Would having cosmetic surger making getting a new job easier?

Looking for a job in a global recession is not easy, with so many people out of work it can be difficult to find a way to stand out and prove that you are the best candidate for the job. A new incentive being used to tackle unemployment in some American states is to offer free plastic surgery to deserving jobseekers to give them a confidence boost and make them more attractive to potential employers. They believe that you are far more likely to succeed if you look good, and that with such steep competition the young – or at least those who look younger – will always come out on top.

Consultations for the free surgery are teamed with career tips and advice, so that people can make the most of the experience and hopefully have more luck with their job hunting as a result. But can it really make a difference, and why are people so convinced that it will help? Is it a looks thing, a youth thing, a confidence thing? It’s true that people who have specific problems with their physical appearance can sometimes develop issues with confidence and self esteem that hold them back, but is surgery the miracle solution that will make it all better?

A lot of people would say definitely yes. You feel much better about yourself when you know you look your best, and this translates into the first impressions you make on others. A positive attitude and self confidence are two of the most important things in job interviews, so it’s entirely possible that some people could have a better chance at finding employment if their little physical or aging issues were dealt with first.

But what about the employers? Surely they should be selecting staff because they are right for the job not how young and unwrinkled they look? Having liposuction or a breast augmentation might give candidates’ self esteem a bit of a boost but it’s not as if they’re going for jobs as models where it might genuinely make them more suitable for the position. Is is possible that employers really do let something so artificial affect their choice? Probably not deliberately, but when they see dozens of candidates in a day first impressions are important and it seems that a younger, more confident and healthy looking candidate would have the edge over others who have allowed nature to take its course.