INTRODUCTION:
Two friends were going for an interview board in a call centre company. Both of them were well dressed up and did everything they could to give a best presentation in the interview board in front of the officials. Of the two friends one had a very good CGPA and the other was ranked average. The one with good CGPA also had little previous experience in the related kind of jobs but the other friend was a novice. So, taking the best preparation for the interview both the friends faced the interview board. Both of them did well in the interview. But when the results were out, the novice friend with an average CGPA got the job but the other friend did not did not get the job. Here I want to raise my point “looks” does it really matter in professional life?

Now from the above story line if any one comes to the conclusion that good looks get more priority than academic qualifications in professional life, he or she is just coming to the conclusion in a superficial manner. On the other hand you can’t also assume that success only depends on academic qualification because it is a very controversial topic and many believe that success never depends upon only good grades. There point of view is that if success and opportunities were measured by grades then the corporate world would not ask for bio-data in resumes, where other qualifications are also mentioned. Nor would they interview the prospects in order to find out what they are like as people, rather they would give a blind appointment to the people with the best paper qualifications. So they strongly back up the view that qualifications alone are never enough, success depends upon physical characteristics, personality, and a willingness to work hard. Now, to cover up the whole thing we can say academic qualification is rather a guide to help push us in the direction to success.

BACKGROUND:

You must be very careful to know the core difference between academic qualifications and education in general. There are lot of difference in between Education and Academic Qualification. Education is defined as the process or art of imparting knowledge, skill, judgment, facts and ideas that have been learned, either formally or informally and academic qualification is defined as a quality, ability or accomplishment that makes a person suitable for a particular position or task. Academic qualification tells the person how much he/she is capable in a particular field (Pamusicg, 2007).

According to Nimko, The definition of success varies from person to person and field to field in professional life. One could take economic success in his/her profession as a key to success but someone else may look at a capacity for overcoming challenges, irrespective of what someone earns to be a key to success. So all in all success remains in the eyes of beholder, and the way one pursue one’s success in his/her life (2004).

AREAS OF RESEARCH:

For my research the first thing I searched for is

How important is academic qualifications in professional life?

I found out that from applying for a job or looking for a new business partner, people judge a person by his/her academic qualifications. No bio-data resume or curriculum vitae are acceptable without the inclusion of education qualifications. So, academic qualification can be very important in professional life.

The next question was how much good looks ever affect one’s job or salary?

I found that attractive bosses are viewed as more competent, collaborative and better delegators than their counterparts who are average good looking. Further an attractive worker makes 5% more per hour than an average-looking person, who in turn earns 9% more than their unattractive counterparts. So good looks may take a big role in professional life.

Then I researched on which sex group (male or female) gets higher priority in the job market for looks than academic qualifications?

In the work place attractive female gets high competitive advantage for good looks than male. But in some cases women tend to face discrimination when applying for "masculine" jobs traditionally dominated by men, where physical appearance is perceived as unimportant.
For example: mechanical engineer, construction supervisor, hardware salesperson etc.

On the other hand attractive male job applicants did not suffer the same discrimination as women. For men, being attractive is always a plus point.

Then I researched on what quality in between good looks and academic qualifications is strongly needed to make a strong positive first impression in the interview board?

• I found moderate looking employee with good academic qualification tops. Good looks may help get one into the door; it won’t necessarily help one move up.

• Academic qualifications alone are never enough. It is a guide to help push us in the direction to success.

• So when high academic qualification is backed by good looks then the probability of success is higher.

HYPOTHESIS:

I intend my research to pinpoint issues regarding the importance of academic qualification as well as good looks in professional life. I hope my research will help you to realize that academic qualifications do stand way ahead of good looks in professional life.

Looks play an important role in recruitment of an employee in a company, but there is no denying the fact that academic qualification is needed for getting a good job. Looks though do matter in professional life but in no case can compete with academic qualifications.

METHODOLOGY:

I have gathered the information for my primary research by making a questionnaire which consisted of twelve questions. Out of the twelve questions eleven were multiple choices and one of the questions was a broad question. The questions were mostly on how important is academic qualifications in professional life and how much good looks matter in the job field. I conducted the survey on thirty people from different organizations which consisted of both male and female, who are employed in different respectable posts. I also took informal interview of Md. Anisur Rahman, DPM- AIDS and STD program and Mr. Faisal Kabir, Branch Manager - DBBL.

For my secondary research I used the internet to gather information related to my topic. Even though I did not find information related directly to my topic, I looked into areas that were indirectly related to my topic like I searched separately for academic qualifications in professional life and separately for importance of good looks in job sector. I used articles from online search providers, WebPages, PDF files. I also used many articles from online relating to show the real life experience in the job field.

PRIMARY DATA PRESENTATION:

My primary research consists of survey questionnaire. I prepared a questionnaire related to my research topic and distributed it among my target audiences to prove my hypothesis. I have conducted the survey among 30 people. The data I got is shown on the table below:

|# of question |Option |
| |A (%) |
|9. |N/A |
10.1227421911.8283727

PRIMARY DATA ANALYSIS:
Do you agree that good looks ever affect one’s job or salary?

This is the first question and I wanted to know how much good looks do affect one’s job or salary.
On a scale of 100%, approximately 39% agree, 26% neutral, 32% disagree and only 3%strongly agree.
This gives us a view that looks matter in professional life, but not in extreme sense. That’s why the percentage or people who are agreeing and percentage of people who are disagreeing are almost equal. Many people tend to be neutral also.

How important is high academic qualifications in professional life?

From this question I was interested to know that how much value is given to the academic qualifications by different people.
From this chart we can see that “somewhat important” tops the rank by 54%, followed by extremely important 40% and 6% not at all and neutral no one. It signifies that in total 94% of questionnaires believe that academic qualification is needed in professional life.
So from here it can be said that academic qualification represents a very strong position in professional life.

You would prefer to work with those people who are physically attractive or high academically qualified or both physically attractive and high academically qualified?

This question was asked to understand that people prefer what qualities in their co-workers.
From this chart of preference to work with people, both looks and qualifications tops high with 54%, then high academically qualified 30% followed by physical attractiveness 16%.
In here though high preference for both looks and qualification but high academically qualified people are liked double in compare to physically attractive people in the work place. So we can see academic qualification is valued much high, in compare to good looks in the work field.

Do you feel that if you were little more physically attractive it would have been easier for you to get a job with high salary, higher post or a better job (in future)?
[pic]
This question was asked to see whether there is any discrimination in the work field for good looks, and how my questionnaires feel about their looks.
The answer I got is 18% strongly agree with needing good looks (Yes, that’s why I’m frustrated), 29% preferred the option “Yes, but not to an extreme level”. 14% people were neutral and majority of the people (39%) believe that it is not at all important.
This again reflects that only physical attractiveness is not a strong back up to succeed in professional life.

5)0Which sex group gets higher priority in professional life for physical attractiveness?
[pic]

In here, female leads the priority with high margin in compare to male, showing that in the work force female gets high competitive advantage for good looks than male. But in some cases women tend to face discrimination when applying for "masculine" jobs traditionally dominated by men, where physical appearance is perceived as unimportant. For example: mechanical engineer, construction supervisor, hardware salesperson etc. That’s why 46% people choose the option depends upon the job.

6)0 What is needed to have a strong positive first impression in the interview board?
[pic]

This question was asked to understand that what is actually important to have the first impression in interview board.
For the above question, 42% respondents feels both moderate looks and qualification is needed to have a strong first impression, 27% respondents focused on having high academic qualifications and last 12% pointed out good looks. Some people also said that strong reference is also important.
So we come to the summary that to have a strong positive first impression in the interview board good looks is important when it is backed by good academic qualification. But only a good look is not a strong backup in giving first positive strong impression.

7) In between good looks and high academic qualification what matters more at the beginning of you career and what matters more when you get experienced?
[pic] [pic] [pic]
This is a bit critical question and focuses on understanding the importance of good looks and academic qualifications in different stages of job life.
According to the data collected from sample questionnaire, 43% thinks that at the beginning of the career looks matter most. Other 57% think that at the beginning of the career academic qualification matters more. On the other hand only 23% think that looks matter most when someone becomes experienced. 77% people think that academic qualification matter most when someone becomes experienced.
The result shows at the beginning of the career both looks and academic qualification might be equally important. But when a person become experienced then academic qualification is more important than looks to be successful.

To summarize my primary research I would say that there is no alternative to having high academic qualifications. Good looks in no way can compete with high academic qualifications in professional life. Though without higher academic qualifications some people reaches to the tip of fame, but in the long run most of the time they turn out to be failures. Only having good looks can give brief moments of success but to survive in the long run one definitely needs high academic qualification. Good looks will only add some extra value.

SECONDARY DATA ANALYSIS:
According to Nisaar Nadiadwala, success in professional life differs from person to person and field to field. One can take economic success as a key point to reaching ones goal and someone else can take capacity for overcoming challenges, irrespective of what he/she earns as a nature of reaching ones goal. He states that whether one is applying for a job or looking for a new business partner, the first thing people ask is, "what do you do?" In other words people judge one by ones academic qualification. No bio-data resume or curriculum vitae are acceptable without the inclusion of education qualifications. Therefore it is an unannounced rule of both the corporate world and the social world that a man's acquisition of academic qualifications is a giant leap towards opportunities in every walk of life. He points out that success in ones professional life is about making the most of one’s talents and abilities, and that requires dedication and study in academic institutions that will stretch one intellectually and show one the way to excel in ones professional life. He also points out that high academic qualification is needed to be successful in facing the interview board because good academic qualifications give a positive point of view to the employers in the interview board of the students hard ships in mastering demanding skills and learning a great deal of specialist knowledge.

Next I focused on the question, do academic qualifications matter much when pursuing success in career like being a model, singer, photographer or an actor? Here I have found these people are self-employed business person, who has to have knowledge of contracts, advertising, budgeting, public relations, tax preparation, communication, etc (Gilliam, 2008). If he or she can't handle all of these things, he or she cannot be able to sustain in the business. Uneducated people may have brief moments of fame, but they don't stay in the business for long because they have to remain afloat in the mercy of many sharks and con-men that swarm around famous people.

Next I focused on the question Can sex appeal advance ones career? As we all know we live in a visually-oriented society and there’s no question that looks matter a lot. Research indicates that appearance does matter in the workplace. It is found that unattractive people earn less than average-looking people, who in turn make less than the good-looking ones. To be more specific an attractive worker makes 5% more per hour than an average-looking person, who in turn earns 9% more than their unattractive counterparts. It is also found not only do pretty people earn more; they also receive more promotions during their careers than their homely counterparts. Further attractive bosses were viewed as more competent, collaborative and better delegators than their homely counterparts. But many researchers caution that while good looks may help get one into the door, it won’t necessarily help one move up.
I have also focused on finding that what employers look for while they are recruiting employees? According to Dubner (2008), the first thing recruiters look while selecting a new employee is a university degree. Then they take into account other qualifications or skills like communication, team work, interpersonal skills etc. But in most of the cases physical attractiveness is not given higher priority.
Then I looked into different professional career which one can achieve if he/she has high academic qualifications. Side by side I have also looked into professional career one can achieve if one has good looks without being high academically qualified. Here I’ve found that in most of the cases for high academic qualified people the professions are civil engineering, computer science, economics, marketing, accounting etc. These are very prestigious as well as financially well balanced. In contrast, good looking less academically qualified people are in career like sales Representative, waiting staff, care Assistants, customer Service assistant etc These are mediocre jobs with less money (Academic qualification, ensure success in life, 2006).
So to summarize my secondary research analysis I can say that good looks do bring success in the short run but one suffers if he or she predicts that looks will give a competitive advantage in the long run career success. Most powerful and famous people look like ordinary average individuals. Looks will fade away as you grow up but job skill will always increase throughout your professional career.

LIMITATIONS:
There are few limitations I faced while finding my secondary research. I did not find any information directly linked to my topic for my secondary research. I had to search every topic separately and link them together to make a logical assortment between all my findings.
Also I did not have that much time to contribute to the project due to time constraint. I had pressure from other courses as well. I have really enjoyed doing the research and would love to make the report more accurate if I had more time.

CONCLUSION:
A good look is certainly an asset, which can only take you so far in your career when you are backed by academic qualifications. There are few jobs where good looking people are needed. But anyone day dreaming of pursuing a high profile career with only good looks is sure to reach a dead end very quickly. So it can be said that my hypothesis is completely correct. Academic qualifications do stand way ahead of good looks in professional life. Looks though do matter in professional life but in no case can compete with academic qualifications. There are many cases where looks is unnecessarily given more priority. This is unethical and should be considered as discrimination. To overcome this situation bosses or recruiters’ mentality or attitude needs to be changed. They shouldn’t give more priority to someone only because of good looks. Looks can only be used as an additional advantage in professional life. But to enrich your career with success, academic qualification is must. Success in ones professional life is about making the most of one’s talents and abilities, and that requires dedication and taking proper education (Either formal or informal) that will stretch one intellectually and show one the way to excel in ones professional life.

REFERENCES:
Singh, S., Tarafdar, S., Kumar, A., Durga Rao, V. (2009), Academic qualification, ensure success in life. Retrieved July 23, 2010, from http://www.graduates.com/ForumComments.aspx?si=323570&ti...
Gilliam, P., Academic qualification for business success. Retrieved August 03, 2010, from http://www.helium.com/.../745599-academic-qualification-for-business-success
Pamusicg. (March 31, 2007), Are academic qualifications/ intelligence/ language skills important for success as a model/ singer/ dancer? Retrieved August 03, 2010, from http://wiki.answers.com/.../Is_there_any_education_required_to_be_a_model - Cached - Similar
Chang, S., Can Sex Appeal Advance Your Career? Retrieved July 27, 2010, from http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/...Is...Professional-Life/523447 -
Nadiadwala, N. (May 21, 2009), Academic qualifications are commonly felt to give a person the best chance of success in life. How far is this true? Retrieved July 18, 2010, from http://www.sleepywood.net/forum/showthread.php?p=9855087 -
Dubner, S.J. (September 29, 2008), Do Good Grades Predict Success? Retrieved August 13, 2010, from http://www.helium.com/.../952044-do-you-really-need-an-education-to-succeed-in-life-
Shepard, G., Is Being Attractive a Career Asset or Liability? Retrieved July 18, 2010, from http://www.kaludance.com/ -

Dubner, S.J. (July 10, 2008), How Much Do Looks Matter? Retrieved August 01, 2010, from http://www.dearcupid.org/.../do-good-looking-people-get-advantages-in-life.html
Hunting, J. (May 9th, 2008), Should I put my picture on my resume? Retrieved July 18, 2010, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.../make-yourself-more-attrac_b_448240.html -
Nimko, M. (September 2009). Why I Like to Hire Ugly People? Retrieved August 01, 2010, from http://www.kaludance.com/ -

APPENDIX