Work: Do Looks Matter?

Still slogging my way through Parachute, plus writing a senior thesis, plus working on some projects at work and interviewing for various positions so, you know, this blog kind of goes by the wayside while crunch time is on. Sorry.

Yesterday, though, and for the last few days, I’ve wondered how much looks really matter. I changed my hair a few months ago and went completely blonde, which is a bold change from my nearly-black hair, and ever since, things have changed. I’m someone who never really got job interviews out of “networking” sessions, but almost every interviewer I met at a recent job fair has asked me for an interview. Interesting, but perhaps I’m just more mature now. At the lunch cart Friday, two individuals ordered the same sandwich I did, and even though they were in line and placed their orders before me, I walked away with a sandwich before either of them did. Unusual, but explainable. Then, a recent management restructuring put a new administrator in charge of my division at work, and guess who was called in as a “reliable” and “intelligent” worker for several new projects, ahead of others who’d been there before me.

I’ve even brought up my calculus grade because I’m getting the attention of the professor more often.

People are friendlier to me. I’ve gained more friends recently without any new effort on my part.

An interviewer today offered to hire me on the spot if he could, but it’s a multi-interview process.

Etc.

As a soon-to-be psychology graduate, I know that there are many confounding variables that should be examined, but it seems strange that my whole life outlook, personality, performance, and intelligence would be effected by a dye job.

Penelope Trunk, author of The Brazen Careerist, however, seems to believe this is exactly the issue. She wrote in her most recent blog entry that “plastic surgery is the next must-have career tool, maybe” and goes on to state that looks do matter, especially at work and with people. People just treat good looking people better. Period.

There’s no discussion of the difference in opinions (or subjectivity) of what makes one attractive or “good looking” but supposedly studies confirm this over and over, especially for women. Apparently, blondes do have more fun — and more work success. I just wish I’d stumbled on this ten years ago.