Why being handsome is bad for a man's career: Good-looking gents seen as a threat by bosses meaning they are less likely to get top jobs

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Ladies, if you thought it was just women who are judged on their looks at work, think again. It seems men have it far worse.

Researchers say handsome men are less likely to get their dream job.

A study found that good-looking gents are seen as a threat by their male bosses and are less likely to be given roles that showcase their individual talents as a result.

Attractiveness at work: A study found that good-looking gents are seen as a threat by their male bosses and are less likely to be given roles that showcase their individual talents as a result (file picture)

Instead, they tend to languish in less important positions in workplace teams because they are still viewed as ‘competent’ even though they are unwanted competition for some.

However, the study found women don’t face the same challenges.

Researchers at University College London’s School of Management and the University of Maryland in the US carried out four experiments in offices.

They found that when men were hiring other men to work with them, their decision was affected by the attractiveness of the candidate and the type of job.

Job interview: attractive women did not face the same problem because being pretty is not associated with competence among female stereotypes (file picture)

However, attractive women did not face the same problem because being pretty is not associated with competence among female stereotypes.

Struggle: Actor Rob Lowe complained last year about how he had found it tough to further his career because of his good looks

Lead researcher, assistant professor Sun Young Lee of Maryland University, said: ‘Managers are affected by stereotypes and make hiring decisions to serve their own self-interests so organisations may not get the most competent candidates.

‘With more companies involving employees in recruitment processes, this important point needs attention.

‘Awareness that hiring is affected by potential work relationships and stereotyping tendencies can help organisations improve their selection processes.’

To get the best workers, irrespective of looks, bigger companies may find it more beneficial to have a neutral, outside recruitment company doing the hiring, she suggested.

The findings will be published in journal Organisational Behavior and Human Decision Processes.

They come after actor Rob Lowe complained last year about how he had found it tough to further his career because of his good looks.

He told the New York Times in April 2014: ‘There’s this unbelievable bias and prejudice against quote-unquote good-looking people , that they can’t be in pain or they can’t have rough lives or be deep or interesting.

‘They can't be any of the things that you long to play as an actor. I'm getting to play those parts now and loving it. When I was a teen idol, I was so goddamn pretty I wouldn't have taken myself seriously.’