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.
shoes? You srs brah? You'd ding someone over their shoes?
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.
sb for you.
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.
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.
are you some kind of homo? what kind of dude judges another man's shoes? hire the guy if he is good and give him your queer eye for the straight guy style lessons later.
Where does the hate of square toe shoes originate from anyway?
Amazing.
wutta poser
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.
There's a difference between being unprofessional, versus just not having taste in shoes/clothing that matches exactly with what you expect.
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 ;)
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.
FYI, looking at a man's shoes is for women and gay men.
^^^ 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?
Is this thread for real?
Importance of Wardrobe in the Workplace? (Originally Posted: 12/13/2013)
Saw this article in Forbes today: http://www.forbes.com/sites/connieguglielmo/2013/12/13/top-fashion-mist…
Basically, it says a lot of tech entrepreneurs run into trouble because they buy into the idea that only their smarts matter, not their presentation. Do you guys agree? I just started full time at a boutique, and it's startling how much effort people put into their wardrobe. For better or worse, I've started buying into that mentality as well, but it's definitely taken a sizable chunk out of my take-home pay to keep pace with everyone else, which seems silly since I've never cared about fashion before I started working on Wall St. Sometimes I feel like a bit of a sellout, and it makes me wonder if this is just the first of many ways in which I'll be selling my soul on Wall St.
Just as an aside...$38 for chinos seems damn cheap. I checked out the dude's company / fundraising campaign, and his pants looks really, really good. I'm pretty clueless as far as fashion goes -- I've really only spent money on dress clothes so far. I look like a bit of a slob on weekends compared to everyone else who's coming into the office, and no one has said anything yet...but I do feel a bit insecure about it. If this is legit, I might grab a few pairs. Anyone who knows something about fashion, please feel free to comment on the style / quality of this guy's pants.
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.
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