Do looks matter in interviews Forum

[LawFirmInterviews]

I understand the thread is more about physicality, but I think this is actually a pretty important issue. I interview people (callbacks) at my V15 in New York regularly, and I have seen people at the top of their classes out of T6 schools fail to secure jobs because they made some very basic, amateurish mistakes in their suiting. (Ties showing from under the collar, collars folded down too far, sleeves too long, pants too long) Things that just should not be happening by the time you get to a callback. Remember, you are interviewing to be revenue drivers in a client-service industry... the firm HAS to know it can put you in front of a client, a judge, a jury!

Yeh I doubt this is true at all but OK if you say so. The only time appearance trumps top grades from top school is if it's a reflection on mental stability. The examples you mentioned are so minor it shouldn't matter.

Point well taken, the outcome may not be so determinstic/drastic. However, I still find myself shaking my head a lot at the people who really don't have the appearance aspect together. I really think it only helps you, and dressing well is so easy to achieve that it really is incomprehensible why people don't put the little effort it takes, it can ONLY help you, and not putting that effort in can ONLY hurt. Seen it time and again.

[jbagelboy]

It matters to the extent it informs confidence as an interviewer and conversational ability. However much it might matter for women it matters even less for men.

Attractive people tend to be more social and to have had more experiences interacting with new people in different environments. That's just our sociology. There are some attractive people who still lack confidence or present awkwardly. For them, no, their 'good looks' aren't helping.

I think different people have different anecdotal experiences here, and also there are firms known for emphasizing an attractive summer class a little more than others. Idk, I saw some of the very attractive women in my year of law school absolutely kill it at recruiting; by that I don't mean getting callbacks at grade-selective firms from below the cutoff, but more 100% or near 100% screener->CB->offer rates for well-bid firms in their range. (Whereas by contrast I and other mortals can claim less than 50%.) FWIW I don't think they did well just because their interviewers thought they were hot, they did well because they were charming, charismatic, confident, articulate, ect., as a result of basic socialization trends in upper middle class urban america.

[dixiecupdrinking]

Yes appearance matters. It would be naive to think otherwise, especially considering law firm hiring is basically just based on a bunch of people's subjective impressions of you following a casual 30-minute conversation.

[nothingtosee]

I understand the thread is more about physicality, but I think this is actually a pretty important issue. I interview people (callbacks) at my V15 in New York regularly, and I have seen people at the top of their classes out of T6 schools fail to secure jobs because they made some very basic, amateurish mistakes in their suiting. (Ties showing from under the collar, collars folded down too far, sleeves too long, pants too long) Things that just should not be happening by the time you get to a callback. Remember, you are interviewing to be revenue drivers in a client-service industry... the firm HAS to know it can put you in front of a client, a judge, a jury!

Get your suiting straight, LONG before the interviews, get good clothes, good shoes, wear them in, don't screw up something very very basic that's entirely within your control.

Oh, i've also seen super gorgeous, extremely well dressed people at my T6 strike out because they were bad interviewers/had low grades. So no, doesn't make up for bad numbers/skills at all.

/person who bought brooks brothers suit with daddy's money and think that reflects moral virtues

Your firm sounds insufferable

[jbagelboy]

I understand the thread is more about physicality, but I think this is actually a pretty important issue. I interview people (callbacks) at my V15 in New York regularly, and I have seen people at the top of their classes out of T6 schools fail to secure jobs because they made some very basic, amateurish mistakes in their suiting. (Ties showing from under the collar, collars folded down too far, sleeves too long, pants too long) Things that just should not be happening by the time you get to a callback. Remember, you are interviewing to be revenue drivers in a client-service industry... the firm HAS to know it can put you in front of a client, a judge, a jury!

Get your suiting straight, LONG before the interviews, get good clothes, good shoes, wear them in, don't screw up something very very basic that's entirely within your control.

Oh, i've also seen super gorgeous, extremely well dressed people at my T6 strike out because they were bad interviewers/had low grades. So no, doesn't make up for bad numbers/skills at all.

/person who bought brooks brothers suit with daddy's money and think that reflects moral virtues

Your firm sounds insufferable

Tying your tie correctly isn't really a class issue; its actually a problem for some dudes who could just watch a youtube video or ask a friend for a little help to make sure they have a tight knot hugging the collar, no shorter end showing, and not too high above the pants or down to the zipper. You can do this with a $10 tie from the rack or a $200 tie from varvatos

[PMan99]

I understand the thread is more about physicality, but I think this is actually a pretty important issue. I interview people (callbacks) at my V15 in New York regularly, and I have seen people at the top of their classes out of T6 schools fail to secure jobs because they made some very basic, amateurish mistakes in their suiting. (Ties showing from under the collar, collars folded down too far, sleeves too long, pants too long) Things that just should not be happening by the time you get to a callback. Remember, you are interviewing to be revenue drivers in a client-service industry... the firm HAS to know it can put you in front of a client, a judge, a jury!

Get your suiting straight, LONG before the interviews, get good clothes, good shoes, wear them in, don't screw up something very very basic that's entirely within your control.

Oh, i've also seen super gorgeous, extremely well dressed people at my T6 strike out because they were bad interviewers/had low grades. So no, doesn't make up for bad numbers/skills at all.

/person who bought brooks brothers suit with daddy's money and think that reflects moral virtues

Your firm sounds insufferable

Well, all firms lawyers are insufferable to the extent they frequently engage in unwarranted extrapolation (if your tie isn't dimpled correctly, you'll wear shorts to court) but given that how you dress in an interview is one of the very few things you can control that people will judge you on (as opposed to weight, height, race, religion, etc.) I don't think the general idea of his post is that objectionable. Particularly since men will need at least one decent suit for the job anyway.

[rickgrimes69]

I understand the thread is more about physicality, but I think this is actually a pretty important issue. I interview people (callbacks) at my V15 in New York regularly, and I have seen people at the top of their classes out of T6 schools fail to secure jobs because they made some very basic, amateurish mistakes in their suiting. (Ties showing from under the collar, collars folded down too far, sleeves too long, pants too long) Things that just should not be happening by the time you get to a callback. Remember, you are interviewing to be revenue drivers in a client-service industry... the firm HAS to know it can put you in front of a client, a judge, a jury!

Get your suiting straight, LONG before the interviews, get good clothes, good shoes, wear them in, don't screw up something very very basic that's entirely within your control.

Oh, i've also seen super gorgeous, extremely well dressed people at my T6 strike out because they were bad interviewers/had low grades. So no, doesn't make up for bad numbers/skills at all.

/person who bought brooks brothers suit with daddy's money and think that reflects moral virtues

Your firm sounds insufferable

Yeah, none of those factors was unreasonable. Tucking in your tie, proper tailoring - this is extremely basic stuff. We're not talking about auto-dinging someone because you don't like the dimple of their tie (or lack thereof, god forbid).

[Anonymous User]

As far as physical attractiveness, I'm not sure why you'd be worried. Not much you can do outside of being well-groomed, eating healthy, and working out. Feel like I have read an article saying that overweight people are less likely to get hired after getting an interview. Other than that, I'm sure there are studies that show a link between attractiveness and your likelihood to get hired in an an interview, but it doesn't help you to know this anyway.

As far as dressing well, everyone has hit the main points, just make sure you have a nice tailored suit, and double-check yourself before heading out the door to make sure your tie and collar are set, there isn't tp hanging from your shoe, your shoes aren't scuffed, etc. Have someone else look you over as well.

[rpupkin]

for some attractive women I think it hurts

+1

For women, attractive can help you, but sexy will 100% hurt you.

No it won't.