Jobseekers are willing to refuse jobs if they do not like the look of a company’s CEO because the Enron and Worldcom scandals have eroded trust in business leaders.

Nearly eight out of 10 jobseekers in the survey by online recruitment site totaljobs.com said that the CEO’s reputation is an important factor when applying for a job.

And three-quarters would be put off applying for the position if the CEO had a poor reputation.

Most-admired boss was Richard Branson, gaining 68% of the vote.

Easyjet’s Stelios Haji-Ioannou came a distant second with 18% of the vote.

Nine out of 10 job seekers added that a company’s values were also important when considering applying for a job.