Relationship of Physical Appearance and Professional Demeanor to Interview Evaluations and Rankings of Medical Residency Applicants

Summary

Faculty members rated 54 applicants to a medical residency training program on their social skills and professional commitment. Independent ratings of the candidates' physical attractiveness, neatness and grooming, and (for 18 of these applicants) professional demeanor also were obtained. Professional demeanor ratings were related significantly to the faculty interview ratings of professional commitment and to the subsequent final rankings of the 10 male and the eight female applicants for whom demeanor ratings were available. Ratings of neatness and grooming were related significantly to the faculty interview ratings of social skills and to the subsequent final rankings of the 21 female applicants but not for the 33 male applicants. Physical attractiveness ratings were not related significantly to the faculty interview ratings or the final rankings of candidates of either sex. These data suggest that physical appearance may have had some effect on the interview evaluations and selection of female applicants, and that professional demeanor had a marked influence on the evaluation and selection of both male and female applicants.