Would you ding someone who doesn't dress well?

So, an undergrad comes in for an interview for an FT or SA position.

I would think that anyone that wants to get into IBD or Finance in general will have done extensive research on how to break in, and will therefore have read WSO threads on the matter, M&I etc.

If I saw someone who has obviously not read up on how they should dress, and they're wearing square toe shoes and the works, I would see it as someone who either doesn't care enough to make sure nothing is left to chance, or someone who thinks he's too good to dress the way bankers want him to dress, which would tell me that this person obviously won't be OK taking shit from VPs and doing the "unimportant" grunt work, because he fancies himself better than that.

The reason I'm asking is because today at the careers fair people were truly dressed horribly. Loads of people with black blasers and grey trousers, ugly ass shoes etc.

Of course, many people don't have money to dish out, and I wouldn't ding someone because his get up looks cheap. But you can do cheap and still look presentable.

25 Comments
 
BoreedSo, an undergrad comes in for an interview for an FT or SA position.

I would think that anyone that wants to get into IBD or Finance in general will have done extensive research on how to break in, and will therefore have read WSO threads on the matter, M&I etc.

If I saw someone who has obviously not read up on how they should dress, and they're wearing square toe shoes and the works, I would see it as someone who either doesn't care enough to make sure nothing is left to chance, or someone who thinks he's too good to dress the way bankers want him to dress, which would tell me that this person obviously won't be OK taking shit from VPs and doing the "unimportant" grunt work, because he fancies himself better than that.

The reason I'm asking is because today at the careers fair people were truly dressed horribly. Loads of people with black blasers and grey trousers, ugly ass shoes etc.

Of course, many people don't have money to dish out, and I wouldn't ding someone because his get up looks cheap. But you can do cheap and still look presentable.

Would you ding someone for spelling or grammar mistakes? Because you would be dinged... luckily for us, you do not recruit

 

No, but I would ding someone who is so full of himself or herself that they look with disdain at those who, heaven forbid, wear square toe shoes or "ugly ass shoes" to a career fair.

 

No, I wouldn't ding someone that didn't dress well. It wont help if they are way out there, but if I like their personality and think they would make a good fit and actually know something about finance, I would be just fine with it. If they were unkempt, then that would be a different story. Not knowing what's "stylish" would not make me turn down someone that otherwise would be a good fit and addition to our team. It'd be an Analyst or Associate for fucks sake. Not like I have to worry about them making a bad impression on clients. They would also get on point and dress better once they saw how other people dress. Just cause you don't know what's up initially due to a lack of exposure doesn't mean you wont.

"It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed." Theodore Roosevelt
 
Something CreativeNo, I wouldn't ding someone that didn't dress well. It wont help if they are way out there, but if I like their personality and think they would make a good fit and actually know something about finance, I would be just fine with it. If they were unkempt, then that would be a different story. Not knowing what's "stylish" would not make me turn down someone that otherwise would be a good fit and addition to our team. It'd be an Analyst or Associate for fucks sake. Not like I have to worry about them making a bad impression on clients. They would also get on point and dress better once they saw how other people dress. Just cause you don't know what's up initially due to a lack of exposure doesn't mean you wont.

This--I could completely see myself dinging someone for looking overly sloppy/not putting themselves together well, but in no way would I autoding someone who hadn't looked at the "Business Attire/Fashion" section of WSO. I was naive at one point and got my shit together before interviews, but it is in no way an autoding if someone rolls in with square toed shoes, especially if he goes on to kill the interview. It doesn't in any way show lack of preparation, especially if it's obvious they went balls out preparing for technicals and whatnot (i.e. the actual important shit)

 
Best Response
leveRAGE.
Something CreativeNo, I wouldn't ding someone that didn't dress well. It wont help if they are way out there, but if I like their personality and think they would make a good fit and actually know something about finance, I would be just fine with it. If they were unkempt, then that would be a different story. Not knowing what's "stylish" would not make me turn down someone that otherwise would be a good fit and addition to our team. It'd be an Analyst or Associate for fucks sake. Not like I have to worry about them making a bad impression on clients. They would also get on point and dress better once they saw how other people dress. Just cause you don't know what's up initially due to a lack of exposure doesn't mean you wont.

This--I could completely see myself dinging someone for looking overly sloppy/not putting themselves together well, but in no way would I autoding someone who hadn't looked at the "Business Attire/Fashion" section of WSO. I was naive at one point and got my shit together before interviews, but it is in no way an autoding if someone rolls in with square toed shoes, especially if he goes on to kill the interview. It doesn't in any way show lack of preparation, especially if it's obvious they went balls out preparing for technicals and whatnot (i.e. the actual important shit)

Good answer. I guess I got the wrong impression regarding the importance placed by bankers on that type of stuff. Reading WSO and M&I I figured bankers will look at every detail when interviewing, and the "how to dress" article on M&I seemed to suggest that square toe shoes were a huge no-no.

Thanks for not being an idiot like one of the above posters dissing my English skills, fully unaware that English is my 4th language and he's probably a hillbilly undergrad from Iowa. Oh, and I can write in two alphabets and 5 languages motherfucker.

Anyway, leveRAGE, now I know that it's not that important. Cheers fella.

 

wutta poser

If your dreams don't scare you, then they are not big enough. "There are two types of people in this world: People who say they pee in the shower, and dirty fucking liars."-Louis C.K.
 
BoreedSo, an undergrad comes in for an interview for an FT or SA position.

I would think that anyone that wants to get into IBD or Finance in general will have done extensive research on how to break in, and will therefore have read WSO threads on the matter, M&I etc.

If I saw someone who has obviously not read up on how they should dress, and they're wearing square toe shoes and the works, I would see it as someone who either doesn't care enough to make sure nothing is left to chance, or someone who thinks he's too good to dress the way bankers want him to dress, which would tell me that this person obviously won't be OK taking shit from VPs and doing the "unimportant" grunt work, because he fancies himself better than that.

The reason I'm asking is because today at the careers fair people were truly dressed horribly. Loads of people with black blasers and grey trousers, ugly ass shoes etc.

Of course, many people don't have money to dish out, and I wouldn't ding someone because his get up looks cheap. But you can do cheap and still look presentable.

Squared toe shoes? C'mon, use a little common sense. Despite the fact I think they're ugly shoes, wouldn't move the needle an inch if I believed the kid was a great catch. Would likely give that person shit about it if / when they started, but solely in jest.

That said, I know for a fact that a poor presentation with your dress can negatively effect you. In my experience, there's a significant correlation between the overall quality of a candidate and their dress during interviews. Dressing the part is the easiest box to check prepping for an interview. If you are completely naive on how to dress professionally, to me that's indicative of a lack of other basic intangibles.

Ace all your PE interview questions with the WSO Private Equity Prep Pack: http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/guide/private-equity-interview-prep-questions
 

I have square toed shoes from when I was in high school and don't even have a suit atm... I'll have to buy some cheaper suit stuff soon, but if you give me a job I'll buy better stuff. I promise ;)

If your dreams don't scare you, then they are not big enough. "There are two types of people in this world: People who say they pee in the shower, and dirty fucking liars."-Louis C.K.
 
scottj19x89I have square toed shoes from when I was in high school and don't even have a suit atm... I'll have to buy some cheaper suit stuff soon, but if you give me a job I'll buy better stuff. I promise ;)

I was basing off what M&I wrote. I went to a BNP interview in $15 shoes, cos my budget was tight. I didn't mean going with cheap clothes or anything, but going into an interview in grey pants, black blaser and a shirt with no tie or something would tell me that the person is either too arrogant to care, or really hasn't made the effort to learn the dress code.

I agree that technicals and how he interviews is what actually matters, but first impressions are extremely important, and if I get two guys that are equally good in the interview, I will choose the one who went the extra mile/ is not so arrogant as to think he's the exception to the rule in terms of dress code.

 
hawkua^^^ Agree. Now, reversing the question - what would be the best outfit for interview? Blue suit, white shirt, red tie, black classic shoes? Any variations?

Red tie is too much for a junior person. Suit color could be grey or blue, don't do anything fancy with the patterns. Don't wear black shoes with a navy suit. Match the belt to the shoes (reasonably well at least). Cuff links make it seem like you want to be important, don't do that.

 
Ravenous
hawkua^^^ Agree. Now, reversing the question - what would be the best outfit for interview? Blue suit, white shirt, red tie, black classic shoes? Any variations?

Red tie is too much for a junior person. Suit color could be grey or blue, don't do anything fancy with the patterns. Don't wear black shoes with a navy suit. Match the belt to the shoes (reasonably well at least). Cuff links make it seem like you want to be important, don't do that.

Is a red tie really too much for a junior person? Too strong?

 

What you wear is the first impression someone gets of you. That forms the basis for their opinion of you along with your personality, etc. It is important that you get the basics right and don't look like a clown. Properly fitted clothing, groomed, ironed shirts and non scuffed up shoes. After that it is all icing on the cake. I'll admit I absolutely love clothing and really do take pride in how I look, plus I always like trying new and different styles etc. To each his own, but it helps to remember that you are constantly selling yourself and looking the part is very important especially in a profession which lends itself towards vanity and salesmanship.

Tech guys are their own breed. For every zuckerberg wearing a hoodie saying "fuck you" to those who doubted them I'm certain there are countless smart guys who tried the same thing and ended up flat on their ass. Strike a balance and leave it at that. There are a lot of very, very smart people out there who dress and look the part as well as kill it. Yes I think it is an issue to some extent but then again I don't think tech guys are having too much trouble getting money at the moment so what the hell do I know haha.

 

When you can sit on your laptop and hack out a billion dollar idea in a few days, no one fucking cares what you dress like. They don't have to impress clients as for the most part they never actually meet the clients. If you are trying to compare banking to tech do us a favor and don't.

Follow the shit your fellow monkeys say @shitWSOsays Life is hard, it's even harder when you're stupid - John Wayne
 

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