If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so is the job.
Just ask Maria Letona, who was an unemployed mother of two in June. Now she is the PR director of the Greater Miami Youth Symphony.
And she says it's all because she decided to get a little face work done to improve her appearance and her confidence. Letona was one of 37 unemployed South Floridians who won a free Botox and face touch up contest aimed at giving them a better shot at a job.
While the premise might sound vain and even discriminatory that people would be hired based on looks, Letona decided it was worth the risk.
"I would have never got this job if I go to Dr. (Jason) Shapiro," said Letona, who received a chemical peel. "It did exactly what they promised."
Ten other contest winners have also netted jobs in the short time since their procedures, even as unemployment numbers continue to rise, making it even more crowded on the job hunt. The growing trend around the nation for job hunters has been to get a little cosmetic surgery to look younger and better than the competition.
Shapiro, who practices out of Fort Lauderdale, said a little peel here and there can go a long way in getting your foot in the door for a potential job. Most people don't need the more expensive plastic surgery.
Also, the added boost in confidence when someone tells you how good you look doesn't hurt.
"You can really make a difference in how they look and feel," Shapiro told the Miami Herald. "That's exactly what we're trying to do."
