Research Proposal on "Attractive Workers Getting Hired the Modern Business"

Research Proposal 10 pages (3232 words) Sources: 10

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Attractive Workers Getting Hired

The modern business world is a social construct, where interaction between various group members of diversified power show patterns which can then be measured and used in predictors. One of these patterns is the higher chance for interviewees who are deemed attractive to do well in interviews and get placed for employment sooner than those who are viewed as unattractive by their professional peers. This research uses the constructs of social psychology with its emphasis on group dynamics as formation of individual identity and that of status characteristics theory where power dictates status in order to explore the potential of attractiveness as a primary source of judgment in interviews. Prior research has shown some evidence in terms of attractiveness in professional performance analysis of current employees, but lacks strong evidence in terms of the interview context. Therefore, this study will focus on comparing measurable levels of attractiveness with how fast individuals find employment.

Introduction

All who live within the modern social world understand the basic concept that "The bias in favor of physically attractive persons is quite robust," (Shahani et al. 1993:317). People expect attractiveness to appear in a variety of social roles; a fact which is constantly perpetuated within the media. Many tend to believe that the professional world is able to transcend such biases. Yet, evidence shows that this may not exactly be the case with attractiveness having a high correlation with positive performance analysis of employees and interviewees within the context of the interview process.

Thus, this study aims to explore the level of influence perceived attractiveness has within the success of the interview process. By exploring the interview process as a social construct, elements of group dynamics come into play in the construction of what is perceived to be attractive. This is then formulated into a bias which can negatively affect the interviewee's chances of finding employment if that individual is deemed unattractive. When compared with similarly skilled individuals, unattractive individuals may have a harder and longer time finding employment within the modern workplace. This is especially true for women, who already have to deal with confining gender roles. The findings of this study can then help paint a picture of a more realistic, and biased, business environment still hold onto discriminatory biased based on physical appearance. With such a raw understanding of the truth of the situation, measures can then be taken to help make the process of finding employment a more level playing field, where people who are both attractive and unattractive can find success and thrive. Within the context of this research, it is hypothesized that attractiveness is a crucial element to the hiring of employees into particular organizations. Therefore, participants who are judged as attractive by our judges will most likely be hired faster than other individuals who were deemed as unattractive.

There are relatively few studies in regards to the perception of attractiveness within the specific context of the employment interview. In fact, most recent studies focus on attractiveness in academic performance as well as perceived performance of employees already on the job, but not how physical attractiveness relates to the actual context of the interview before the candidate has entered into the position. Even modern research acknowledges this, "Few studies have explored the attractiveness bias in real employment interviews," (Shahani 1993:319). Additionally, many studies which aim to judge attractiveness use limited methodologies in order to discover their findings. For example, several studies (Chia et al. 1998 & Shahani et al. 1993) used only photographic recording of individuals to later judge attractiveness. Yet, other studies, (Riggio 1991) show that there are more dynamic elements to judging physical attractiveness that go beyond facial beauty. Facial features are on of the top predictors of overall attractiveness but Riggio (1991) also found behavior and style to be other strong predictors. Therefore, the use of mere photographs is failing to accommodate for the other dynamic elements of what we typically deem attractive.

The field of social psychology posits several major conceits which can be drafted to fit the reasons why attractiveness is so appealing within a business context and then be used as a stepping stone for further research. The field aims "to discover general laws about human behavior," (Weatherall 2006:55). This branch of psychology looks at individuals within the larger context of the group as a way to study interactions between the two as well as the influence of those interactions in the determining of behavior. It is clear, that to understand a particular pattern in human behavior, social psychology helps provide background context to explain how various groups then interact with each other. In the case of attractiveness, the organizational group that is in charge of hiring can tend to exercise its power as a way to express common human patterns, such as favoring attractive looking people. Therefore, social psychology can help us dissect the dynamics of such universal patterns as they appear in specific groups, like a professional organization and its potential employees. Within the dynamics of social psychology, individuals often use physical characteristics and external behavior cues in order to judge the worth of an individual within the group. According to research, "those inferences create social stereotypes, which, in turn, produce person prototypes, or social stereotypes applied to individuals," (Chia et al. 1998:471). The social context of the group will have an immense effect on what individuals perceive as the norms or desired traits and characteristics. What the group deems as attractive is what will then be used as the general reference point for further judgment. Therefore, "Physical attractiveness, for example, is a status characteristic because being attractive is considered more desirable than being unattractive," (Eckes & Trautner 2000:310). The vision of attractiveness used to judge interviewees then is a social construct of the organizational environment. This means that, the vision of attractiveness could change from one organization to another, providing a multitude of possibilities based on the interviewees changing levels of attractiveness as they enter into different professional environments. Studies and research conducted within the field of social psychology indicate "that ratings of attractiveness are positively linked to the favorability of initial impressions -- how likable and socially attractive is -- and to attractiveness as a dating partner," (Riggio 1991:427). Another component of attractiveness is the various levels and elements which go into an attractive person. For example, research has shown that "attractiveness is a multidimensional construct -- made up of several different and some what independent components," (Riggio 1991:435). Therefore, there are several elements on which to judge a particular individual's attractiveness. Studies that explore the dynamic of attractiveness have however shown that facial beauty, behaviors, and style were the strongest predictors in determining attractiveness (Riggio 1991). Thus, attractiveness and how it is judged within a particular organization is directly reflective of the social environment of that organization.

Research that has been conducted on the perceptions of attractiveness in the determination of hiring has shown some interesting patterns revealing a mixed bias towards physical appearance. In the context of the interview, there is an underlying assumption "that people distort their self-disclosures in order to maintain or enhance their social image," (Catania 1999:26). Thus, many individuals tend to naturally play up what they think others will perceive as attractive, rather than providing a true glimpse of their real character and capabilities. Thus, individuals might embellish certain performances in prior employment situations, or alter their dress to appeal to what is deemed attractive in a business environment. Several studies have found that "attractive people are evaluated more favorably by others, are perceived as having more favorable personality characteristics, are considered more desirable among dating partners, and because of their beauty, may be more successful in many types of social interactions than people are considered unattractive," (Riggio 1991:424). Therefore, attractive people tend to be more socially outgoing or accepted based on the social construction of their role within the larger group, a staple of the concepts found within social psychology. Research indicates that when studies explore the judgment of interviewees by a control group, "The most common finding in the interview literature is that unattractive applicants are rated less favorably than attractive applicants," (Shahani et al. 1993:318). Thus, this concept can be seen as a larger social pattern that permeates across several social categories. Other studies have shown that there is considerable and measurable "evidence of a favorable bias towards attractive interviewees," (Shahani et a. 1993:325). This solidifies the existence of a strong possible bias against those who are deemed unattractive within the given social situation.

Social Psychology can then also help account for the way identities are created within group contexts. According to research, "because the social positions we occupy have immediate consequences for our sense of self, group schemas play a major part in processes of identification," (Howard 2000:369) . In the case of this research, attractive people may understand that they are attractive, and the use that knowledge in the formulation of their own identities… READ MORE

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