Hello Beautiful? The Effect of Interviewer Physical Attractiveness on Interview Success

Abstract

This paper analyzes the effect of interviewers’ physical attractiveness on cooperation rates in face-to-face interviews and, given cooperation, respondents’ assessment of the pleasantness of the interview. Including four aspects of physical attractiveness (facial attractiveness, voice attractiveness, Body Mass Index, and height), the paper reports the following findings: interviewers with more attractive faces and lower Body Mass Index have higher cooperation rates; given cooperation, there is no effect of physical attractiveness on respondents’ assessment of the pleasantness of the interview; differences in interviewers’ personality account for about one-third of the total effect of facial attractiveness on cooperation rates; and important reasons why interviewers with more attractive faces have higher cooperation rates is that they have higher self-esteem and are more open (for example imaginative, excitable, and curious).

Keywords: interviewer effect, physical attractiveness, cooperation rate, interview quality

JEL Classification: C42, J70, C93