Many seek edge in job market by updating looks
By Davis Bushnell, Globe Correspondent, 3/21/04
A growing number of professionals are visiting image consultants and even plastic surgeons in a quest to get an edge on younger competitors for jobs and promotions in a still-tough economy.
"I believe that a professional image should be updated as frequently as a résumé," said executive assistant Marilyn V. Santiesteban. Santiesteban, who will admit only to being in her 40s, had a recent makeover with an image consultant. She said she wanted her appearance to be in step with her colleagues at the Internet services firm where she works in Waltham.
"I'm now on my way to having a smart appearance, which is also young and hip," she said.
Whether they're seeking jobs or are already employed, there's a new recognition that a sharp professional appearance can help an individual stand out with employers and hiring mangers in today's tight employment environment, said human resources specialists, job counselors, and image consultants.
"Appearance is reemerging as an important issue," said Tom Flannery, principal in the Boston office of Mellon Financial Corp.'s human resources consulting unit and a board member of the Northeast Human Resources Association in Wellesley. "People are more cognizant of appearance and the good message that it communicates."
This new perception stands in sharp contrast to the attitude about appearance that helped define the dot-com boom of the late 1990s, when the talent wars led some workers and job hunters to show up for work or interviews looking any way they wanted.
Business professionals want "to take care of their appearance so that they can distinguish themselves from others," said Nancy Hayes Bevington, vice president of client services in the Boston office of Right Management Consultants, a national outplacement and HR consulting firm.
More clients are now asking for advice on appearance and sometimes are given the names of consultants who can help with things like wardrobe and hairstyle changes, Bevington said.
Professionals seeking to energize their work look has meant more business for image consultants like Ginger Burr, who estimated that business revenue last year is up 20 percent over 2000. Burr, who charges an hourly fee of between $125 and $150, works out of a studio in her Somerville home. She said three-quarters of her clients are working for a company, self-employed, or looking for employment.
"Many business people want clarification and guidance in choosing the right look," Burr said
Burr helped Santiesteban finetune her look this month at a session at her firm, Total Image Consultants. Santiesteban works for Mark C. Stoever, executive vice president of US operations for Terra Lycos Inc., a provider of Internet portal services. Stoever "dresses professionally and I mirror his style. I think it sends a message that I'm serious about what I do" at a time when job performance is crucial, Santiesteban said.
Stoever, 37, noted the casual look is receding in business. "I've seen a return to a more business-like dress code in our industry as well as across-the-board," he said. "So, it makes sense to me that someone makes his or her best effort to present a professional appearance."
Others are stepping up their appearance through cosmetic surgery. Last year, for example, more than 8.7 million cosmetic surgery procedures were performed nationally, a 32 percent increase over 2002, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
Women represented 82 percent of those who had cosmetic surgery in 2003, according to the society. Topping the list of procedures performed were nose jobs, liposuction, breast augmentation, eyelid lifts, and face lifts.
Dr. Donald Clukies, president of the Massachusetts Society of Plastic Surgeons, said many of his patients are in their 50s and "looking enviously at coworkers coming up through the ranks in their 30s and 40s."
Business executives wanting new, younger looks represent an increasing number of patients, said some plastic surgeons.
"People are feeling increasingly comfortable with plastic surgery," said Dr. Joel Feldman, who is affiliated with Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. They come in for procedures, he said, "because they believe theyll be received better at work and feel better about themselves at the same time."
Feldman said he's dealing with an increasing number of men these days, even though most of his patients are women. "Men especially want to get rid of puffy eyelids and sagging neck lines," while women frequently opt for face lifts, he said. His cosmetic surgery fees, which are not covered by health insurance, can amount to several thousand dollars per procedure, he said.
One of Feldman's patients, a residential real estate agent in Greater Boston, said her new look, resulting from eyelid surgery and a brow lift, brings verve to her personal and business life.
"I could never wear makeup before because my eyelids were so heavy. I looked asleep. Now, my whole face is open," said Mary, 48, who declined to give her last name. She said she paid more than $4,000 for the procedures.
Some patients look at cosmetic surgery "as a good investment for them," said Dr. Richard Ehrlichman, a plastic surgeon at Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. His current caseload, he said, involves "lots of women who are going back to work after having kids." Popular procedures like eyelid and face lifts cost between $2,500 and $3,500 and $6,000 and $6,500, respectively, he said.
Human resource specialists say that as long as a candidate has the requisite skills, a well-groomed and natural look can help carry the day.
"People coming in for interviews now are looking much better than others did a few years ago," said Robin Lucier, human resources manager for B.L. Makepeace Inc., a small Brighton architectural services firm.
Lucier recently interviewed several men for a production supervisor's position at the firm's Hopkinton plant. The successful candidate was Mike Lazzaro, 35, of Worcester.
"I had a feeling that if I looked professional, I'd be perceived that way," Lazzaro said. "So, I made sure that I got a haircut before the interview and then came in dressed in a business suit and a nice pair of shoes."
A few years ago, when he was looking for work, "the dress code was much more lax a much different time from today," he said.
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