Picture of Is having a 'man  bun' going to give an unprofessional impression?

Is having a 'man bun' going to give an unprofessional impression?

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I am a male and I am planning on applying for your 2018 consulting grad program, I am making the assumption I will be successful in getting to the interview/assessment centre stage (Hopefully I do). But currently I have long hair and I tie it up in a 'man bun' obviously first impressions are very important when interviewing. Will my current hair give off a bad impression, and should I adopt a more 'business suitable' hair style?

Anonymous asked a question to EY

Category: General

Date asked: Saturday, August 12, 2017

Last reviewed: Tuesday, February 25, 2025

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Picture of Charlotte D.

Charlotte D.

Student Recruitment Advisor

To provide a further update to this, as it's still such a great and relevant question, I wish to reiterate that it's important we challenge the idea that being professional means you have to look a certain way. This is simply not the case, and we need to challenge the idea that if you believe your image exists outside of that traditional narrative, that you will be deemed as unprofessional.


Here's a few things that we care about more than we care about your hairstyle:

- Your attitude to learning and growth

- What success and achievement looks like to YOU

- How comfortable you feel in your role and team

- That you have the support to excel in your role, and to balance your work and personal life

- Feeling fulfilled and hopefully passionate about your work in EY!


These are the things that make up a professional image!


In terms of how we dress to office, we generally adhere to business casual. This means that it reflects your schedule for the day - dressing in a way that feels good, 'put together', and appropriate for an office environment or going to a client site, or even attending your first interview with us!

This can change day-to-day depending on what you're doing or who you're meeting, however as long as it feels good to you and is reasonable to be worn to an office, then it's more than likely going to be okay.


If you feel nervous before your first day, or before an interview, you might find it more comfortable to come in something towards the smarter style end, and adjust once you have an idea how your team meet and dress. Feeling like you've put some care into what you've chosen to wear can be a really great confidence boost!


I hope this gives you the confidence to be yourself, and know that regardless of where you are in your journey with EY, we are looking at who you are, and not what you wear!

Tuesday, February 25, 2025

Helen Z.

Student Attraction Advisor

Hi! We definitely will not judge you based on your looks, we're much more interested in what strengths you can bring to EY. I've ran assessment centres before where a candidate has had a man bun and it wasn't mentioned, it definitely didn't factor into the decision making process. I'd just advise that you tie it up neatly, dress appropriately and smile. Our first impression of you will be how you interact with us, not how you look!

Monday, August 14, 2017

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