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Are your looks an asset?

28th Sep 2011
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I am sure we have all seen in work environment and elsewhere people with looks do get a favourable treatment. I would also argue that promotional prospects and earning power of people with looks are far better. We just like good looking people.

People loved Princess Diana and but do not hold Camilla Parker Bowles in the same regard. They do not know much  about these two people apart from how they looked. Diana is seen to be a good looking person. She did not have to do much work to win peoples' hearts. I would say the same applies to Kate Middleton

Why is this? I think the law of scarcity applies to looks. They are fewer good looking people around, most of us want to have good looks and as result we tend to be nicer to people whom we consider to have the looks. Do you agree?

Do good looking accountants have a higher success client recruitment rate? Dare I say of course they do.  

I remember reading an interesting article years ago that basically said what I have always believed. Since it was in the Sunday times, it had to be true! Here is the link to the article.

Where does this leave me? I am short, fat, middle aged and balding. Does it mean that I get the left overs that good looking accountants do not want?  I do not think it works like that. It means that I am forced to do a really good sales pitch to get that job. Being brutally honest I have to work a lot harder. Further, since good looking accountants are scarce, there is less chance of me competing against one. My looks are certainly not an asset.  

Do you think looks can be an asset for an accountant? If so why are we not working harder to make (particularly men) make the most of what little nature has given us? 

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Replies (24)

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By Owain_Glyndwr
29th Sep 2011 00:01

Being devastatingly handsome has it draw backs .................

............... or so I'm told.

I did once read that tall people are more succesful so at 6'4" there's hope for me yet. Certainly my maternal grandfather was sucessful, but he had an advantage over me as he was 6'8".

As far as "looks" go, many years of sports including a lot of rugby when I was yoiunger have taken their toll so I could hardly be described as handsome - more sort of "lived in".  A couple of broken noses, a few kicks in the face, being stamped on in the occasional scrum, does tend to give your face an "interesting" look :)

I do agree with you though that sometimes looks can change people's perception of you.  If I tell you that I used to play prop forward you will have some idea of my build, and at the risk of blowing my own trumpet I've stayed fairly fit, and I have noticed that some people can be rather intimidated. Oddly it seems to be men who are intimidated not women. Perhaps men naturally see someone bigger than them as a physical threat, whereas women don't.

On a hot day with a short sleeved shirt on the rather large tattoo on my left arm is of course visible too and there are all sorts of prejudices about tattoos. Again it seems to be men who are prejudiced, not women.  In fact the ladies often seem fascinated by it :) 

Does this affect you in business?  Maybe.

There are all sorts of prejudices out there and the publics idea of an accountant is a thin, glasses wearing, sherry drinking, bore in a drab suite who drives a eurobox, has 2.2 children, and has no interests outside his work.

Now I don't know about you, but I'd sooner dig ditches with my bare hands for a living than turn into something like that.

You are who you are, and if people don't accept that - that's their loss, not yours.

 

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By ShirleyM
29th Sep 2011 09:57

Our perceptions can be so wrong!

The public may, or may not, be wrong in their perception of the typical accountant.

However, it just goes to show how a forum can give the wrong perception, too.

@OG - you are not at all how I imagined you to be.

Then again, given my past careers, hobbies, sports and transport preferences, I doubt that I am what others perceive me to be.

The hobbies thread opened my eyes to the fascinating things that AWeb members are interested in.

To answer FirstTabs query, I think most people judge others by the person inside, their behaviour, their actions, and only shallow people judge by appearances.

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By Owain_Glyndwr
29th Sep 2011 12:06

ShirleyM

To answer FirstTabs query, I think most people judge others by the person inside, their behaviour, their actions, and only shallow people judge by appearances 

 

 

Unfortunately we live in a world full of shallow people. Face it Tony Blair got elected on spin and looks, not on ability. Pick up any paper and you will see articles about what dress some royal is wearing - not what good work they are doing.

 

I've seen people make judgements based on my looks - people just dont equate tattoos with "professionals".  Maybe I should start sipping sherry but it's just not the same in a pint pot.

 

Incidently Shirley, you say I'm not how you imagined?  I'm tempted to ask what you imagined?

Quite flattering to think you sit at your desk daydreaming about what i look like :)  

 

 

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By ShirleyM
29th Sep 2011 12:18

Did I say it was a daydream?

It may be a nightmare!

Jesting aside ....

... you have put me in quite a tricky position here!

Whatever I say could be misconstrued ... so better to say nothing about my recollection of all the information about yourself that you have posted on AWeb.

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Red Leader
By Red Leader
29th Sep 2011 13:00

looking middle aged and "ordinary" can be an advantage

I don't think looking very attractive or handsome is necessarily an advantage to an accountant or other professional. What would you think if your dentist, say, looked like an A-list film star. Would it add to your estimation of their abilities or make you think that they were a bit superficial and correspondingly lightweight in their dentistry knowledge and skills?

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PJ
By paulgrca.net
29th Sep 2011 13:19

You must be joking!

Never won or lost a client due to looks!

It's all about cost, ability to do the job, cost , your relationship with the prospective client and cost!

 

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By User deleted
29th Sep 2011 14:31

Royals

Pick up any paper and you will see articles about what dress some royal is wearing - not what good work they are doing.

That's probably because they're not doing any work :)

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By Owain_Glyndwr
29th Sep 2011 15:16

.

ShirleyM PM | Thu, 29/09/2011 - 12:18 | Permalink

It may be a nightmare!

 

 

 

In return for substantial grovelling and begging I might be persuaded to stick a pic of me on AWeb, but the grovelling had better be good :)

 

 

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By ShirleyM
29th Sep 2011 15:31

I am sooooooo tempted .....

... but I don't do grovelling... any volunteers out there?

Can you possibly have as good a 6 pack as OGA?????

Here is my piccy (aka Granny Weatherwax) .... cos I just know you will love it :)

 

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By Owain_Glyndwr
29th Sep 2011 16:16

-

Exactly how I imagined you. :)

 

 

 

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By ShirleyM
29th Sep 2011 16:37

You are such an expert on me :)

I could have posted a piccy of a beautiful exotic woman ... but I don't bend the truth, and I prefer humour over fantasy.

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By User deleted
29th Sep 2011 16:52

Can anyone join in?

Here's a small part of me:

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By User deleted
29th Sep 2011 16:58

Self -portraits

I still think of your wrinkled stockings Shirley :)

 

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By Henry Osadzinski
29th Sep 2011 17:25

While it's lovely to see more of some of our users (!) please remember the question in FT's blog post :-)

Personally I feel it's all a matter of presentation. While it's unfortunately true that some will make snap decisions about others based purely on their physical appearance, I'd say that the greatest asset is how you sell yourself to a potential client. Show you've made an effort in looking not only presentable but also professional speaks volumes to anyone with whom you meet and they're likely to take positive note. To me, this kind of judgement is perfectly fair - I wouldn't mind what my accountant (or anyone else with whom I had a client/professional relationship) looked like physically but if they hadn't taken care in presenting themselves, I may be unimpressed or even discouraged from working with them.

I should note that my comments are coming from someone who spends precisely none of their day interacting face-to-face with people professionally though!

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By ShirleyM
29th Sep 2011 17:39

Oops ... sorry Henry & FirstTab

OG led us astray with his physique and 'interesting' looks and I couldn't concentrate after that!

Back on topic:

I don't think clients care whether you are good looking, or not. Any sensible person would choose an accountant on reputation, ability, personality, convenience, and cost. If they are not sensible then I don't know what criteria they use to choose an accountant.

 

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By Owain_Glyndwr
29th Sep 2011 17:42

Teacher's pet !

ShirleyM PM | Thu, 29/09/2011 - 17:39 | Permalink

OG led us astray with his physique and 'interesting' looks and I couldn't concentrate after that! 

 

Oh that's right .... blame me :)

 

 

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By ShirleyM
29th Sep 2011 17:59

;)

Stay on topic and stop leading me astray, else you will get Henry'd!

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By Owain_Glyndwr
29th Sep 2011 18:08

It depends

Henry Osadzinski

Personally I feel it's all a matter of presentation. While it's unfortunately true that some will make snap decisions about others based purely on their physical appearance, I'd say that the greatest asset is how you sell yourself to a potential client. Show you've made an effort in looking not only presentable but also professional speaks volumes to anyone with whom you meet and they're likely to take positive note.

 

 

It all depends on who you are seeing.

I went to meet 3 clients (ladies hairdressers who all share the same premises)  this afternoon and it's seriously hot. There was no way I was going to wear a tie, or a suite, or even a long sleeved shirt.  So, I arrived in deck shoes, black trousers (lightweight) and a blue short sleeved open kneck shirt. 

Personally I think anyone daft enough to go out in weather like this trussed up like a Christmas turkey simply looks a total plonker as they stagger around going progressivly more red in the face.

 

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ShirleyM PM | Thu, 29/09/2011 - 17:59 | Permalink

Stay on topic and stop leading me astray, else you will get Henry'd! 

 

Oh if I lead you astray I promise you'll have more to worry about than Henry - :))

Wrinkled stockings and a GTi broomstick are such a turn on.

 

 

 

 

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By ShirleyM
29th Sep 2011 18:24

I need smilies that blush!

Oh if I lead you astray I promise you'll have more to worry about than Henry - :))

This is getting rather embarrassing! Another fan of my wrinkled stockings, and now my broomstick, too?????

Anyway ... it's all talk ... I remember you saying you have forgotten why you chase women! :)

 

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By Owain_Glyndwr
29th Sep 2011 19:00

:P

ShirleyM

Anyway ... it's all talk ... I remember you saying you have forgotten why you chase women! :) 

 

 

I'm sure you could bring my memory back :P

 

 

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By ShirleyM
29th Sep 2011 19:19

HENRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HELP!

OG -  my broomstick is supercharged for a quick getaway! I don't want my toyboy to get jealous! 

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By Owain_Glyndwr
29th Sep 2011 23:21

You don't need Henry to help ...................

................ trust me, I'm an accountant :)

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By The Practitioner
03rd Oct 2011 21:27

We can't help what we look like, but we can make sure we present ourselves appropriately. The UBS bank dresscode gave us all a good chuckle, but they do have a bit of a point. Unless you're trying to be a complete rebel it's good to dress appropriately to the occasion. I'll often dress to match the client - one of my wealthier clients insists that I don't wear a suit when I visit his company, so I'm happy to comply. It can be good to dress down a bit when meeting creative industry people - jeans and polo shirts seem to be the norm in such businesses. On the other hand, sometimes you need that sharp suit, white shirt and silk tie just to look the part - just don't spoil it with dirty, unpolished shoes or uncombed hair!

I don't think clients will normally judge you for being short/bald/fat/ugly - but if you're untidy, scruffy, dirty, etc clients may think you're service is likely to be the same.

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By John McLane
16th Oct 2011 00:47

Funny how we differ

I don't give a stuff about appearances, sweaty stained vests are fine with me.

I would rather someone I was paying for a service concentrated on what I was paying them for rather than on the mirror!

Personally, neat and tidy doesn't come easy, clotes wear me rather than vice versa. However hard I try the shirt will not stay tucked in my trousers, my tie will slide down and my hair behaves like Harry Potter's when anywhere near a hairbrush (for those that don't know, HP is renown for hair that looks like it was dragged through a hedge backwards). My natural state is scruffy, and dishevelled is something I aspire to - untidy is the Holy Grail!

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