你只有四分之一秒:老板如何对员工外表进行评判

Do not underestimate a first impression. According to 2011 research by Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, people assess your competence and trustworthiness in a quarter of a second (250 milliseconds)–based solely on how you look.

不要低估第一印象的重要性。哈佛医学院和马萨诸塞州总医院在2011年进行的调查显示，人们会在四分之一秒（250毫秒）内单从你的外表来评判你的能力和信用。

While appearance was deemed less important than gravitas and communication skills, it’s the very first thing people see. So a major grooming mistake can instantly undermine your chances of showing just how good you really are. From the CTI researchers’ interviews with high-level leaders, these emerged as the top seven physical traits that you’re being judged on.

虽然人们认为外表在重要性方面比不上举止和沟通能力，但它却是人们首先看到的东西。因此，在外表上的重大失误会立刻降低你展现出自己真正有多么优秀的机会。CTI研究人员对高层领导者的采访揭示了老板评判员工外表的七大特征。

1. Grooming

1. 整洁

According to the research, good grooming habits—looking “polished” or “pulled together”—is a professional’s most important physical asset. Moreover, women’s professional polish includes tasteful accessories, manicured nails and a hairstyle versus a haircut. Whereas, a man’s polished look is based on clean nails, shiny shoes, a clean shave and manicured facial hair, according to the report.

调查显示，良好的整洁习惯（看起来“有教养”或“得体”）是专业人士最重要的外貌资产。这份调查显示，女性的整洁外表包括了有品位的饰品，修剪整齐的指甲和好看的发型，不能只是理发了事。而男性的整洁外表包括了干净的指甲、光亮的皮鞋、刮干净的胡须和修剪过的面部毛发。

2. Posture

2. 姿势

Sitting and standing tall is considered the second-most important leadership signifier, no matter what type of office environment you work in. Good posture—meaning planted feet, shoulders back and head straight—reflects confidence and authority. On the other hand, shuffly feet and shifty eyes or a slumped-over torso are often perceived as a lack of respect, energy or engagement.

坐姿和站姿被视为第二个最重要的领导形象，无论你处在哪种办公环境里都是如此。良好的姿势（双脚放平，昂首挺胸）折射出自信和威严。反过来，拖着脚走路、贼眉鼠眼或身体倾斜常常被认为是缺乏尊重、缺少活力或不够敬业。

3. Physical Attractiveness

3. 身体吸引力

Studies show that attractive people are more likely to be viewed as smart, happy, interesting and successful. Among the executives surveyed, 16% said physical attractiveness contributes to a woman’s executive presence and 14% said the same for men. The researchers note, however, that it’s “less about being stereotypically pretty and more about consciously highlighting your best attributes and features and taking the time to appear well groomed.”

调查显示，具有身体吸引力的人更有可能被视为聪明、快乐、有趣和成功的人。在接受调查的高管中，16%的人说身体吸引力有助于提升女性的高管形象，14%的人说对男性也是如此。但研究人员指出，身体吸引力“不是通常所说的美丽，而是有意识地突显你的最好品质和能力，花时间使自己显得整洁得体。”

4. Slimness

4. 苗条

In the study, 21% of executives said being overweight looks bad for a woman and 17% said it hurts a man. Those numbers more than doubled when it came to obesity (45% and 43%, respectively). Additionally, several executives interviewed said that being in good physical shape implies you know how to take care of yourself and, by extension, important projects.

调查显示，21%的高管说过重有损女性的形象，17%的人认为这也会有损男性的形象。如果是肥胖，那么这两个数字会增加一倍多（分别为45%和43%）。另外，几位受访高管说，保持良好的身形说明你知道如何照顾自己，言外之意就是你懂得如何处理重要的项目。

5. Height

5. 身高

While women are judged more critically by their weight, men are more likely to be sized up by their height. Of those surveyed, 16% said it’s important for men to be tall, compared to just 6% for women. Real estate executive Tim Melville-Ross told the CTI researchers that being 6’6” has been “a huge advantage” in his career.

虽然女性在体重方面受到了更加严苛的评判，但男性更有可能受到身高方面的评判。在受访者中，16%的人说身材高对男性来说很重要，只有6%的人说身材高对女性来说很重要。房地产公司高管蒂姆·梅尔维尔-罗斯对CTI研究人员说，六英尺六英寸（约198cm）的身高为其职业生涯带来了“巨大的优势”。

6. Expensive Clothing

6. 昂贵的服装

Perhaps unsurprisingly, wearing expensive, or at least expensive-looking, clothing was rated as more important for those who work in formal business cultures. However, looking chic but not trendy proves to be more difficult for women, the researchers found, who have infinitely more style choices than men. Executives said that signature accessories—a great shoe or nice watch—go a long way, but flashy jewelry undermines your appearance. Similarly, they said brand names suggest stature, but too many labels are distracting.

昂贵的服装或者至少看起来昂贵的服装对那些工作环境较为严肃的人来说显得更加重要，这一点或许并不令人意外。但研究人员发现，在衣着高雅时尚的同时却又不显得盲目追赶潮流，这对女性来说更加难以做到，因为她们的时尚选择总是多于男性。高管们表示，特色鲜明的配饰（好鞋或好表）大有好处，但浮华的珠宝会贬低你的形象。同样，他们说品牌表明了社会地位，但很多品牌会令人产生迷惑。

7. Youthful Appearance

7. 年轻的外表

Ironically, women are judged for looking too young and for looking too old, but more critically for the latter. Junior women confided that they secretly hoped for a couple gray hairs to look more experienced, and women in focus groups agreed there is only a small window for not looking too old or too young.

具有讽刺意味的是，女性会因为外表过于年轻或过于年老而给人留下不好的印象，但对后者的评判更加苛刻。年轻女性承认，她们偷偷地希望能有两三根灰白的头发，以便使自己显得更有经验。但受访女性认为，看起来不太老和不太年轻之间的余地很小。