There are some questions that might seem to have obvious answers and there are some questions with answers that change as we progress through life.

My question to you today is one that I have debated with colleagues for decades. I hope you will join me in this debate because I’m interested in reader input.

The question really revolves over whether or not our looks determine our success.

I remember having an intense debate over that question more than 20 years ago.

A few of my male buddies were insisting they could tell who would get hired and who wouldn’t simply by the applicant’s looks and physique.

I argued it was qualifications that would determine who got hired.

This friendly debate raged on for months with both sides continuing to argue their point.

I finally concluded our difference in opinion was shaped by the kind of work we do.

My buddies worked in computer technology and accounting. I, on the other hand, am a writer, a career where it didn’t matter how you look. It’s how you write that will make or break your success.

Well, attitude also plays a major role in job success. A major study in Psychology Today concluded that attitude was far more important in job success than high intellect or a stellar academic background.

Nothing in the study measured how far one could go based on looks.

So my buddies kept arguing the point with me.

I finally agreed with one of their assertions but added my own caveat. How you look might get a job applicant in the door. But how they perform will determine their success after that.

I have to digress and tell a funny little story about when I was first hired as a journalist. At the time in our county, I was the first female hired as a general assignment reporter. But the publisher was worried readers wouldn’t accept me if they knew I was a female. He insisted I write under the name of Pat, not Pattie.

That first year I had two promotions and the publisher asked me to write a weekly column. I told him I would but I would no longer use Pat as my first name. By then, most people in our small town knew I wasn’t a guy.

Meanwhile, my friends in other fields kept giving me examples of how looks helped attractive women get in the door.

On occasion over the years I talked with some bosses who admitted their hiring decisions were influences by looks and physique. One business owner justified hiring based on looks because he said his employees are the face of his business that people see.

Another fellow who ran a dance studio said he hired strictly by looks because it enticed more students.

By the way, subsequent studies show that attractive job candidates are given preference much of the time. Also, tall men also have an edge, according to the studies.

But I will still argue getting in the door and staying there are two different things.

I can’t believe that debate is still going on in my family.

My normally astute older daughter made the surprising observation that my granddaughter Sophie will be guaranteed success because of her good looks.

Both Sophie’s mother and I strongly objected to that. We find it offensive. No one works harder than Sophie at everything she does. That’s what will make her successful, not her looks, we insist.

The debate rages on.

Granted, there are certain jobs where good looks are part of the unspoken requirements. If you’re going to have your face magnified on the big screen, it’s to your advantage of have appealing looks.

The same must be true for female anchors. There’s a cookie-cutter look that must be in place when female anchors are hired. Why else would viewer see one attractive face over another. Oh, don’t forget long hair. That seems to be a requirement, too.

Remember way back in 1991 when Katie Couric was named co-anchor of the “Today Show”? She brought with her an outstanding resume that showed an accomplished woman with many media awards to her credit. Yet, I remember wondering why talk show personalities kept saying they “were surprised a woman with short hair was hired for the job.”

She didn’t have “the look” they expected. But right from the start, the audience loved her.

OK, you tell me. Do we still expect television personalities to have a certain look? Scan through the channels and you’ll have your answer.

A long time ago two women who worked at a certain local industry came to ask me to do a story about how that company promoted only on looks. They provided a list they said verified that was true.

Well, first off, that wasn’t the kind of story I write. Secondly, it was all based on assumptions.

Of course I refused to write it.

A decade later here I am revisiting the issue. This time, I’d like your input.

Tell me your impressions and experiences.

Do you think attractive job candidates are looked upon more favorably?

It may be a moot point now because many employers are having a hard time finding workers who will stay on the job.

In your viewpoint, how has the pandemic changed the employment picture?

Contact Pattie Mihalik at newsgirl@comcast.net.