online) and Matt Mullenweg of Automattic still looks like a kid to me but that certainly didn’t stop them from being successful, far from it. These people are respected for their abilities and accomplishments, not for their looks. These and others of the virtual business world are a whole new breed and the “traditional” rules don’t seem to apply.

    Okay, that’s long enough I think. Why is it every time one of your posts gets my attention I have to write another post sized comment? I’m beginning to believe you’re the best preventative against Alzheimer’s in existence.

24. February 11th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Kirk!
    Thanks for pointing out my medicinal value.

    How can add to what’s so brilliantly said?

25. February 11th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
    K Stone said

    I’ve seen cases where the comment was true - where the “good looking” person was just a schmoozer and not a worker….and I’ve also seen cases where the “good looking” person is a hard worker but they are the target of high levels of jealousy from many because of both their good looks and their success.

    To answer your question my response would be “hmmm, you don’t say.” And at that point I would just let time tell whether I agreed with that person or not.

    Do looks matter?

    They can be helpful and they can also make you a target. They cut both ways.

    I’ve known both men and women who weren’t Barbie/Ken, and their charm, intellect, and confidence was so great that they became quite attractive.

    I think one’s substance is what really matters and carries you forward in life. Maybe looks can help you, but rarely can they take you on the long journey of success.

26. February 11th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hello Ms. Stone!
    Thank you for pointing out that people can become more attractive the more we know them. That’s a wisdom that often goes unnoticed and yet it hold so much power. Who we are and our depth can shine through in amazing ways.

    I agree there are many good looking losers out there.

27. February 24th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
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28. March 20th, 2008 at 10:59 pm
    Whoa said

    I have been one of those in the unfortunate side of that deal… I have seen people that get there by means of looks (plus some jibber-jabber, to quote that judge from Boston Legal)…

    So how do you get past that? I still don’t know. Sometimes the guy or gal who is in charge of hiring me can see past looks, sometimes he/she can’t.

    My advice in this subject is look your best. And I’m not saying go to the gym and get iron abs, or go to the saloon and ask for a makeover… I’m talking about looking the part. Would you hand money to the big Lebowsky? Maybe not, but you would to Glenallen Walken…

    My online persona remains anonymous, genderless, et al… Why? Simply because i don’t want it to raise brows… If you saw me you could either think that i am your typical Bimbo or the “as seen on TV” geek. It’s kinda sad, i know. It’s all in the “look the part” package i just described.

    Rather than looks, people should explore attitudes… but this comment is long enough i guess.

29. March 21st, 2008 at 7:56 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi whoa!
    I guess my point is that no one has things easy. We all need to prove that we add value in the end. Great looking people lose their jobs too, sometimes for the reason that they’re great looking . . .

    I agree with your advice and hope that most folks I meet look for how I think.