[Sherman Logan]

One of the dirty little secrets of the employment world is what an enormous advantage attractive people have.

I’ve always suspected one of the main reasons for some of the “racism” claimed by minorities is simply because they aren’t pretty by traditional standards. I suspect non-pretty white people are treated much the same.

But of course nobody cares about that.

[Mr. Jeeves]

One of the dirty little secrets of the employment world is what an enormous advantage attractive people have.

Well, not in every case. I used to work for a heavily male investment firm that simply would not hire attractive younger women, for any reason. The "elder statesman" who owned the firm had simply had enough of the sexual distractions in earlier decades, and just wouldn't allow his trading floor to be disrupted any more. I suspect there are still companies like this today, and it's probably even worse now that HR directors are so often older, minority females who feel threatened.

But your point is certainly true for young, good-looking men - they can usually overwhelm any interview competition. My stepson is a good example - he is rising like a rocket in his company, blowing right past older managers who don't have his looks and charisma (but cost more money...)

[NorthstarMom]

I was hired for a job (at 25 yrs old then) that a cranky older woman had also applied for. For a couple of years she told everyone who would listen that the only reason I got the job was because I was young and pretty.

That wasn’t fun for me at all as I then felt even more pressure to prove myself. Bringing physical appearance into the equation can be difficult on both sides.

[2ndDivisionVet]

I'm quite a bit bigger than Keith, but until my health gave out, I never had a problem finding a job, including high-paying ones without 10% of his technical skills. But then, I'm really persistent.

[redpoll]

>>>One of the dirty little secrets of the employment world is what an enormous advantage attractive people have.

I’ve always suspected one of the main reasons for some of the “racism” claimed by minorities is simply because they aren’t pretty by traditional standards. I suspect non-pretty white people are treated much the same.<<<

True, and if you want to wade through the social sciences, there’s plenty of proof that people preferentially choose the attractive over the plain or ugly. I remember one study that seemed solid in which people were asked to choose the most beautiful face, and most selected the face with the highest degree of symmetry, no matter the race or ethnicity of the person pictured.

The same thing goes for height, by the way, especially for men.