O'Donnell Executive StrategiesDo you LOOK like a commodity player?
• Friday, August 06th, 2010
There is no doubt that the physical image and confidence of a person can be a roadblock to getting hired and how much they are offered in pay. From a recent Newsweek article:
- 57% of hiring managers claim that a qualified but less attractive candidate will have a harder time finding a job.
- Employers placed the importance of confidence and looks above education in a list of 9 attributes. #1 experience, #2 confidence, #3 looks, #4 education…
I attend a lot of networking groups. It is very easy to spot the folks who have been out a while. Shoulders sag and they look disenfranchised from 40 feet away.
- Be dressed up and stand tall at networking events even when Saturday morning. Make sure you are smiling and looking confident, and are talking as if you will be working tomorrow and being out is no big deal. Don’t whine about the economy or employers. Show what you are doing to get employed and why you are more strategic than your competition. Have a really good elevator speech practiced and ready.
- Energize your image by getting a good haircut and making sure your suit and shoes are up to date. Join Toastmasters. Join a health club or run around the block.
Don’t look or act like a commodity player.
http://www.newsweek.com/2010/07/19/the-beauty-advantage.html
Category: career strategy, interviews, networking
Hey Pat,
Right on Target!
I came into this country about 27 years ago. As a German born, raised and educated engineer I thought that This should not be too difficult. However, I noticed right in 1983 that the game is played quite different here…
I contracted with Bernard Haldane, then one of the largest career counseling firms in the country. My career counselor made it a point to videotape our sessions and mock interviews every now and then and promptly proceeded to tell me what not to do…sit straight, look confident, don’t pick at yourself…
Never mind the fact that I was highly educated and already quite experienced in the art of engineering and highly fluent in two languages…
That was not enough, I even had to dress the part…and you know what, that investment, back then $2,300.00 is still paying off!
I can honestly say, I landed dream jobs following my counselors sound advice. In case you are wondering, my counselor then was Bill O’Keefe a former VP of American Steel, quite seasoned and very professional.
Pat, thanks for making me think.
Reinhold
I strongly believe that the true test of a person is how they respond in a crisis. Many have seen their leaders, colleagues and themselves rise to the top or fall into the gutter as a result of the economic hardships facing businesses and individuals.
Being unemployed is a personal crisis. I have been there myself and I have interviewed a great many in the same position. The most attractive of those job candidates, and the ones who got hired, didn’t appear to be in crisis. While I’m certain they were a mess on the inside, what showed on the outside was confidence, poise, calm and professionalism. They were well groomed with clothes clean and pressed. They looked like the person you would be willing to stake your own job on by having them work for you.
It is too easy to fall into the trap of a) falsely believing people will take pity on the hardship case and so showing your hardship (even just a little) becomes your brand, or b) justifying letting your appearance go because it costs too much.
Yes, it’s hard to spend money on regular haircuts, dry cleaning, etc. Just remember, you don’t need to go overboard at the salon and your whole wardrobe doesn’t need to be ready for the red carpet. But you always need to be prepared to present yourself in the best light you possibly can. After all, you need to look like the person I can count on in a crisis!
Spot on, Pat.
I typically follow the rule that it is better to be a little over-dressed than under-dressed.
Proper attire, grooming, and attitude are simply expectations. If you’re projecting the appropriate (or better) image, the hiring manager will focus more on your background, skills, etc.
If you don’t project the right image, that becomes the subconscious focus that distracts a hiring manager from giving you full credit for your professional attributes.
Pat,
Great advice. I often tell jobseekers, especially mid-career types, the same thing. I believe the biggest factor in “age discrimination” is really “appearance discrimination.” Along with the haircut, shoes and suit I would offer the following.
1. Men – Be sure to trim nose hair, ear hair and eyebrows.
2. Men – If you wear eye glasses, make sure they are of a contemporary style. Large lens “aviator” style eyeglasses scream ’70′s!
3. Men & Women – Clothes need to be well fitting, especially if you are overweight. If your interview outfit is 15 lbs. old, get a new one. Check consignment stores and even Goodwill for options.
You can’t be confident if you are uncomfortable.
You are absolutely correct Pat. And your advice goes for almost anything you are doing.
I am a hiring manager trying to fill a position where there aren’t alot of qualified candidates. I recently did a LinkedIn search with the keywords that match the job requirements. Interestingly enough, my search truned up a recruiter that had a list of jobs types in which she specializes and my position matched her areas of expertise.
However, her profile and picture were both a huge turn off. Especially her photograph, which was her on a large motorcyle racing down an expressway.
I passed on contacting her; if her judgement isn’t any better than to post that kind of a personal picture, I have no confidence in her ability to act in a professinal manner and find me top notch candidates. I have run across this too many times with disappointing results that waste my time and money.
It seems that too many people haphazardly comingle their personal and professional lives in situations and cases where the two should never meet.
True professionals don’t make errors in judgement like this.