Mirror Mirror.

On the wall, who is the fairest of them all and who will get that job or that promotion? Studies show attractive women get all the breaks at work when it comes to getting to the next level because they are seen as positive, sensitive and poised. "Don't hate me because I'm beautiful", is the cry of many affected by the attractive gene, so how do the rest of us fight back? Haven't they seen Snow White and the evil Queen, okay maybe Charlize Theron is not a good example. The first 5 seconds, so important for making an impression, must seem easy for someone like Charlize and the "pretty" women who follow in her footsteps? I fully understand I am skating on thin ice but don't shoot the messenger, especially when there is a twist to the story.

A further study out of Ariel University in Israel, found attractive women going for employment, found it harder to get interviews than so called plain Janes. So the stereotyping taking place at work, where "pretty" women were seen as having the advantage, was in reverse for CVs, as companies correlated attractiveness with being less qualified and not as bright as the plain Jane applicants ( oooooh dangerous territory). Not wanting the "dumb blonde" monicker to be the final arbiter on the study, more research was done with photos rated on how intelligent people looked and found there was no correlation between beauty and not being able to hit the books, meaning they needed to dig deeper. Dig they did and the final assumption, finding, was related to the high level of women in human resources, tasked with choosing the applicants. Seems 93% of selectors were women and the study pointed at jealousy as the unavoidable conclusion, finding them choosing the plain Jane over the "pretty woman". I hope the researchers remain anonymous because if they ever need a job they had better find the appropriate head shot to get them to the first interview.

So thinking about the above, from my side, I had a chat with good mate Patrick Dobbin, who works as an image consultant for men only. Pease note the subtle and and yet slightly overt plug for Patrick Dobbin and Associates at http://imageconsultantformen.com.au/. As you might expect the above research did show that men who had made the effort to improve their image fared much better in interviews, promotions and general acceptance in the work place. Something that Patrick agrees with and something that can be accomplished with his help. Yes I thought about it, but came to the quick realisation that I'm beyond help and not even Patrick could work that miracle.

The fact remains we are still an image obsessed society and it spills over into the work place with both sides of the argument affected. We need to dig a little deeper into people and go beyond the veneer because skills, knowledge and ability to do the job are always more important than the next model that walks through your door. Patrick I'll give you a call later.