I stumbled upon an article in HR the other day entitled ‘Attractive people are more likely to succeed in their careers, new research suggests’. It goes on to say that more than two thirds (67%) of employers have admitted to being more inclined to give an attractive person a job. 

Now this obviously caught my attention straight away. With the highest number of students not achieving places at university this year, can they now rely on aesthetics over education to help propel their careers? Can good looks really be the key to getting that sought after job at a time when vacancies are at their ultimate low?

My experience of being in full time employment (I am fast approaching my first nine months in PR) tells me this isn’t the case. A pretty face can work only so far, I mean it’s not going to write those press releases for you, or come up with an angle for newsjacking, and it certainly isn’t going to help you fill in those tricky timesheets. Beauty may be a rather helpful tool in opening doors of opportunity, but it will hit you bang on your backside if you can’t step up to the plate and consistently keep performing.

Hard graft, resourcefulness and a willingness to learn seem to be the key attributes needed to keep climbing that career ladder so it isn’t surprising that the research also suggests that the ability to do the actual job was found to be the most important factor in hiring a candidate, with qualifications coming a close second.

So before writing off those hard-earned degrees and time and effort spent on gaining experience, think to yourself; appearances may be what make a good first impression, but ability is what will make that impression last.