Brains versus beauty in the knowledge economy

Abstract

ORIENTATION : It is a widely held belief that attractive people generally experience an easier life and that the door to success is opened by perfect bone structure and a sparkling smile. However, attractiveness might play a far lesser role in individual’s achieving their objectives than has previously been thought. Is it possible that an individual’s qualifications may have a greater influence on the perceptions of managers who assess the suitability of a candidate of a knowledge worker? RESEARCH PURPOSE : The study sets out to examine the relative predictive power of physical attractiveness and qualifications in the decision to hire a knowledge worker. MOTIVATION FOR THE STUDY : The research was motivated by a desire to explore the presence of bias in the decision-making process when seemingly rational individuals are exposed to factors such as physical attractiveness of a job candidate and then faced with a decision on whether to hire them. RESEARCH DESIGN, APPROACH AND METHOD : A two-phased experimental design was applied to investigate the existence and strength of the beauty premium amongst a group of managers who were provided with fictitious resumes coupled with photographs of the applicants. These managers were requested to make a hiring decision based on the information supplied. MAIN FINDINGS : Although results confirm the existence of a beauty premium, it was relatively weak. It indicated that qualifications have a greater influence on a manager’s perception of the suitability of a candidate to fill a position of a knowledge worker. PRACTICAL OR MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS : The research draws attention to the possibility of bias in selection decisions and proposes ways in which such potential bias can be limited. CONTRIBUTION : This study contributes to knowledge concerning the existence or otherwise of a so-called beauty premium, with particular reference to its impact in the knowledge economy.