Are you hurting your career by not wearing make-up?

A quarter of company bosses admit they are more likely to employ a woman who wears make-up than one who doesn't, according to a new survey.

A quarter of directors at UK companies feel that women without make-up cannot be professional, with the majority of bosses of both sexes saying women wearing make-up look more professional than those who don't.

The survey also showed that more female than male directors were likely to be prejudiced against women in business who didn't wear make-up, with 63% saying women looked unprofessional without a layer of face-paint, compared to 52% of men. Over a third of directors feel that women who fail to wear make-up to an interview look as if they 'cannot be bothered'.

The Equal Opportunities Commission called the decision by directors not to employ women without make-up as 'nonsensical' today. Dress and smartness is understandable but wearing make-up should not be an expectation. "Any employer judging future employees by whether they wear make-up rather than the talent they have is nonsensical. Women can use it to feel more confident but it should not be an expectation," the EOC said.

Khalid Aziz, chairman of The Aziz Corporation who commissioned the survey, however, believes that make-up can be a necessary part of working life for women as business increasingly revolves around image.

"Even in this age of political correctness it seems appearance remains vital in creating a successful first impression. This is because effective business communication works on both a spoken and unspoken level. Wearing make-up does not make someone better at their job than someone who does not, but looking well groomed always conveys professionalism. Paying attention to the details of appearance portrays a confident business image," he said.

Stephen Alambritis, of the Federation for Small Businesses, said the way potential employees present themselves when they first meet bosses is vital. "At the recruitment stage, first impressions are very important. Hopefully they will all be overridden by ensuring the employer gets the best person for the job, hopefully that will not be on the quality of make-up."

"Appearance, along with punctuality, manner, the ability to speak clearly, enthusiasm and knowledge are key things employers look for. Being smart and well presented is very important at the interview stage, but don't forget the very first impression employers get of potential employees is the CV. That is what first gets the notice of the employer in terms of bringing someone in for interview", he said.

The survey was commissioned by The Aziz Corporation, a communications consultancy firm, as part of a wider study on the kinds of presentation skills employers look for.

And according to a recent Wall Street Journal article about how much appearance rated when headhunters call on women; about 85 percent of recruiters urged "discreet makeup". None of the tipsters suggested not wearing makeup at all.

This article may contain 3rd party information. thatsthejob.com has made every effort possible to ensure that this information is correct and accurate.