WHAT IS ATTRACTIVE IS GOOD: HIRING PREFERENCES ON FEMALE APPLICANTS

BASED ON THEIR PHYSICAL ATTRACTIVENESS

A Research Proposal

Presented to

The Faculty of Psychology Department

of the

Ateneo de Naga University

In partial fulfillment

of the requirement of the course

Bachelor of Science in Psychology

Czarina Saballa

Sharmine Siruma

Kem Sumatra
 Research Proposal

This research will measure the hiring preference on female applicants based on their

physical attractiveness in various companies/institutions within Naga city. Physical

Attractiveness indisputably plays a significant role in our society (James, 2008) wherein it

influences perceptions of the people which represent ones characteristics and other attributes

(Mahajan, 2007). On the other hand, according to Langlois et. al (2000, as cited by Subhani,

2012), when it comes to a common observation, individuals who are attractive are treated better

and has more opportunities specifically in job hiring selection.

This research aims to investigate if an unidentified bias exists in terms of physical

appearance in job selection process of positions wherein physical appearance is not significant,

specifically if physically attractive female applicants have an advantage over physically

unattractive female applicants. This study seeks to create awareness that will better inform

organizations to recognize the potential implications this might have on their ability to gain

competitive advantage. A quantitative method, specifically, a survey questionnaire will be used

for the data collection. The first phase of the study will gather data from the respondents through

survey questionnaire. There will be two resume but with the same descriptions as for the quality

of skills, experiences and educational attainment of the female applicant, only the two pictures

will be different. There will be two pictures with the faces of two different female applicants;

attractive and unattractive. The second phase of the study will analyze and interpret the results of

the respondents which are hiring staffs/ recruitments staff from various companies/institutions

within Naga city. Therefore, this study will measure if there is a significance difference in hiring

preference between attractive female applicant and unattractive female applicant.