Physique matters?

Does physique matter in IB interviews? So this happened this week :

One of my good friends who's been going to the gym since he was 14 got an IB interview call. So generally the procedure was Telephonic > Technical 1 > HR > Technical 2, this was for every other applicant. So this guy goes into Technical one and the associate(male) complimented his physique a lot throughout the interview, next he goes into HR (female), this was probably the shortest HR interview ever, lasted about 5 minutes and again was complimented for the physique. The guy gets selection call after just 2 days without even going into the Technical 2.

Has something like this happened with any of you?

 
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Your looks do matter - there are studies that show they matter.

Especially in a situation where there are tons of overqualified candidates fighting for a job.. subconsciously I think most people would think there was a naturally better "fit" with a candidate who embodies traits that they'd like to have themselves.

I for one, notice that I enjoy talking to and am more invested in conversations with people that I find attractive than people I don't find attractive. It's just subconscious.

At the end of the day, you don't live in a completely fair and equitable world, and you should probably try to improve your physique, appearance and perception as much as you can because it can help you in many ways, from relationships to sales to jobs and much more.

Some studies:

*"It turns out that how attractive a candidate is can have a huge impact on their chances of getting a job interview. Experiments already proved that wearing luxury brands increases the chances of being hired, so it stands to reason that good looks might have similar effects.

Researchers from the University of Messina sent over 11,000 resumes to 1,542 job openings in Italy – eight resumes per opening. Four resumes in each batch had one of four pictures: an attractive man, an unattractive man, an attractive woman, or an unattractive woman.

The other four resumes had no pictures at all. The average callback rate was 30%, but attractive people received far more attention.

Attractive women had a callback rate of 54% and attractive men had a callback rate of 47%. However, unattractive women had a callback rate of 7% and unattractive men had a callback rate of 24%."

"In a post-study survey, the researchers found that 24 out of 25 of the people who reviewed the resumes were women. Perhaps their hypothesis holds true.

German psychologist Maria Agathe found strong evidence to support that hypothesis, especially among women. A 2011 experiment asked men and women to rate applicants seeking a job as an editor.

Both men and women rated attractive opposite-sex members higher and attractive same-sex members lower."*

STONKS
 

Exactly. I said similar in a different thread and one person decided to throw monkey sh*t at me. I was like, that was unwarranted and you're an idiot.

I've been in sales. I'm female. I know damn well, looks matter. Likewise, I would much rather speak to someone who is polished and takes care of themselves. Because if you don't take care of yourself, how are you going to take care of me (in business)? Nothing wrong with self care. And obviously that's NOT a determining factor in terms of competency or ethics.

The only thing that surprises me in the above mentioned survey is that 24 out of 25 of the people who reviewed the resumes were women. For diff reasons, too much to type here.

In a prior post, I said the exact same thing. I'm going to send in one resume with a picture, and one without. See what happens. Do my own experiment.

 

Would love to see the results of your experiment.

the 24 out of 25 might have something to do with the method used in the survey - they were applying to companies in Italy. I have a feeling that because its Europe, people there are still very old fashioned and you'd just naturally find more women than men working as HR managers there.

I highly doubt that you'd find the same proportions of women as HR managers today in a city like Los Angeles or Toronto.

STONKS
 

Everything said here is true but I doubt the magnitude of it.

Understand the incentive of the interviewer. He is busy, stressed and probably tired. He just wants to get back to work more than anything else. What makes that easier for him? Picking the candidate the he thinks others will also pick. That way the post-interview roundtable is fast. Nothing worse than getting into a debate about interview candidates because everyone has to chime in and it can take forever.

So in addition to preferring whatever qualities we think interviewers prefer, they have a particular preference for the qualities that are easy to sell to others. The more obviously relevant the quality, the easier it is to sell. Strong technicals, good communication skills, maturity, thoughtful answers to fit questions . . these are all very easy sells.

Anything more iffy like preferences for "good personalities" or good looking people or certain extracurriculars or having a personal connection with the candidate . . don't get me wrong, it counts but my experience is these things ultimately matter less than we think because we overlook the banker's need to be able to easily sell the candidate to colleagues

 

Unless you're in the UK or something...

explanation please?!

 

Just random thoughts, but think how the world works:

-We're conditioned to think good looking people are better at "life", mainly from movies and ads. The ugly people in these mediums usually have the worst traits. -Malcolm Gladwell did that study, the amount American male who are over 6ft is ~15%, but the amount of CEOs of a fortune 500 over 6ft is ~60%. -whats the first think you notice about a potential mate, usually how they physically look. -if you have good looking people on yours team, people on the other side will prob want to do more business with you. -some banks/companies have an "image" to uphold. -Michael Lewi's book "Moneyball" was basically about this; baseball teams were making selections based on who they thought fit the stereotype of a baseball player, and not on actual stats/data,.

 

Hasn't happened to me, but I've seen many basically say that athletic men have a combo of discipline and endurance that is considered beneficial for the industry. I think this is total bullshit, of course, but it's a myth that does exist. Also, good looking people are always useful in sales positions, both in finance and outside of it.

 

I SMELL A TROLL

https://media2.giphy.com/media/mpxvACn6oda7e/giphy.gif" alt="SMELL" />

 

I've read that it can go both ways. That it can positively influence the interviewer (look at this attractive winner!) or negatively influence interviewers of the same sex. So male/female interviewers may interview an attractive candidate and see him as "threat" and treat him or her unfairly.

Truth is almost everyone can 'up" their attractiveness significantly by getting a great physique and having exceptional grooming habits/style.

“The only thing I know is that I know nothing, and i am no quite sure that i know that.” Socrates
 

On the topic of looks, what is with those private equity/boutique shops with an "air of prestige", and a wall of portraits on the team page showing a bunch of pale, blue eyed white dudes with a blue shirt, looking like they want to kill a school of baby dolphins to sell their oils?

It's so weird that can still happen today with all the stuff going on.

 

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