Frustrated older workers are discovering that all their decades of experience—not to mention all their wrinkles—are hurting their chances of finding jobs. So, to give off a more youthful appearance and boost the likelihood of getting hired, many out-of-work Baby Boomers are fudging their resumes and electing for cosmetic surgery.
Spending money can often improve your chances of earning money. Money spent on education and special training, for instance, can lead to a decent-paying career—or at least it should in theory.
The Chicago Tribune reports that older workers are dropping tens of thousands of dollars in a much different way in order to give themselves a boost in today’s extremely competitive job market: They’re going under the knife.
While most older job-seekers know the importance of keeping their skills current, some are applying that same advice to their faces. From orthodontics to eyelifts — and everything in between — they are turning to such enhancements to gain an edge in the workplace.
Facelifts, eye lifts, Botox, laser peels, teeth whitening, and hair loss treatment are among the popular options carefully considered—especially by workers expected to regularly interact with the public. One’s appearance has always mattered in fields such as sales, but plastic surgeons say there’s been a surge in lawyers, real estate agents, and finance workers coming in for cosmetic surgery.
Whereas vanity may have been the primary factor for these procedures in the past, nowadays, someone considering going under the knife can justify the expense as a career investment, even if it only boosts one’s self-esteem—because the idea is that if you’re more confident, you’ll do better at your job, or you’ll stand in a crowded field of applicants. If you’re especially “experience” or “mature” (a.k.a., you’re old), recruiters sometimes also suggest that you omit or somehow finesse (a.k.a., lie) about key dates that’d give you away as a geezer.
I suppose dropping $10,000 on a facelift and a chemical peel for one’s career makes about as much sense as paying a $25,000 reward for a solid job referral—which one marketing consultant offered recently. Actually, the facelift is much cheaper, and apparently a younger appearance helps people get (or keep) their jobs. But does a person with tighter skin and fewer wrinkles actually do their job better?
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