I thought I would post the link to this:- http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8116876.stm

Which illustrates so very well that certain "looks" make for certain "careers" - and vice-versa :o)

I saw this Margot and did think about posting it !

I was sitting in the office ( a clients office) thinking I am sitting here dressed in smart trousers and a top, wearing 'posh' leather flip flops and wondered if they would have employed me looking like that and the answer was a big no ! The hair, earrings, tattoos and the way she dressed sort of ruled out her ever being considered for a job in my line of work :) As you say the way you dress and present yourself will have an effect on any job or the way people perceive on first impressions :)

I did think hiding the things in an interview was not very good advice as can you imagine if the person turneed up without the mask what it would have said to the new employer

I saw that article too, but you have to think she wouldn't be stupid enough to go to an interview looking like that, I guess it depends what kind of job she wanted.  There's no way she'd get a job where I work.  I once mentioned to the boss at my last office (at a drunken Christmas night out) that I wanted to dye the tip of my fringe blue and would that be ok.  He told me I could work till lunchtime and then they'd sack me.  He was joking, but I'm sure had I appeared at work with a blue tipped fringe something would have been said to me.

you could get a job in the centre i work in looking like that but you probably wouldn't get advanced passed the first work level

though that being said i've not officially advanced and i turned up to my interview in a smart black shift dress, stylish decorative scarf, tights and neat boots :) (though i seem to have been outdone by admittedly better qualified people so thats ok)

I think a lot of employers here WOULD look beyond.
As this is a fairly small place and yet a financial major player, therefore every other person here is an accountant or suchlike and they were at school with a diverse bunch all trying to be 'their own'.
This does lend itself to a greater understanding.
The most senior roles perhaps not but still there are not so many of those.
Karen

I've always been a stickler for presentation, looking immaculate is an understatement as far as I am concerned, but I must be going soft.

I'm looking at the pictures of this girl and I'm liking her! She has such a warm face and lovely smile, (never underestimate the power of a good smile) that she looks friendly and appealing two very important factors to also go along with that first impression of presentation.

Her clothes would have to go, but perhaps she could get away with the hair and piercings because she has such a lovely, friendly smile and may not actually put as many people off as we think. :-)

However, a picture only says so much, she may well not come across as I percieve her to be in real life, but she looks a very nice girl even just so far, I may well be tempted to employ her.

**I think I need a lie down** :-D

She's got a lovely,friendly face.If she could do the job and had a pleasant personality,I would say yes to her.

I don't think she looks too bad at all, I can think of many more I have seen around town who I would not contemplate for a job. However we do have a dress code at work (In a hospital) for those who do not wear a uniform and she would not conform in her outfit. The hair would have to be tied back and the baggy clothing tidied up a bit for my job as I am very "Front of house". I think it depends on the type of work, I certainly would not dismiss her out of hand if she interviewed well.
OH owns his own building firm (35 years) and has had some real lost souls working for him in the past. One lad I remember so well when asked to sweep the site was seen with a long handled broom holding it about 6 inches from the broom head..bent over double to sweep!!! and many who gave a good immpression at interview who just wanted to work the system...work for a few weeks then cry off sick and claim every penny they could!! (that is not being nasty, I am talking about lead swingers not genuine illness) We have found though as time goes by that a huge percentage of young labourers want the money at the end of the week but have little or no idea of how to work..they find it hard to believe the amount of sheer hard graft OH who is 55 and only small (But wirery and perfectly formed Oooow!) can put in in a day. It is not always the smart ones who are the best...one of the best workers we ever had was rough as old boots, swore like a trouper, went out drinking every night, dressed like...well a jumble sale!! and eventually got arrested for theft (Had to let him go then...cann't have a convicted thief in someones home if you need to leave them alone and not supervised!) but he worked hard all day long and was happy to do any and every job, nice of filthy, that came along and did it well.
So just goes to show we should not steriotype people on look alone.
Aileen

It must be so hard to choose the right person for a job.I wouldn't like the responsibility,I'd be worrying that I'd denied the job to someone more worthy.

I have always been incensed that people can't see past the clothes and hairstyles.  She looks good to me.  People do judge by appearances in this country.  Only last week I was telling my daughter that my granddaughter would get teased in school if she went with unironed clothes that had obviously been put in the wrong wash.  So what! she said they are clean!  I can remember when we had a student property we rented out to a bunch of lads who looked as tidy as they could be.   They went crazy drinking and trashed the place.  They were the worst tenants we ever had.
A friend of ours visited with his 12 year old Dutch son - who had dyed orange hair.  He didn't have to wear uniform to school and no-one thought he was odd dying his hair - he was a perfectly normal polite lad that would have been excluded from school if he wore his hair like that here.  Too much store is put on appearances and it is very wrong.  My sister wouldn't go for a job in a clothes shop because it looked posh and she couldn't dress 'like that'  I told her not to be so daft she has good dress sense - her style!  Sorry going off on one and getting long winded ...........

> I have always been incensed that people can't see past the clothes and hairstyles

I agree - to a point :) There are many jobs where appearance doesn't really matter as long as the person can do the job. However, there are still many places where, IMO, appearances DO matter :) An example - a company I used to work for employed designers. In the office there was no real dress code as long as people were clean and not extreme. However, several times a year the designers were required to man the company stand at prestigious international design shows. The dress code was suits and (certainly for my company) no piercings. A lot of money was spent making the stand one of the best - the company was known for it's design. Staff were representing the company and if they didn't dress in the accepted manner for the industry, orders and visitor numbers would suffer. What would happen if this person applied for a job requiring attendance at such a show ??

Daisy

> if they didn't dress in the accepted manner for the industry, orders and visitor numbers would suffer

I have to agree with you - however willing she was to comply with an occasion like you have had to deal with - she could remove her piercings and put a suit on - to change her hair would be very difficult.  So as they say she is at the edge of what is considered acceptable.    Dressing up is all part of acting out the role.  We shouldn't have to do it though. 

She wouldn't get a job where I work. Big Boss has said outright that we lowly (not his word!) receptionists are the Face of the business, so we have to basically be bland-but-friendly. To be 'different' or 'challenging' in any way would deter an element of your potential clients, which would be about the most stupid business move possible.

Ceejay said :-

> We shouldn't have to do it though. 

But why not?   Isn't that what that young lady is doing?   She is dressing to a gain a certain look - just as we all do!   And the man that pays the piper calls the tune - if we work in a supermarket we accept that we have to look like string beans in green or orange in orange - I was on a tube train through London this evening with a good parcel of punks - there were 5 or 6 of them in my carriage (and I thought they'd died a death years ago - but obviously not from the hair crests - ranging from red white & blue to completely all black or all purple :eek and bondage clothing!:)

It is how we are - those punks are not going to get jobs in the city, however well qualified for such jobs they may be (and probably they don't want them!)    At the same time, young people who do want to work in certain careers accept the limitations put upon them and conform - or decide that certain careers are not for them and don't!

If you want to make money ie make an acceptable living and better yourself then you have to conform in most cases :-)

To be honest all the conversations around tattoos etc anybody who does beyond the norm in the majority of the cases in my profession and the management levels I am working with will never ever have a chance or will be considered :-)

I suppose part of me really wants to rebel not conform - when I was in school I hated the hats we had to wear - never really liked wearing hats since.  When I was doing supply teaching there were some heads that didn't like their staff wearing trousers.  I didn't go along with what should be practical and sensible manner of dress.   The piper has to be able to change his tune now and then.  The supermarket workers no longer wear shapeless overalls - they wear polo shirts - times change, so do fashions.    I just have this image of a guy with a coloured Mohican working in the city - nice image :-)   Dress down day!  

Your aren't married to my OH are you? we have been in construction for years and some of my best are really rough. Some cannot give you a sentence without expletives but they are fantastic workers and our customers ask for them by name.

Iv'e had all sorts with tattoo's, piercings, dread locks, bald, tall, fat thin and looks in no way govern what they can do. We have also had some right prats who talked the talk but were useless.

We have only let some go through agression at works and yes thieving, but some I went to school with and we are all getting older together absolute salt of the earth!

I paint my toe nails black, blue, green its my rebellion that no one can see!!

We've got a dress code where I work, although I'm not sure it covers hair styles or tatoo's? 

At work they recently sent around a reminder about clothing as the summer seems to bring out the worst in people, my favourite was no leggings or crop tops, fortunately not a combo I own these days!

The fashion i think is horrible at the moment,and i hope goes away soon,are those jeans where the waistband is on the hips and the crotch is on the knees nearly.I always want to sneak up behind them and pull em down(further) :)
There's always a horrible pair of underdraws on show too!