At least my resume isn’t fake…

It seems the whole world is obsessed with how they look regardless of whether you live in a big city or the middle of nowhere. I’ve come to expect a certain level of shallowness and vanity in people (especially in the girls I date) but something is definitely wrong when career “experts” start trying to sell job seekers on the idea that looks beat experience in a competitive market.

I had to laugh when one of the surgeons in the article mentions “employers naturally tend to go to a person who looks fresher and younger, despite who is better qualified” and how cosmetic surgery “has become a necessity for some”. That’s probably true if you sell copiers, long-distance or your gig involves a stripper pole but the majority of jobs require a bit more skill and experience.

Let’s put the surgeon’s theory to the test:

You’ve been told you need life-saving surgery and must choose between two surgeons….one is ultra-hot but has no experience and the other is plain but very experienced. Who are you going to choose?

I’d choose “experience” for the surgery but would get the hot girl’s digits for later. OK...I'd probably try to get both their numbers.

I’m constantly dismayed by the lack of ethics from plastic surgeons as they try to sell how changing your physical appearance will make you a better person, give you more confidence, self-esteem, etc. Given they profit from the transaction, their motives are crystal clear (although I find it funny that 15 years ago they used to disclaim that surgery would NOT increase your self-esteem or make you feel better about yourself…welcome to the power of the dollar!).

The fact doctors now endorse cosmetic procedures is disturbing to me because it lends some credibility to the whole affair. It’s not like receiving those anonymous spam emails for penis enlargement which don’t work...well, we know they don't work now. I used to hate opening my inbox as it was always full of those emails...finally had to tell my girlfriend to stop forwarding them to me!

The article also mentions spending money for surgery can help increase your salary so let’s look at a real-life example. A friend was working for Company A making $75K (before bonus) a year. She opted to get breast enlargement for $4K and subsequently took a position at another company for $32K (no bonus). I’m no math genius but looks like a 50% pay cut after spending $4K for the surgery! The only person who could sell that kind of math as a “gain” is my broker and I plan to discuss his math skills if he'll ever return my calls.

I’ll never have cosmetic surgery just to get a job for two reasons. First, I really don't care that much about my career to actually suffer for it...I'm a professional nerd not an artist! Second, I'm hands down the best looking of my peer group which is both interesting and terribly frightening (remember, I'm a professional nerd).

I'm quite happy with the way I look and see no reason to mess up a good thing. Besides, long before I became the skilled professional of current day, I had a lucrative gig as a “before” model and that's one profession that will always be looking for average, normal guys like me!