Today we will look at the role of physical attractiveness effects your potential future successes. It is commonly said that beautiful people are more successful. Add to this a recent article from the Business Insider which cites a European study about beauty’s affects while job hunting. The average callback rate was 30% across all of the CVs sent out. For attractive women, it was 54%, and for attractive men, 47%.

The more shocking of results from this study is attractive people had a 36% higher callback rate than unattractive ones, with no variation in qualification. That study used the same photos in different resumes, digitally modifying faces to make them scientifically less attractive. Physical appearance makes a significant impact on call backs and impressions, we will see next that physical appearance has an even deeper effect on success.

In an article from Psychology Today which cites research reviewed by Hamermesh, that shows attractive people, both men and women, earn an average of 3 or 4% more than people with below average looks, which adds up to a significant amount of money over a lifetime. Beautiful people are also hired sooner, get promotions more quickly, are higher-ranking in their companies.

These results are not fair nor equal but we can still learn from these studies and use this knowledge to our own advantage. Some aspects of our appearance we can’t control but we can control our posture, wardrobe, physical fitness, etc. Because attractiveness makes such an impact of success, it is valuable to present yourself in the best light possible. If you like this article, please comment and share. Let me know what you think, always interested in different perspectives.

Stand out from the crowd.

Photo By Olga Filonenko via Flickr