Employers are more likely to hire people they fancy, researchers claim, as they find "leisure pursuits, background and self-presentation" are more important than skills.
Women in the workplace have fought a long battle to prove their skills, experience and CV are the only keys to their success.
But their efforts may have been in vain, as a study find good looks, a winning smile and a little gentle flirtation may be the key to securing a job after all.
Bosses would rather hire someone they find attractive and enjoy spending time with than the perfectly-qualified candidate, it has been claimed.
They would rather employ someone 「who will be their friend or maybe even their romantic partner」, with whom they feel a 「spark」, researchers have suggested.
A study, conducted by American sociologists, has found interviewers at banking, law and management consultancy firms consistently prefer applicants they 「feel good around」.
More than half of employers claim attractiveness, the right social background and how candidates spend their leisure time are the most important considerations when hiring, it is claimed.
Dr Lauren Rivera, from Northwestern University in the United States, found interviewers often put their personal feelings of comfort, acceptance and excitement first.
Half of those studied ranked 「cultural fit」 as the most important criterion at job interview stage, meaning they were more likely to hire someone with the same 「leisure pursuits, background and self-presentation」 as current staff.
"Of course employers are looking for people who have the baseline of skills to effectively do the job,」 she said.
"But, beyond that, employers really want people who they will bond with, who they will feel good around, who will be their friend and maybe even their romantic partner.
「As a result, employers don't necessarily hire the most skilled candidates."
The study, based on 120 interviews and published in the American Sociological Review, is the first investigation of its kind into whether shared culture between employers and job candidates matters.
(Read by Brian Salter. Brian Salter is a journalist at the China Daily Website.)
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(Agencies)
研究人員稱，僱主更傾向於僱傭自己喜歡的員工，因為他們覺得「消遣方式、社會背景以及自我表達方式」比技能重要得多。
職場中的女性為證明她們擁有的技能、經驗及簡歷才是她們取得成功的關鍵已經鬥爭已久。
然而，她們所付出的努力都可能是徒勞的。研究表明，美麗的容貌、迷人的笑容以及適度的調情舉動或許才是穩住工作的關鍵。
研究還發現，老闆寧願僱傭那些有魅力、更喜歡與之在一起的僱員，也不願招聘完全合格的求職者。
研究人員表示，老闆寧願僱傭那些「可能成為其朋友、甚至情侶」的僱員，因為與他們在一起會有種「來電」的感覺。
美國的社會學家進行的一項研究發現，銀行、律所及管理諮詢公司的僱主無一例外青睞那些讓他們「感到舒服」的求職者。
研究表明，超過半數的僱主都認為吸引力、合適的社會背景以及求職者的消遣方式是他們招聘員工時最首要的考慮因素。
來自美國西北大學的勞倫•裡維拉博士發現，僱主往往會把個人的舒適、接受和興奮的感覺放在首位。
半數受調查者將「文化契合度」列為求職面試階段最為重要的衡量標準，這也就是說他們更傾向於僱傭與現有員工有著相同「消遣方式、社會背景以及自我表達方式」的員工。
她表示，「當然，僱主也希望僱傭那些具備可以有效完成工作的基本技能的人」。
「不過，除此以外，僱主確實也想僱傭能相處融洽、讓他們覺得舒服、可以成為其朋友甚至情侶的人」。
「所以這樣一來，僱主不一定會僱傭最有能力的求職者」。
該項研究取材於120名受訪者的採訪實錄，並發表在《美國社會學評論》上。它首次以獨特視角探尋了僱主與求職者間文化契合是否重要這一問題。
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（中國日報網英語點津 實習生：王賓雷 編輯：Julie）