I was at a tech Meetup, talking with an Android developer about how he writes code to handle background processes on that platform when he stopped abruptly and asked me about my work experience. I briefly explained my history in Unix ops, etc. (since that’s what seemed relevant) and he replied:
Oh, so you do understand; it was your suit that confused me.
Apparently we’d ducked down into a space so geeky he didn’t expect someone in a suit to really understand it.
I’d been profiled based on how I was dressed.
And I couldn’t really blame him.
It’s not the haircut, but what’s between the ears.
And yet…how many times is someone cut short because of how they dress, how they present themselves or how their hair is cut? Or how many times has an “empty suit” gotten through the door without any other merit?
Ultimately, its the ability to execute, not whether you look nice in a suit or in flipflops or with your pants hanging below your butt. It’s your ability to execute, to satisfy your clients, to deliver on your commitments.
Haircuts and fancy clothes are cheap. It’s what’s beneath the haircut and what’s between the ears that counts.
When you get a chance, view the flick “Temple Grandin”. It’s about a woman who has autism. She has been prejudged all her life because of what she looks like, or how she dresses, how she acts, etc. She also holds a doctorate and teaches at Colorado State University.