Beauty Pays: How Good Looks Can Boost Your Career—Even in Accounting

By Professor Liu Yanju

Beauty might be in the eye of the beholder, but it’s also in the bank accounts of the beautiful. From models to actors, those blessed with good looks are not only accustomed to the envious gaze of others, but also to the monetary rewards that come with having been born with the “right” features. But surely, such superficial advantages are limited to professions that don’t rely on brainpower? A recent study[1] says—think again.

It has long been known that the way we look matters beyond socialising at happy hour. Compared to their less-attractive peers, good-looking individuals are better liked and receive more favourable treatment in hiring, performance evaluations, and promotions. Even at the executive level, having a CEO who exudes confidence and happiness can add to shareholder value. The influence of this “beauty premium” is so strong that even those who associate with attractive people benefit—something many wingmen can attest to after a night out with their good-looking friends. From a better life to more money, those blessed with the beauty premium get it all. But does beauty’s impact last forever?

Applying a self-designed beauty index to a sample of 714 photos and CVs from accounting faculty members across 93 university websites, researchers examined how facial attractiveness relates to career outcomes. They analysed its correlation with the ranking of a PhD candidate’s first job placement, the time required to obtain tenure, and the time to reach full professorship. The results? It pays—at least for a while—to be pretty, even in a profession as sedate as accounting!

Findings suggest that facial beauty provides an early career advantage: More attractive PhD candidates are placed at higher-ranked schools for their first job, giving them a head start. When it comes to securing tenure, beauty helps as well—if a professor stays at their first school or voluntarily moves elsewhere. However, those forced to leave their first job and find tenure elsewhere don’t receive the same advantage. Likewise, the power of beauty appears to fade when it comes to becoming a full professor, suggesting that over time, merit outweighs appearance—much to the relief of plain-looking accountants! Interestingly, while gender doesn’t seem to impact career progression, ethnicity does. Asian scholars tend to start at lower-ranked schools and face longer waits for tenure if they have to change institutions, while African scholars take significantly longer to achieve tenure.

Given the above, universities should strive for greater transparency and objectivity in recruitment, tenure, and promotion decisions to reduce bias. Meanwhile, committees must recognise their own tendencies—overvaluing facial attractiveness and discriminating against Asian and African minorities. 

As for aspiring accounting professors, if they can’t change who they are, they might still want to invest in a good suit, a decent haircut, and a gym membership—after all, beauty has many facets beyond facial attractiveness. And if you are smart enough to make a balance sheet look good, you can probably make yourself look better too!

Reference:

[1]  Liu, Y., Lu, H., & Veenstra, K. (2024). Beauty and accounting academic career. Journal of Accounting, Auditing & Finance, 39(4), 1121–1138. https://doi.org/10.1177/0148558X221115115