Does Appearance Matter for Men?
Do interviewers or recruiters tend to favor people who are more attractive/lean towards people who seem to have the banker look?
or
Do they just go based on all credentials?
What I mean is: Nerd vs. Jock
Lets say there is a 20 year old guy interviewing for a summer analyst position and he is average height, typical skinny frame and has acne like he is going through puberty and looks like he is 17.
And another candidate is 6' 3'' and is pretty fit. Has a older masculine face and pysique.
Would the latter candidate be more appealing to an interviewer. I'm sure I will get some monkey poo for this and people will say guys don't judge guys, but lets be honest....do people want a young looking kid working for them since these analysts will be representing their company?
Appearance is pretty important in the industry and is certainly an advantage (oftentimes a subconcious one as the interviewer will simply have an easier time taking to a better looking person.) That being said, you will definitely see some homely people with jobs.
..
I think all the little things count...
Looks (Originally Posted: 04/13/2011)
Hey,
My first post to WSO but I have been a reader here for some time. To be honest, I am a very good looking dude who has been told so for years and years by both girls and guys, and a lot of people stare at me. My question is, is this a good or bad thing for an aspiring banker (I am a junior with two boutique internships under my belt). I feel as though sure some people may be attracted to you, yet people in the industry might prejudge you as someone who is inexperienced or a "pretty-boy" who can't really handle pressure.
Thoughts? Also, forgive the pompous nature of the post. Just an honest question.
you typically need to be a 7-8 out of 10 to get an offer, and have a penis of 8+ inches to get into a megafund
i suppose it could matter a little if you'll be working face-to-face with clients all day but you're not trying to be a model. brains before hanes if ya know what i'm sayin
Derek Zoolander has entered the building
no one post
Lol I guess someone misunderstood what we mean by the term "modeling"...
In all seriousness though, the more attractive you are, the better...
common man don't be jealous
It's definitely helpful. Look up a psychological term called "The Halo Effect", wherein if somebody is attractive, people subconsciously ascribe other positive qualities to them, assuming they're better at sports, more competent at work, etc.
If can perform up to these expectations, being a good looking dude can only help you.
DO NOT FEED THE TROLLS http://arizona.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341bf80c53ef0120a532110b970c-500wi
In the off chance that you are serious: as long as you don't look like the troll in the picture, being able to do the job is more important.
not a troll bro
no homo
"I'm sorry I was born with this perfect bone structure. That my hair looks better done up with gel and mousse than hidden under a stupid hat with a light on it!"
One word, five syllables: Derek Zoolander
Do you live in San Francisco? Because no guy would tell you that you look very good. Also, the people who think that people stare at them a lot are often the fugly ones. Just saying. I think good looks is definitely a plus. What I have often wondered if a woman would hire a chick, that is hotter than she is? If there's other good candidates, which will result in less competition, why bother?
And I agree, please provide a picture, or a link to your facebook account!
Nobody cares how you look man.
But I have heard that benching 275 is a minimum.
Don't live in San Fran, definitely not posting a facebook link (hardly use it anyway). The reality is, appearance is something I'm somewhat uncomfortable about and I wouldn't come to an anonymous website to boast, just to ask. Also, guys have told me such things, and I found as fucking weird as it sounds to you all.
For men, I doubt looks hurt or help that much. For women, I think it's a different story and can swing either way. Regardless, just don't have an attitude about it on the job and you should be fine.
Dude, I did some modelling in school and HR chicks dig it. I'd clearly been googled before getting called in for interviews. Be prepared to be given a nickname and to do the rounds on email, though.
yes it does swing in your favour:
male recruiter: "paper good" female recruiter: "yes, paper good. and i like him" male recruiter: "lol k i wonder why let him thru to the next round"
psychology encyclopedia evidence http://books.google.com.au/books?id=TzIap5ODMKkC&pg=PA1204&lpg=PA1204&d…
also the famous ben gurion study http://www.ec.bgu.ac.il/monaster/admin/papers/1006_2.pdf
"Employer callbacks to attractive men are significantly higher than to men with no picture and to plain-looking men..."
just don't be stupid about it and i think you're set to be winning.
I wouldn't worry about it... Everybody on in the industry thinks they have the same problem.
Did you SERIOUSLY think that being good-looking could somehow hinder you?
I can't believe you've actually gotten thoughtful responses here.
Even the whole "good looks working against girls" thing is overblown.
If you've made the intelligence cut and you're a hot chick, you WILL do better in your interviews than an ugly chick provided you don't dress inappropriately (which applies to guys as well).
Damn man, it must be awesome to have dudes hit on you call the time... I'm Jelly
We should all totally post pics and rate each other!!
^^^do you have something you'd like to share with the group
Contrary to popular opinion, bankers are not that cool. Knowing your shit will help you a lot better than looking like Christian Bale.
If looking like Christian Bale were the sole factor then Miles Fisher would be an MD.
IMO, skinny frame and youthful appearance aren't necessarily off-putting, but things like bad acne and greasy limp hair are just really gross looking, fix that asap
lol no worries. I dont have acne
Yeah appearance matters, to the extent that you're at least presentable within an interview context. Once you sit down and start talking everything else becomes more important.
keep in mind, thpeech impediment is worse than even acne
obvi. they want social skills in their worker bees and the face/body is part of the package
Stop making fun of me!!!!!
Being good looking very rarely works against you... and it helps with 80% of life. You notice a lot of good looking people in investor relations, PWM and other heavily client-facing roles where maintaining relationships is important--- this is not surprising. The best looking people, by far, for whatever reason, are in big ticket pharmaceutical sales. You should go to a pharmy convention in las vegas. GO TO ONE!
One thing I'll say though is that being VERY good looking isn't necessarily ideal (like top 1-2% of people)... others will naturally become jealous and think you're a DB. And whenever you dress up nicely people with think you're being a total DB because you look so "over the top"--- they don't realize that when less good looking people dress like that they just look like they're "nicely dressed". (Before anyone says anything I am not talking about myself and I am not a DB who thinks I'm gods gift to the world... I am thinking of a specific analyst in my class at "tishman speyer" in London... people ripped on him all the time... not that I felt bad about it / for him... that biotch)
I mean, pharmaceuticals is the current hot-girl profession after all.
I know one chic who wants to do this and is majoring in pharma marketing. Needless to say, total smokeshow.
haha great post. I recently read an article that says that better looking men usually get the job than those that not as attractive because most HR people doing first round interviews are usually women in their 30's - 40's. Opposite is true for women, being average looking is better as the prettiest ones are subconsciously seen as a threat.
so in other words... SUIT UP
http://images1.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/Suit-Up-barney-stinson-8…
thanks fellas. appreciate it
article: http://www.minyanville.com/dailyfeed/attractive-men-get-jobs-attractive/
Skills being equal, it certainly may play a factor.
Interviewers will ask themselves "can I see this person working in the firm with me?", and if you look like the other typical good looking coworkers that the interviewer works with, then he/she may be more likely to see a fit.
I was a bit chubby not so long ago (let myself go, generally not a fat guy). Lost a bunch of weight over the past 2 months and it's amazing how people treat you differently. A lot of it has to do with your own confidence getting a boost when you know you're looking good; there's studies that show that attractive people are actually better at their jobs than unattractive ones for this reason (contrary to the belief that they coast on their looks).
I'd say there is an attractiveness threshold and as long as you're above it, your attractiveness will not play a factor in hiring decisions. I've interviewed some pretty god awful unattractive people with very high scores and while I'd love to say that I was unbias, it probably played a factor in my decision. I do one particular case where the guy I interviewed went on to get a PE job, so it is certainly possible.
Also -- I'd say that it is a lot easier to be overweight than it is to have an uber pimply face or malformed features.
Yes, appearance matters, so GROOM yourself. If someone can't comb their hair and tuck a shirt in, why on earth would they be assigned responsibility or ever be put in front of a client, especially when a legion of other candidates are available. All through life, all other things being equal, better looking people get preferential treatment. It sucks, but that's life. However, it's not the most important thing and you don't have to look like a model to get ahead, just put some effort into your appearance, and like most of the posts above say: knowing what the hell you're doing is more important, so get a haircut and then hit the books.
Remember that personality also counts for A LOT, so don't think that being gorgeous is an excuse to be an unpleasant person. How many times have you seen a HOT chick with some doofy looking dude and realize that he's just got a great personality? A good attitude will take you a lot farther than good looks alone - and if you've got both, then you've got it made
Usually it's a big dick or lots of money, or the guy manipulated her into believing one of those things. IMO, goofy guy never has a great personality, most often it's some control freak that learned to act cool in public
Eh, for the most part you're right. It's good to be good looking.....
To certain extent, Yes. No way in the world would I employ a Bloke who was unhygienic and ungroomed. I don't care if he has a 4.0 GPA from Yale. If the Bastard can't shower and remain half decent there's no way can he portray a professional image to Clients. If the Jock and the Geek are both at an acceptable standard well then you'd have pick based upon credentials.
The theory the halo effect comes into play here... It suggests that people subconsciously believe that good looking people will be good / better at tasks than people that aren't as good looking.
And there you have it boys and girls. A world where bias is unable to be extricated from everyday decisions...
I think compbanker hit the nail on the head. There's a threshold, above which it doesn't really matter. I'd offer that the threshold is presentability - if you're in a client-facing role, you should reflect well upon the firm that you're representing. If, however, you're a 120-hr-per-week monkey stuck behind excel 24/7, it would probably matter a little less.
I think this question posed misses the fact that there are probably more people inbetween the complete dweeb and the all out jock that interview for positions. I dont know how much looks help, people usually assume that the jock is like this well spoken charismatic guy and the nerd sits there with his head down and doesn't have more than two words to say, but this is not always the case. I have met really smart book worms who are very social, and jocks that hate speaking in public and are awful at interviewing.
I agree with a post earlier that says having good looks can't hurt you, it really can't, but I am not gonna go as far to say that being mildly unattractive would really hinder your job search. If you have good credentials and you can present them in a passionate and intelligent way, you will probably end up working somewhere, regardless of how you look.
seriously, unless you're a troll, it's not going to be the factor that makes/breaks you. Even then, if Donald Sutherland can make it to the A list, I think you'll be ok.....
appearance clearly matters but its not a jock vs nerd comparison.
If you look like you have an iq of 5 and a brute monkey face and are massive youll leave an equally negative impression as if you wear horrible glasses and have acne all over your face.
It's just about being good looking, very well dressed(and if research on height of CEO is of any meaning) 6"2-6"6 in height.
Stay loose & sharp.
everything matters in an interview...
Read Blink. They had a short story about how females were rarely chosen to play in the orchestra until they started implementing blind screens during performance interviews.
Nobody thought that looks mattered then, but after the blind screens were in place the amount of female players shot up.
Looks matter.
I see that some people are saying that I have oversimplified my post with the 2 extremes. I am aware of that but I was just using that as an example and was assuming they had the same qualities
I think it is dependent on the job...for eg I once worked with a quant who sucked. the guy was a mess and ended up getting canned in a matter of months. I really believe that he got hired in part because he so "looked the part" of the stereotypical quant jock..i mean he practically had his glasses taped together like in Revenge of the Nerds. It worked for him in interviews. The "Mad Genius" look also can be seen sometimes amongst PMs and established traders in the hedge fund World...I myself have pretty long hair and i used to work with a guy who literally looked homeless sometimes. He had a full beard, really long hair, and wore seriously un-Wall St clothes like vests and leather cuffs. It worked because people thought of him as thinking differently and having a unique perspective on markets and so the look fit with that. On the sell-side and especially sales looks matter more and you need a more "neutral" look...ie you need to look in a way that wont offend a hedge fund guy in NYC or an asset manager in Iowa...in general thats the way a young person needs to look because they cant risk someone being offended.
So how you have to look is all about what job you are going for...
As someone said before you just have to 'make the cut' (like numerical tests for the ones who took it for jobs in London). Then they don't really care.
So you just have to be looking decent, but they don't really ask for more. Even in sales they mostly require social skills. That being said it is easier to develop social skills when you are good looking. However don't forget one thing: IT IS A F****** GAME! You can be whoever you want to be. I am the shyest person ever (though not complexed about anything) and still when I work I just change totally and get very confident (well after all if you pay me for it ... I don't really care).
i agree with the threshold theory. also look at lloyd blankfein
A lot has been said about looking like a geek vs a jock, and ugly vs attractive. What about age? What if you are attractive but look like you should be in high school. I'm more worried about not being taken seriously because I look like a kid.
I used to date a pharma rep and can attest to the level of hotness.
FYI, I was going to work in Pharma sales back in the day. Ended up not taking a heart medication position with Merck.
sounds like this convinced me to do pharmaceutical marketing if this whole banking thing fails
yes, the nerdy PHD was a closet super-pimp. It also turned out that he was an insanely good dancer (go figure...) and was like running S%&! on the dance floor with a bunch of ladies twenty minutes after we showed up.
I walked into MS in NY and thought I was walking into a fking Brooks Brothers catalog or something
I would guess that when hiring traders they may not tend to worry about appearance as much as worrying about how good you are with math.
With M&A however, I would say they stress a little more importance on the looks as you'll be meeting with clients and you don't want to have a bunch of zit-covered guys with Jos. A Bank suits and walmart reading glasses to pitch offers to investors.
Just my opinion.
What if you're tall but a little goofy in personality? You know, like Vince Vaughn.
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