Keep my 'rona beard for FT analyst start?

The topic of keeping/wearing a beard has been on WSO before, but not in the unique 'rona situation of a virtual start. I grew a very neat and trimmed short beard early on in the quarantine, and I love it. Less maintenance than regularly shaving my whole face, and it fits my face well. Works starts very soon, and I am faced with the tough decision of whether to keep it.

I'm rejoining the group I worked in last summer, which has a great culture and is generally very chill; very happy to have ended up there after a long recruiting process during school. At least one associate has a light beard like mine, and one of the MDs has grown one out during quaratine. There are definitely a few analysts from other groups at the bank that also wear very neat beards. Also, it wouldn't surprise me if a few of the analysts in my group have started sporting them while working from home.

I'm not really worried about having it during training, as I will mostly be dealing with just my analyst class and the third-party training co, but should I keep my beloved beard when I hit the desk? I may have answered my question already, but I'd genuinely appreciate some unbiased input.

2 Comments
 
Most Helpful

People will have different opinions and experiences on this - I personally have a short one (had pre-quarantine too, like a 2 on the clippers) and know a number of other bankers who rock the beard too.

Hard to tell what it will be like post-quarantine (I've seen some of the most prim and proper MDs at my firm grow some gnarly beards during this) so should probably should judge more off what you saw last summer.

Make sure it actually looks good though - so many guys out there who have disgusting looking patchy beards and it is just not a good look (professionally or otherwise)

 

Magnam eveniet ab sint quibusdam quod at nihil beatae. Ipsam numquam alias voluptas illum id et. Totam illum minus consequatur. Nostrum esse excepturi omnis.

Ullam et facere ex dolorum vitae repudiandae laboriosam incidunt. Quia aliquid et voluptates ex rerum non. Accusamus hic voluptate ut. Et perspiciatis ut adipisci aut unde et eos.

Rerum ipsum in reprehenderit deleniti. Et quas et asperiores et nihil. Quisquam nam cum molestiae sit aut. Quaerat aut neque odio porro. Inventore cumque incidunt dolorem quis. Ullam vel nobis et molestias.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (66) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”