The Beautiful and the Damned [BT broadband office]

The Beautiful and the Damned

Posted 25 March 2008 at 7:59AM by Catriona Taylor in Light relief

First impressions count, and no one wants to lose a pitch because the clients were less than impressed with your sartorial efforts. But it turns out that, far from giving the job to the best-qualified candidate, far too often we give it to the best looking.

According to a survey by law firm Peninsula, an outrageous 88% of interviewers have, at some time or another, awarded the most attractive candidate with the job.

But before we leap onto our proverbial high horses, aren't we taking things a little too seriously? Isn't whittling out the weak from the strong, the bad from the good, the hideous from the handsome a form of Darwinism for the 21st century office? Or is it just a modern form of discrimination that will we have us all preparing for the interview process with laser treatment and a mud facial?

In many lines of work, appearances are important. But making appearance the deciding factor in a job interview smacks of taking us one step away from the bad old days of the 1970's and 80's, when "ethically challenged" dinosaurs like Ashes to Ashes' Gene Hunt roamed the earth - patting the behinds of any woman unfortunate enough to get near them.

One thing's for sure, if the boss is paying more attention to his pert new hire than the marvellous report you were slaving over for half the night, then you'll be sorry. And so will your business, too.

Tags: bt, bt broadbandoffice, darwinism

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Comments

1. At March 25, 2008 8:17 AM, vincent mcmahon wrote:

Sounds a tad cliché to me. The new secretary job goes to the young hot blonde with the nice rack and tight clothes rather than the bland looking middle aged male/female that looks a little... checked out, if you know what i mean.
Oh well, i know who i'd have hired!
Unattractive people are not always pleasant to talk to so can bring down the mood of the person they are interacting with whereas the blonde will definately manage to keep their attention.

2. At March 25, 2008 9:10 AM, Quasi wrote:

I find this article a tad in bad taste meladdo! As a hunchback I find it bloody hard to get work where there is sunlight, and let me tell you a mud pack is not going to make a dent in my moosh!

Vince is there any room in your organisation for a big guy like me?

Quazi Modo - 'Thon Big Church'

3. At March 25, 2008 9:33 AM, vincent mcmahon wrote:

Sorry quasihomo there is not any room. Don't think you would make a suitable candidate anyway as you have to be at a physical peak and also be available to travel.

4. At March 25, 2008 2:23 PM, Pat wrote:

This simply can't be the case - if this were true then surely 88% of the people I work with would be attractive! Let me assure you This Is Not The Case.

A bit of eye candy certainly wouldn't go amiss in my office.

5. At March 25, 2008 2:34 PM, Zen wrote:

Bang on this time. Many times have I lost out to "better looks" even in telesales, I mean does it matter when you're not even seen by the customer?!?

6. At March 26, 2008 1:13 PM, James wrote:

What about someone who is intelligent, 'easy-on-the-eye' and fits all the criteria for the job, to boot?
Is Caitriona suggesting that these attributes don't often go hand-in-hand?

7. At March 26, 2008 3:30 PM, matt wrote:

in the bar industry good looks are the only thing you cant teach them. sells pints as well!

8. At April 2, 2008 8:05 AM, batman wrote:

What is wrong with doing something perfectly natural? Maybe the adverts should read 'Wanted: Person who can do the job and is gorgeous' After all, if they can't do the job it doesn't matter how lovely they look....

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