1. Your Name Does Matter for Getting Hired.

This is a tough one for many people to swallow, but the evidence is overwhelming. Sadly, white-sounding names have a 50% greater chance of receiving a callback than African-American or ethnic names, according to a 2009 study by MIT. But even recent studies confirm that very little has changed.

As much as we want to believe we are a society free from racism, we're not. If you do have a name that is very far removed from John Smith or Jane Williams, you might have a hard time getting your foot in the door. However, there is a caveat to this. Some companies that are accused of having no diversity in the workforce will actively look for candidates with those ethnic names. So, occasionally, it can work in your favor.

2. Your Sex Makes a Difference for Getting Hired.

Similarly, we have not advanced as much as we'd hoped in the sexism arena, either. A recent study from Yale showed that when identical resumes were assigned to male and female applicants, the males received higher rankings and were offered more money. This, despite the fact that the only difference between the two resumes was that one belonged to John and the other to Jennifer. Women are still underpaid compared to their male counterparts, and this looks unlikely to change in the near future. (See also: Stupid Reasons Why People Make More Money)

3. Pretty People Get All the Breaks

Beauty is worshipped in our society. We revere it, in the same way we revere rare jewels, fancy cars, and fine wines. And beauty is something that doesn't just open doors, but also the wallets of many employers. Daniel Hamermesh outlines this very well in his 2011 book "Beauty Pays: Why Attractive People Are More Successful." Those attractive people at your office (maybe you're one of them), doing exactly the same job as people less beautiful, are getting 3-4% more money in their paychecks. They start on a higher salary, and it will grow more. Over a lifetime, that adds up to a lot of money. So, why do they get the breaks? Well, people trust attractive people more. They want to be around them.

4. If You're Short, the Odds Are Not in Your Favor

It may date back to our days as hunter/gatherers, or a simple assumption that height equates to strength, but our society gives bigger breaks to taller people. A recent study of large corporations shows that the average height of a male CEO is six feet. That's three inches taller than the average height of an adult male. And we all know the wealth and success that comes with the CEO title. Women find tall men attractive, and that goes back to number three — attractive people get more money, and more breaks. Society in general finds taller men and women to be better leaders. Of course, height has nothing to do with intelligence or leadership capabilities, but this superficial difference will improve your career prospects. (See also: How to Be a Good Leader by Listening)

5. Age Is Not Just a Number

Another sad but true statistic — your age plays a big part in the job you're going for.

Although laws exist to stop age discrimination in the workforce, it doesn't stop employers from getting around them. There are many reasons for this. Some do not want to invest time and energy training an older employee who will not be around as long as a younger one. There's also the case of money. A young employee will expect less money to do the same job as someone older. And there are also assumptions that older people won't be as mentally sharp or aggressive as the younger candidate. This means that a 50-year-old with better qualifications and experience will have a harder time getting a job than a person 20 years younger with less experience.

Source: http://www.wisebread.com/10-hard-truths-about-getting-hired-that-you-dont-want-to-believe