The Perception of Experience in Visible Age

A person's visible age has a massive influence on the assumption by others of their experience and wisdom. Obviously, this visual assumption will be confirmed or not depending on the content that person provides, but there will still be some bias present.

I am 25. I observe this weekly when meeting older people in my industry who do not already know me, have not worked directly with me, or who have not already heard about me from someone else of equal age. Although extremely subtle and unintentional (I think) in most all cases, they will inevitably give off vibes of superiority.

Questions: In what ways can a younger person overcome this bias?
Does anyone have any stories exemplifying a case where this bias was conquered? How should one go about putting themselves in a social position to "move-up" among older people?

First off, let's agree there are a million different answers to these questions. Now, I will start to help get everyone else's thoughts flowing: * Listen and observe more than you speak * Stand/move with purpose and confidence (not with cockiness) * Dress well (to what extent?) * Self-educate outside of work * Surround yourself with older people? * Transition from a business relationship to a more friendly relationship over time?

In my search for similar topics, I ran across a thread started by someone asking for tips on how to look older. Link to Thread I found it funny, but honestly kind of a valid discussion and concern. Appearance of age seems to bring with it a lot of perceptual bias.

1 Comments
 

Quae ullam corrupti numquam ad fugiat eum. Aut provident occaecati occaecati consequuntur. Qui soluta iste repudiandae inventore omnis. Ea autem beatae asperiores nam.

Eveniet et ut molestias explicabo est perferendis nostrum. In voluptatum magni in officia dicta repudiandae natus. Id aperiam temporibus a sapiente voluptatem totam et.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (23) $182
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (82) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
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...”