Career Lessons from Fey's Playing Palin

Updated October 17th at 2:30pm

Watch out Tina Fey, Sarah Palin will be appearing as herself this weekend on Saturday Night Live (STOCK QUOTE: GE). Since the Republican party announced Sarah Palin as the Republican Vice Presidential nominee, SNL, along with other news outlets, have been capitalizing on her popularity. SNL’s ratings have doubled as of late due to Tina Fey’s spot-on portrayal of Sarah Palin. Remember: It is all live so anything can happen his Saturday Night on SNL.

Tina Fey's ability to impersonate Governor Palin’s all-American (Joe six-pack?) accent contribute to the skits’ believability, the physical similarities shared by Palin and Fey stand key to their success. Hence, the glasses, that tidy hairdo, and uh, the face – it’s hard to imagine an actress better fitted for the role.

Now Fey's Palin-like looks may have helped her cash in another way too: The funny woman just snared a reported $6 million book advance.

So does having the right look mean your are more likely to succeed at work?

Do Good Looks Guarantee Success?
The question came up earlier in the election season, before Barack Obama even won the primaries. At the time, rapper and actor Mos Def shared his theory as to why Obama had a pretty good chance of edging out Hilary Clinton: His handsome face.

"When I saw [Obama] on the cover of Men's Vogue, I said, 'This guy's gonna win because he looks good,’" the rapper told Rolling Stone. "America's too vain, and [Obama] appeals to America's sense of vanity. People also want a rock-star quality to the president, which he has."

Mos Def 's comments were not far off. Style is often thought to be more valuable than substance, says Gordon Patzer, author of LOOKS: Why They Matter More Than You Ever Imagined. “Physically attractive people are perceived to be more likable, more intelligent, more trustworthy, and more of an expert in their field,” says Patzer. And while beauty is in the eye of the beholder, there are objective determinants on which physical attractiveness can be judged; height, hair and weight. America has not elected a president who is under the national height average of 5 feet 9 inches, since Benjamin Harrison in 1888, and has not elected a bald president since Dwight Eisenhower in 1953. So far so good for Obama. He is 6 feet 1½ inches, has a full head of hair, and he loves playing basketball.

Pretty People, Handsome Profits
Physical attractiveness can also be a boon in the business world. “People who are tall are literally looked up to, and more likely to be influential,” says Patzer, who adds that the average CEO is 6 feet tall. Meanwhile, a recent University of Pittsburgh survey reports that their tallest student’s average starting salary was 12% higher than that of their shorter colleagues.

According to Patzer, good looking people are more likely to be hired, promoted, and receive a higher starting income. Daniel Hamermesh author of the study Changing Looks and Changing “Discrimination”: The Beauty of Economists says, when all other factors are constant, in the U.S. men in the top third of looks will earn about 5% more than the majority of men in the middle looks-wise. The least comely, those in the bottom 15% of looks, will earn about 10% less than those in the middle. (For women the differences are similar, but somewhat smaller.)

Even the employers of pretty people do better. Hamermesh’s studies suggest that companies that hire good looking people tend to turn a higher profit. Why? According to Patzer, lookers are more inspirational. “People are more willing to do things when asked by someone of high physical attractiveness, than someone of low physical attractiveness,” says Patzer.

But getting ahead in business does not necessarily meaning rushing out to the plastic surgeon before your next big meeting. Instead, just dress your best. “Simply dressing well will improve not only how a person feels about himself or herself but also how others perceive them," says Patzer. "It raises a person’s self-esteem.”