Acceptable Hair style for work

I know IBD is very conservative (ie white or baby blue shirt) but where is the line drawn for hair length / style in the office? I worked with another intern who had shaggy hair (but not too long) and no one seemed to care about his hair. What would be the point at which the line is crossed? Here are some I am not 100% sure about (in terms of acceptable for work)-->

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thu…

http://z.about.com/d/menshair/1/0/M/0/-/-/adam5.j…

http://studentlinc.typepad.com/photos/uncategoriz…

This last haircut minus the mullet type thing at the end...

 
Best Response

I wore my hair conservatively for the first 3 weeks, then I rocked my faux-hawk on a regular basis when I was at a BB. And this is about 3 years ago, before faux-hawks were all over the place. No one cared. I would tone it down a bit if I had a client meeting, something I like to call the Rhino. Kind of like a faux-hawk, but just in the front, like a single Rhino horn.

Keep in mind, I was at one of BB that are known to be more conservative than the rest. Since Im a bit older now, and I'm at a pretty conservative boutique, I keep it pretty simple.

 

Be yourself.

Unless being yourself means you come in with a faux-hawk and the bankers notice and are annoyed and tell the summer analyst program head and you don't get a full-time offer and you're just remembered as the douche SA who came in with the faux-hawk that one day and didn't get a job.

A sad story from yore.

I keep it conservative myself. You represent your entire company when you're in front of clients -- remember that.

-- Support WSO.com and visit these links! Financial Modeling Training Guide to Finance Interviews
 
jackofalltrades:
Be yourself.

Unless being yourself means you come in with a faux-hawk and the bankers notice and are annoyed and tell the summer analyst program head and you don't get a full-time offer and you're just remembered as the douche SA who came in with the faux-hawk that one day and didn't get a job.

A sad story from yore.

I keep it conservative myself. You represent your entire company when you're in front of clients -- remember that.

"Remember, you represent your entire company when you're in front of clients." Tool.

Just look sharp and not messy. If you think something is clearly ridiculous, don't do it.

 

Just keep it respectable. Since no one is going to pull you aside and scold you for your hairdo, it's up to your judgment. If you have to think too hard about it, it's probably not a great idea.

 

Rhino? LOL!

Here...for all you aspiring faux-hawkers, try this one: http://1heckofaguy.com/wp-content/photos/max-faux-hawk.jpg

The guy gets some pretty serious volume on his 'do. That being said, in order to complete the look, make sure you get a printed Express tee that's two sizes too small for you. Then, when anyone asks for your name, be sure to respond, "Do you have any idea who I am?! I'm an investment banker!!!!"

​* http://www.linkedin.com/in/numicareerconsulting
 

Lose the faux hawk Ronnie, this isn't the Jersey Shore.

I’m not trying to sound like an asshole, but it makes me nervous to see these types of questions regarding interview prep. Honestly, you need to start making decisions for yourself – are you going to consult WSO when you get a job on what to wear in the morning?

There is no standard haircut, go to a fucking barber, tell him to use the scissors all the way around and stay away from excessive spiking, stars etched into the side of your head, high fades or anything else that will just look fucking stupid in business attire.

"Jesus, he's like a gremlin; comes with instructions and shit"
 

Since your getting rid of the faux hawk, you should get a blow out like Pauly D. Just kidding around.

I am sure you have seen people in shirts and ties, try to get a haircut resembling theirs. I am not refering to people working at a Verizon kiosk in the mall, they do have faux hawks, and its not cool.

"yeah, thats right" High-Five
 
wallstreetballa:
rookiestyles5000

slicked back or nothing pal unless your going bald

+1 for bald...the bitches love it.

If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses - Henry Ford
 

I think you should change to a more conservative cut. You have to make a good first impression in you interviews and I think your regular hair cut wouldn't help you.

 

I don't think a #2 is too short at all. As long as the cut looks clean and doesn't stray too far from professional (e.g., mohawk) I don't think it's an issue. As a disclaimer, I don't work at a BB.

 

I'm an Asian who will come to US for my graduate study, and what makes me a little worried is lot of my friends said it is hard to find barber to make good haircut for Asians, they have to cut hair with each other! That sounds terrible! Is that true?

 

So have you guys seen bankers with Asian hair before? I prefer not to cut it if I don't have to.

My girlfriend doesn't want me to cut my hair... and yes, I do have time for her since I'm in capital markets.

I'm not sure if other analyst talk behind my back about my hair though.

 
NewCollegeKid:
So have you guys seen bankers with Asian hair before? I prefer not to cut it if I don't have to.

My girlfriend doesn't want me to cut my hair... and yes, I do have time for her since I'm in capital markets.

I'm not sure if other analyst talk behind my back about my hair though.

Does your girlfriend want you to keep your hello kitty lunch cell phone leash, too? Jesus.

 

Have fun styling that hair after working your ass off. This isn't back street boys dude. Get a normal hair cut.

You see people asking if they can wear cuff links, suspenders, super expensive watches, all kinds of shit. The advice is usually always no. Not because it isn't cool looking or stylish. You don't want to do it because your main goal when you first start at a place, any place, is not to stand out for your looks, but stand out for your performance. This isn't modeling, this is a long and tedious banking position.

Banking = Conservative

 

If some kid showed up at my bank with that ridiculous asian backstreet boy haircut we probably would have shaved it into a mohawk the first week, then called him "Lashay" for the rest of his time with us. Get a normal haircut.

- Capt K - "Prestige is like a powerful magnet that warps even your beliefs about what you enjoy. If you want to make ambitious people waste their time on errands, bait the hook with prestige." - Paul Graham
 
[Comment removed by mod team]
 
jackofalltrades:
Wait, the nick lachey messy hair is worse... why not just keep it conservative for two years?

Well, the thing is- my hair is really thick so it will look like a fro if I have it too short. And I have an awkward shaped head, so I can't shave it either (imagine jackie chan shaving his head).

Thanks though.... I will comb it like someone advise me to. I will try to make sure the top doesn't spike up.

 

Go find a hair style that an 40 year old white guy has and copy it. Nothing spiky, no crazy coloring, no swirls, nothing trendy or cool. Usually involves a part or something you comb/brush. If your hair style is seen on anything involving teen girls it isn't kosher.

 

Oh my god. This is just embarrassing. Being asian is no excuse. Your role models should be guys like this:

http://www.blackstone.com/cps/rde/xchg/bxcom/hs/firm_ourpeople_3793.htm

http://www.blackstone.com/cps/rde/xchg/bxcom/hs/firm_ourpeople_5263.htm

http://www.blackstone.com/cps/rde/xchg/bxcom/hs/firm_ourpeople_3798.htm

http://www.blackstone.com/cps/rde/xchg/bxcom/hs/firm_ourpeople_3815.htm

Is your girlfriend 17? Has she ever lived in America? Tell her she needs to grow up and has a terrible sense of style.

 
prospie:
Oh my god. This is just embarrassing. Being asian is no excuse. Your role models should be guys like this:

http://www.blackstone.com/cps/rde/xchg/bxcom/hs/firm_ourpeople_3793.htm

http://www.blackstone.com/cps/rde/xchg/bxcom/hs/firm_ourpeople_5263.htm

http://www.blackstone.com/cps/rde/xchg/bxcom/hs/firm_ourpeople_3798.htm

http://www.blackstone.com/cps/rde/xchg/bxcom/hs/firm_ourpeople_3815.htm

Is your girlfriend 17? Has she ever lived in America? Tell her she needs to grow up and has a terrible sense of style.

I'm not sure if you're serious or not........ Those hair cut that you showed are some of the worst cuts I've seen seen. I'm not 70 years old. I can't look like that.

 

I so asked this at the 2013 WSO conference. Yeah I was that guy! As long as it's business professional, you are in. Just don't over do it. Use discretion, and be conservative. Leo in Great Gatsby might me the max.

 
karypto:

I so asked this at the 2013 WSO conference. Yeah I was that guy! As long as it's business professional, you are in. Just don't over do it. Use discretion, and be conservative. Leo in Great Gatsby might me the max.

That is not long at all. How about almost shoulder length? I want it to be short enough for my traps to be visible.

"He that hath a beard is more than a youth, and he that hath no beard is less than a man." ― William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing
 

Hey, Yup as said above ^ your hair should not be be a problem for the corporate industry. I'm just coming out of my permed hair as well and have worn my transiting hair out and I was not asked any questions nor told to change my hairstyle. You can maybe try twisting the sides into a roll and pinning it down with bobby pins for a more formal look or try twist-out. ( I would suggest not going to work with your afro in it's natural state as not all managers are keen to seeing employees with one) Hope that helps and all the best with your natural hair! =))

 

Hey, Yup as said above ^ your hair should not be be a problem for the corporate industry. I'm just coming out of my permed hair as well and have worn my transiting hair out and I was not asked any questions nor told to change my hairstyle. You can maybe try twisting the sides into a roll and pinning it down with bobby pins for a more formal look or try twist-out. ( I would suggest not going to work with your afro in it's natural state as not all managers are keen to seeing employees with one) Hope that helps and all the best with your natural hair! =))

 

You should cut it - no matter how non "suit and tie" your office is, it's still an office.

  • Capt K
- Capt K - "Prestige is like a powerful magnet that warps even your beliefs about what you enjoy. If you want to make ambitious people waste their time on errands, bait the hook with prestige." - Paul Graham
 

The life expectancy of your mohawk on the trading floor is about 6 hours. The traders will coerce you to shave it off right then and there.

On a side note..... The traders on my desk shaved my head into a mohawk. They egged me on about it for a couple weeks and I kept a high offer hoping they would take it. I ended up hitting their bid instead. About an hour after the laughing subsided they gave me $20 and told me to go get it cleaned up at the barber shop.

For the rest of the summer i was referred to as Private Pyle.

"Oh the ladies ever tell you that you look like a fucking optical illusion" - Frank Slaughtery 25th Hour.

"Oh the ladies ever tell you that you look like a fucking optical illusion" - Frank Slaughtery 25th Hour.
 

Look at some of his fantastic post. Keep in mind that he is Spaceship, but just changed his name after the raping that took place :(.

BiG_PoLo:
MarginCalling:
ook maybe i should have also limited this thread to those w/ industry exp and not dipshit college kids who can't even spell 'proprietary.' finding your replies entertaining though. lolz
you're a fucking loser. you criticize me for a simple spelling error, yet i am a million times more qualified than you.

I am: 1. Graduating from *** 2. Graduating with A.B. ***, and Certificate in **** 3. Despite being in the most difficult program, I will graduate with a *** 4. I've interned at one of the most prestigious hedge funds in ***** 5. I'm a member of the ******* 6. I've gotten interviews with ***, ****

At the end of the day, a spelling mistake is just that; a spelling mistake. You "stick" to that error because you know I don't have any noticeable flaws. Your flaw (being a retard), however can't be spotted a mile away. Learn the rules before talking shit.

NYC HERE I FCUKING COME.

BiG_PoLo:
Alright, I fold. Will an admin please take down my information, please? I apologize for being such and arrogant, and egotistical douche. Please understand, however that I'm not doing this because I'm a nice, apologetic person. I'm doing this because I posted some information that may come back to haunt me in my search for a job, either now or in the future.
 
dharma416:
Many MD's are bald, so if you want to succeed quickly, cutting off all your hair would make you seem more mature and respectable.

always remember that a little 'feaux' bald spot [i.e.- use nair to achieve this result, gently massage nair into the crown of the head, make a neat circular bald patch, and allow the nair to penetrate for 5 minutes before rinsing) work very well for mid-20's analysts.

 
phantombanker:
I don't see why it would be a problem at all, unless you bic it and have a swastika tattooed underneath.

what if its just a henna tattoo? lol, jk.

shouldn't be a problem but obviously, the more you look like the person/people that are interviewing you the better off you will be. i would suggest just keeping it really "normal" and conservative then go to town after you get the offer.

good luck

"The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant, it's just that they know so much that isn't so." - Ronald Reagan
 

The buzz can be considered a "conservative" haircut. I wouldn't worry about it too much going into the interview process. That being said - I had a buzz before I decided to interview and I grew it out (and still have it grown out) prior to going into my banking interviews. I was hired, but I don't think it was because of my hairstyle.

 

Neon pink mohawk. You want to stand out and show people you ain't someone to fuck wit

"You stop being an asshole when it sucks to be you." -IlliniProgrammer "Your grammar made me wish I'd been aborted." -happypantsmcgee
 
D M:

Neon pink mohawk. You want to stand out and show people you ain't someone to fuck wit

A shaved head would be better for that.

"He that hath a beard is more than a youth, and he that hath no beard is less than a man." ― William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing
 

Business in the front, party in the back. The mullet was made for banking.

"You stop being an asshole when it sucks to be you." -IlliniProgrammer "Your grammar made me wish I'd been aborted." -happypantsmcgee
 

Stick your finger in an electrical outlet (only for a split sec) & see what results you get. Go with that for your hair pic.

All the world's indeed a stage, And we are merely players, Performers and portrayers, Each another's audience, Outside the gilded cage - Limelight (1981)
 

Why not an undercut with a comb over and a beard? It would be kind of like Bateman only with a slightly better hair cut.

"He that hath a beard is more than a youth, and he that hath no beard is less than a man." ― William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing
 

you can't be serious

i guess, u'll be the one and only.. in a bad manner.

look, you can come along with it in the interview but if they want you.. they will tell you to cut it!

like UPS, if a driver got sideburns UPS tells them how long they have to be.

 

Ad sequi quibusdam et repudiandae cupiditate sit. Velit quis labore aliquid sequi dolore maxime. Cupiditate dolorem nulla est et eos reiciendis a. Est et dolor odit suscipit cupiditate.

Dolorem vel sed ullam qui voluptas illum facilis. Rerum amet occaecati iure et alias ratione. In dolor itaque dignissimos reiciendis quisquam temporibus facere. Magnam sit suscipit exercitationem eaque vero. Accusantium error at quo omnis quas nesciunt. Est ut quidem quia possimus quam quae. Eveniet itaque atque nesciunt nesciunt odit.

 

Modi dolorem vel dolorum a. Eum incidunt animi temporibus explicabo eum tempora enim. Exercitationem consequatur aut soluta totam. Doloribus in voluptatem sed et. Debitis quaerat nihil alias quidem. Doloremque facere hic autem tempora.

Nihil fugiat eos nesciunt nemo maiores. Voluptatibus autem voluptatum ipsam laborum eaque amet expedita. Quam ut repudiandae assumenda corrupti fugiat. Quisquam sequi distinctio soluta omnis qui veritatis rem. Reiciendis sequi nemo omnis. Tempore sit ut ipsam voluptatem.

 

Minima sed dolore itaque magnam. Quia consectetur voluptates voluptatem magnam. Porro qui rerum molestiae sit.

Dicta ipsa voluptatibus dolores ad ut. Ut quaerat non eius tempora vero voluptate excepturi. Sequi et et dolorem et eaque. Nobis similique et et similique porro.

Dolor aliquam illo deserunt et consequatur voluptatem. Et nobis fugiat optio quidem. Reiciendis expedita quia ad commodi doloribus.

​* http://www.linkedin.com/in/numicareerconsulting
 

Accusamus ea saepe ex inventore officia. Cum iure minus molestiae sapiente dolor.

Ut odit et tempora et cum. Laboriosam similique delectus autem commodi. Dolores mollitia provident autem molestiae quia et eum. Similique odio voluptatem laudantium sunt tempora.

Incidunt unde quia in veritatis incidunt commodi. Saepe praesentium tempore ratione ipsa repellendus dolore provident. Distinctio odio voluptates qui. Natus dolor distinctio velit excepturi voluptate autem quas et. Facilis voluptas qui qui quaerat natus facilis aperiam sit.

Consequatur repudiandae cupiditate eum harum omnis. Omnis qui odio fugit ipsum itaque neque iure adipisci. Tenetur ratione quia accusamus et odio saepe. Laboriosam sunt beatae velit.

 

Autem quaerat ducimus et quam et id ipsa. Quo enim nihil commodi et. Qui et molestiae repudiandae reprehenderit dignissimos. Et consequatur autem dolorem iusto in dolores vel. Tenetur nisi et temporibus. Et natus aut alias tenetur vel dignissimos est.

------ "its the running joke now, we now have fair trade with china so they send us poisoned sea food and we send them fraudulent securities."
 

Nemo impedit eos rerum eos nostrum reiciendis omnis. Consectetur velit labore et alias. Ut amet dignissimos temporibus nemo dignissimos dolores.

Dolorem cumque est ut quidem nihil similique. Deleniti illum maxime voluptatibus cupiditate. Animi totam fuga porro est eum quia. Molestiae distinctio distinctio voluptas quam quis saepe quia. Est voluptate placeat repudiandae perferendis eligendi. Temporibus earum quae fuga ratione. Sunt quia velit rem illum voluptas.

Consequuntur temporibus sed natus placeat harum et. Dolor in quia blanditiis libero. Vel eligendi voluptatibus quas quam et maiores natus. Consequuntur eos tempora natus aperiam ut.

 

In quia inventore quam corporis dignissimos ad sed. Tempore saepe ipsum facere repellat nihil. Aliquam corrupti est magnam. Sit sunt veritatis magnam velit ut.

Consequuntur ab libero eum. Id nemo unde distinctio dignissimos. Quo distinctio incidunt dolorem qui.

Nostrum facilis et officia sequi ex animi. Velit blanditiis soluta consequatur molestias accusamus eos illum asperiores. Dolor inventore placeat laborum dolorem facere voluptatem impedit consequatur.

Vitae dignissimos sunt deleniti id. Aut porro dolor repudiandae. Expedita et temporibus eum ut sit ex. Aut et et exercitationem numquam quo aut aut assumenda.

Career Advancement Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. (++) 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (86) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (13) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (202) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (144) $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
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”