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Question

Is there evidence in Computer Science that employers have a preference on whether employees are normal or eccentric? By "prefer," I mean "is more likely to hire and not fire."

By eccentric, I mean having unusual characteristics, for example, having unusual hobbies such as making duct tape art, having unusual fashion such as pink hair, or having unusual beliefs such as believing that children shouldn't be told fairy tales.

I don't include sexual preference, religion, race, or gender identity as part of being eccentric, because I've already found literature on them.

I haven't found any sources saying the employers prefer one over the other, but knowing human nature, I suspect that employers prefer more normal people over eccentric ones. Is this accurate? Does it vary by field and location? I'm going into computer science, so an answer with regards to it would be appreciated.

I would not consider any of those things at all eccentric - especially the pink hair, that's really quite normal. But then I live in the middle of a very big city, which may make my viewpoint different to someone who doesn't. — May 17 '15 at 8:05
Just pink hair is not really eccentric, only a bit flashy; which is why HR asked a friend of mine during the interview to refrain from colorings and use only toner, and to remove the nose ring. She agreed and was accepted. The other two you mention are just beliefs or hobbies that people have or haven't. Nothing excentric about any of these, and certainly not harmful to the company. HR doesn't really want to know the details about them, just like they don't really want to know whether you usually have a continental or an English breakfast (or just coffee and cigarette). — May 17 '15 at 11:01
Let me get this straight: you are planning on applying for IT jobs and at your interviews you want to talk about art and how to best raise children? The word for that is not eccentric... — May 17 '15 at 15:09
I just edited it to be a little more clear, but it still seems difficult to say what an entire industry of people will or will not think without some degree of stereotyping. Also, it might help if in the question body you explain why this is important and what problem you are specifically facing. Our site tends to work best when there's a real problem to be solved. Hope this helps clarify. — May 17 '15 at 19:36
After editing, I went ahead and reopened. While this question skirts the line, it's well written and thought provoking and getting good answers. You're also getting better at writing questions on our site. I encourage you to check out How to Ask in the help center, which explains what kind of details to put in the question body to maximize your chances of communicating with your audience and getting the best answer. Good luck. — May 17 '15 at 19:49

score 18 · Answer 1 · 2015-05-18 18:59:32Z

I suspect that employers prefer more normal people over eccentric
ones. Is this accurate?

Nobody can speak for all employers. But in my experience, "normal" people are far preferred over "eccentrics" by most employers. One of the critical factors that a hiring manager must judge is "will this person fit in to my company, and my team?" For most companies, a "normal" person will fit in better, by definition. And most hiring managers tend to favor hiring people who are a lot like them. (I'm not saying this is a great practice, but it's just human nature).

That said, it probably matters how you define "eccentric". Everyone has their personal preferences, and many have minor quirks. But the term "eccentric" can span an extremely wide variety of activities - some of which might make an individual very hard to hire.

Does it vary by field and location?

Almost certainly.

Unusual hobbies and unusual beliefs can be kept to yourself. But unusual hair color may not be considered a "good fit" in some fields and some roles.

More creative fields seem to attract more eccentrics.

I'm going into computer science, so an answer with regards to it would
be appreciated.

I've worked in computer software for my entire career. I've seen a good number of "quirky" individuals. I've worked with many, and hired a few. In all cases, they were excellent at their job - good enough that it usually made up for their quirks.

A few didn't last long. Their quirks made them high-maintenance, or they just couldn't fit in well enough with the team. They were good at what they did, but not good enough to overcome their negatives.

Some folks refer to themselves as eccentric, while others just view them as odd. It's all a matter of viewpoint.

Everything else being equal, I've always preferred to hire individuals who wouldn't be considered as obviously eccentric. That said, everything else is seldom equal.

I love this answer, but as another point, there's a difference between someone who comes in with a fohawk vs someone who is just unusual with out-there hobbies. The weirdo would win over the "rebel" any time. If you show up for a salaried job with a studded jacket and a chain piercing it reflects as unprofessional. Colored hair varies depending on how obnoxious it is, but the point is to look like an actual, approachable, grown up. The whole "the world needs to accept me for me" look gives off a terribly arrogant and disrespectful vibe. Remember, you're the one looking for a job. — May 17 '15 at 20:32
@JoeStrazzere Perhaps it should not matter but it probably will matter to the person conducting the interview, for the reasons you've outlined in your answer... — May 18 '15 at 7:43
Just as a reference point, I've never had a potential employer ask about personal beliefs, or what I liked to do during my non-working hours. So if the eccentricity is in other matters than grooming or dress, it probably won't be noticed until you've been working there for some time, and not even then if you don't bring it up. — May 18 '15 at 20:01
@JoeStrazzere "I have often had interviewers ask me what I liked to do when I'm not working." Me too, and while it may have been intended as a sneaky way to rate the candidate on some kind of personal weirdness scale, I've always taken it as an opportunity to mention a hobby that reinforces qualities I'm trying to sell in the interview--e.g. if you enjoy making pastries, point out how that demands both precision and creativity, as does software development (or whatever job you're applying for). — May 19 '15 at 5:11

score 6 · Answer 2 · 2015-05-17 02:12:58Z

In 25 years of working in high tech, I have yet to meet an employer who is explicitly looking for eccentric individuals or who is explicitly screening them out. For one thing, you can be eccentric in your personal life but you subscribe to conventional notions of what excellence as an employee is. Or you may be a total drone in your personal life and most unpleasantly unpredictable in the office. In which case, you get a one-way trip out the door.

From my personal experience, eccentric people are not necessarily out-of-the-box thinkers. An out-of-the-box thinker can make strange intellectual connections through unusual word associations, make unexpected linkages by willing to look at things upside down and to think by going backwards from where she wants to end up. None of the out-of-the-box thinking I just described requires living an eccentric life style.

score 5 · Answer 3 · 2018-07-08 02:17:07Z

Employers want employees that will contribute the most towards their goals.

But the hiring process doesn't involve looking at an infinite number of alternate worlds and then hiring the employees that get them what they want. It involves relatively short interactions, outside of emergency services or the military, it almost never involves time frames that can't easily be described using hours, and the most common description is probably "under an hour".

So, the hiring process is, of necessity, based upon quick judgements. Judgements that are based, at least in part, upon superficial characteristics.

The one judgement most dependent upon a superficial judgement is "fit". Will you make a better teammate or face of the company (i.e. customer interaction). And this is where eccentricity is generally going to be judged a negative -- a distracting coworker is distracting, people tend to remember the bad more easily than the good or satisfactory, an easily rememberable employee may just make it easier for the customer to recall that service wasn't what they wanted.

On the other hand, once hired, eccentricity that is not actually causing a problem will probably be ignored -- most employers don't wake up and think "who can I fire today". They fire people because they are either causing problems or not delivering value.

"outside of emergency services or the military, it almost never involves time frames that can't easily be described using hours, " -- I'd add "academia" to that list :) — May 18 '15 at 10:58
@LindaJeanne: how long is a typical acadimic interview and how many interviews will a prospective employee have? — Jul 8 at 2:19

Alexander 746615 · Answer 4 · 2015-05-17 02:02:46Z

When thinking of an excentric person, I first think of Karl Lagerfeld, so let me take him as an example.

No sane employer would let one Karl Lagerfeld work a bank counter or hotel reception, for fear that too many customers may be offended or at least uncomfortable and would not return.

In software industry, being normal is not so much an issue as in a bank, but then, being normal, you are still able to work with any customer, and even as a developer, you could be forced to talk to customers sooner or later. No customer would shun away from you because you are "too normal" (except Lagerfeld himself, maybe).

So, if you are equally qualified and you performed equally in the interview, expect the employer to choose the "normal" guy over the overly excentric one, and possibly the "not-too-normal" one over the "boringly normal" guy.

But then, "performed equally in the interview" also means that you did not fail trying to sell yourself as a person you aren't. If you try to hide either your normalness or your excentricity behind a meticulously carved screenplay, and they feel something along that line, you have lost - no employer can afford untrustworthy employees. It is far easier and more promising to just be the person you are, to act natural, no matter how overly excentric or boringly normal you are.

Eric 4,11911125 · Answer 5 · 2015-05-18 15:11:52Z

In the software industry, there are a variety of roles. Some of these roles are mostly internal facing (e.g. inhouse software developer in a large company) and some are very external facing (e.g. contract programmer working on-site at a client). For roles that are mostly internal facing, there are two key criteria for success: ability to program and ability to work well in a team. For external facing roles, it's also important to be able to be able to professionally represent the company when interacting with customers / clients / etc.

The "eccentricities" you mention in no way impact a person's ability to program or to work in a team. I would have no concerns with hiring a competent person who had those eccentricities provided there was some good chemistry with existing team members. My one major concern would be if the person in question was "in your face" with the eccentricities as an attention getting mechanism. It's fine with me if you don't believe in reading fairy tales to children (or will only eat Halal food or will not accept blood transfusions or will vote Republican or will only listen to classical music or ...) provided you are not actively forcing this on your colleagues or bringing it up when it is not relevant (e.g. derailing a sprint planning meeting with a rant about the negative impact fairy tales have on childhood development when the team was discussing how to implement a new screen in the application).

In short, the workplace is about work. It is not about your personal hobbies, beliefs, politics, etc. While these can be discussed during social situations at work, they should be completely in the background during actual work. If you need to bring them into the foreground for your own personal needs, then you need to find a work environment with like minded individuals or you need to learn to moderate your need for attention during work hours.

keshlam 41.5k1267144 · Answer 6 · 2015-05-17 05:31:34Z

When selling -- yourself, your services, or your product -- it is easier for folks to deal with you if they mostly know what to expect from you, and easiest if you initially come across as being not only a standard quantity but one who is mostly like them and understands their needs. There are good reasons IBMers -- even repair technicians -- used to wear suits; we were selling to businessmen and they were most comfortable with someone who appeared to be a member of their tribe.

(Old not-entirely-a-joke: you can recognize an IBM service tech by the fact that, when he takes off his suit coat, his sleeves are already rolled up.)

Times and customs change, but the principle remains valid. Unless there is a specific reason for wanting to come across as an academic type, eccentricity is not an advantage... and even for academic research types, it's tolerated rather than encouraged.

Not entirely a joke about IBM techs (back then, anyway), but there was also a distinct inverse relationship between formal dress and technical ability. Worked for a company that was a beta site for their RISC workstations. In the initail debugging, we went from standard suited techs to the ones who came in polo shirts, until finally the ultimate support level was reached: jeans, your prototypical hippie in T-shirt & jeans, with ponytail. Took him about half a day to get everything up & running :-) — May 18 '15 at 4:36
If you're an indispensable wizard, folks will put up with whatever you're wearing... and there is something of a stereotype in our field about the less-than-fully-socialized countercultural hotshot. But that hippie might not have gotten in the door if the suits hadn't vouched for him, and he might not have gotten the job if he'd come into his interview in full regalia for the same reason. Sell yourself on competence first, without distractions, then find out what you can get away with. — May 18 '15 at 14:53

Jane Sâ™¦ 40.8k17125159 · Answer 7 · 2015-05-17 12:19:34Z

I don't know what country you are in, but in many countries you need to be well aware that rejecting someone for attributes such as their sexual orientation, race, gender identity or religion is illegal, as well it should be. These should NEVER be the basis of failing to hire someone if they are otherwise the best candidate.

That aside, if someone has piercings or excessive visible tattoos such as to the face, or anything else that may be taken as offensive, then I might take pause if that person were to be in a customer facing role, despite their qualifications or experience. Each individual is a representative of the organisation and is reflective of that organisation. However in back office roles such as development or phone support, as long as the person is the most capable then as an employer I honestly don't care what they look like or what they do in their spare time (as long as it isn't illegal...!).

Rory Alsop 5,55712340 · Answer 8 · 2015-05-18 10:33:59Z

Large corporates and enterprise level companies have extensive training for interviewers on how to avoid judging others and how to avoid unconscious prejudice, because this is a major issue.

I am a little non-standard for senior management in a global financial services corporation, as I have tattoos, piercings and wear some odd clothing choices, especially outside work when playing in my rock band. This didn't necessarily impact my interview process, but the onus was on me to convince the interviewer that these differences would not affect the team's relationship with our key stakeholders. My interviewers were not judgemental, but we were all well aware that relationships with suppliers, regulators and other 3rd parties may not be so straightforward. At a previous role this did lead to me cutting my long hair into the standard business crew cut. I think the line from my interviewing partner was, "Do what you think is right for our clients..."

The thing to be aware of is that while your company may have very positive, forward-thinking attitudes, customers may not be so enlightened. Will hiring you instead of someone more conventional have a negative impact on the company? If the net effect is zero then they should have no preference, but if they are likely to lose conservative customers, then you may be asked to adhere to more moderate behviour/appearance, or at a worst case may not get the job.

Silver Streak 1213 · Answer 9 · 2015-05-18 11:10:26Z

One of the most important issues recruiters consider is the organizational fit - whether or not the person will fit in the organization and the team (s)he'll be assigned to. Being eccentric is neither good or bad but it is invariable made either by the person in question. I've worked with both eccentrics and 'normies' and you couldn't tell by the results who did what and I've worked with normies who were a pain in the rearward section and eccentrics who could turn a sour day into a great one (and vice versa).

What I'm trying to say here is - employers don't care (to great degree) whether or not you're eccentric if you're not going to interact with the customers on daily basis. As long as your eccentricism doesn't affect the quality of your work or disrupt the working environment (forcing others to adapt to your quirks), it's pretty much anything goes. Having a pony figure or two next to your display won't affect anyone but walking on all fours and asking to be called 'Trixie Lulamoon' might get you sacked in a blink.

ANSWER: On the average, according to my experience - no. In the end, it depends on the employer and on the role. Common sense goes the distance here. Does the role require you to interact face to face with customers? In that case flagrant eccentricism is probably not what the recruiter is looking for.

Communityâ™¦ 1 · Answer 10 · 2017-04-13 12:42:23Z

By "prefer," I mean "is more likely to hire and not fire." I haven't
found any sources saying the employers prefer one over the other, but
knowing human nature, I suspect that employers prefer more normal
people over eccentric ones.

It depends on the human being.

Sometimes, being eccentric lends to coming up with solutions that a "normal" image-conscious person would NOT dare recommend.

Is this accurate? Does it vary by field and location? I'm going into
computer science, so an answer with regards to it would be
appreciated.

Well, look at ThinkGeek's website. Do they look "normal" or "eccentric" to you?
And look at Google ----- do you really think "normal" people come up with those doodles.

In professions that need creativity or "thinking out of the box", eccentrics who can channel their eccentricity to be productive are valuable.

If I was hiring someone, I'd see whether they are a fit for the job, regardless of whether they are "normal" or "eccentric".

Now, this may be a question in https://philosophy.stackexchange.com/, but who decides what is "normal" and what is "eccentric"?

By eccentric, I mean having unusual characteristics, for example, having unusual hobbies such as making duct tape art, having unusual fashion such as by having pink hair, or having unusual beliefs such as believing that children shouldn't be told fairy tails. I don't include sexual preference, religion, race, or gender identity as part of being eccentric, because I've already found literature on them. — May 17 '15 at 14:41
Well this shouldn't matter when hiring someone unless it effects job, professionalism, etc — May 17 '15 at 16:18

score 18 · Answer 11 · 2015-05-18 18:59:32Z

I suspect that employers prefer more normal people over eccentric
ones. Is this accurate?

Nobody can speak for all employers. But in my experience, "normal" people are far preferred over "eccentrics" by most employers. One of the critical factors that a hiring manager must judge is "will this person fit in to my company, and my team?" For most companies, a "normal" person will fit in better, by definition. And most hiring managers tend to favor hiring people who are a lot like them. (I'm not saying this is a great practice, but it's just human nature).

That said, it probably matters how you define "eccentric". Everyone has their personal preferences, and many have minor quirks. But the term "eccentric" can span an extremely wide variety of activities - some of which might make an individual very hard to hire.

Does it vary by field and location?

Almost certainly.

Unusual hobbies and unusual beliefs can be kept to yourself. But unusual hair color may not be considered a "good fit" in some fields and some roles.

More creative fields seem to attract more eccentrics.

I'm going into computer science, so an answer with regards to it would
be appreciated.

I've worked in computer software for my entire career. I've seen a good number of "quirky" individuals. I've worked with many, and hired a few. In all cases, they were excellent at their job - good enough that it usually made up for their quirks.

A few didn't last long. Their quirks made them high-maintenance, or they just couldn't fit in well enough with the team. They were good at what they did, but not good enough to overcome their negatives.

Some folks refer to themselves as eccentric, while others just view them as odd. It's all a matter of viewpoint.

Everything else being equal, I've always preferred to hire individuals who wouldn't be considered as obviously eccentric. That said, everything else is seldom equal.

I love this answer, but as another point, there's a difference between someone who comes in with a fohawk vs someone who is just unusual with out-there hobbies. The weirdo would win over the "rebel" any time. If you show up for a salaried job with a studded jacket and a chain piercing it reflects as unprofessional. Colored hair varies depending on how obnoxious it is, but the point is to look like an actual, approachable, grown up. The whole "the world needs to accept me for me" look gives off a terribly arrogant and disrespectful vibe. Remember, you're the one looking for a job. — May 17 '15 at 20:32
@JoeStrazzere Perhaps it should not matter but it probably will matter to the person conducting the interview, for the reasons you've outlined in your answer... — May 18 '15 at 7:43
Just as a reference point, I've never had a potential employer ask about personal beliefs, or what I liked to do during my non-working hours. So if the eccentricity is in other matters than grooming or dress, it probably won't be noticed until you've been working there for some time, and not even then if you don't bring it up. — May 18 '15 at 20:01
@JoeStrazzere "I have often had interviewers ask me what I liked to do when I'm not working." Me too, and while it may have been intended as a sneaky way to rate the candidate on some kind of personal weirdness scale, I've always taken it as an opportunity to mention a hobby that reinforces qualities I'm trying to sell in the interview--e.g. if you enjoy making pastries, point out how that demands both precision and creativity, as does software development (or whatever job you're applying for). — May 19 '15 at 5:11

score 6 · Answer 12 · 2015-05-17 02:12:58Z

In 25 years of working in high tech, I have yet to meet an employer who is explicitly looking for eccentric individuals or who is explicitly screening them out. For one thing, you can be eccentric in your personal life but you subscribe to conventional notions of what excellence as an employee is. Or you may be a total drone in your personal life and most unpleasantly unpredictable in the office. In which case, you get a one-way trip out the door.

From my personal experience, eccentric people are not necessarily out-of-the-box thinkers. An out-of-the-box thinker can make strange intellectual connections through unusual word associations, make unexpected linkages by willing to look at things upside down and to think by going backwards from where she wants to end up. None of the out-of-the-box thinking I just described requires living an eccentric life style.

score 5 · Answer 13 · 2018-07-08 02:17:07Z

Employers want employees that will contribute the most towards their goals.

But the hiring process doesn't involve looking at an infinite number of alternate worlds and then hiring the employees that get them what they want. It involves relatively short interactions, outside of emergency services or the military, it almost never involves time frames that can't easily be described using hours, and the most common description is probably "under an hour".

So, the hiring process is, of necessity, based upon quick judgements. Judgements that are based, at least in part, upon superficial characteristics.

The one judgement most dependent upon a superficial judgement is "fit". Will you make a better teammate or face of the company (i.e. customer interaction). And this is where eccentricity is generally going to be judged a negative -- a distracting coworker is distracting, people tend to remember the bad more easily than the good or satisfactory, an easily rememberable employee may just make it easier for the customer to recall that service wasn't what they wanted.

On the other hand, once hired, eccentricity that is not actually causing a problem will probably be ignored -- most employers don't wake up and think "who can I fire today". They fire people because they are either causing problems or not delivering value.

"outside of emergency services or the military, it almost never involves time frames that can't easily be described using hours, " -- I'd add "academia" to that list :) — May 18 '15 at 10:58
@LindaJeanne: how long is a typical acadimic interview and how many interviews will a prospective employee have? — Jul 8 at 2:19

Alexander 746615 · Answer 14 · 2015-05-17 02:02:46Z

When thinking of an excentric person, I first think of Karl Lagerfeld, so let me take him as an example.

No sane employer would let one Karl Lagerfeld work a bank counter or hotel reception, for fear that too many customers may be offended or at least uncomfortable and would not return.

In software industry, being normal is not so much an issue as in a bank, but then, being normal, you are still able to work with any customer, and even as a developer, you could be forced to talk to customers sooner or later. No customer would shun away from you because you are "too normal" (except Lagerfeld himself, maybe).

So, if you are equally qualified and you performed equally in the interview, expect the employer to choose the "normal" guy over the overly excentric one, and possibly the "not-too-normal" one over the "boringly normal" guy.

But then, "performed equally in the interview" also means that you did not fail trying to sell yourself as a person you aren't. If you try to hide either your normalness or your excentricity behind a meticulously carved screenplay, and they feel something along that line, you have lost - no employer can afford untrustworthy employees. It is far easier and more promising to just be the person you are, to act natural, no matter how overly excentric or boringly normal you are.

Eric 4,11911125 · Answer 15 · 2015-05-18 15:11:52Z

In the software industry, there are a variety of roles. Some of these roles are mostly internal facing (e.g. inhouse software developer in a large company) and some are very external facing (e.g. contract programmer working on-site at a client). For roles that are mostly internal facing, there are two key criteria for success: ability to program and ability to work well in a team. For external facing roles, it's also important to be able to be able to professionally represent the company when interacting with customers / clients / etc.

The "eccentricities" you mention in no way impact a person's ability to program or to work in a team. I would have no concerns with hiring a competent person who had those eccentricities provided there was some good chemistry with existing team members. My one major concern would be if the person in question was "in your face" with the eccentricities as an attention getting mechanism. It's fine with me if you don't believe in reading fairy tales to children (or will only eat Halal food or will not accept blood transfusions or will vote Republican or will only listen to classical music or ...) provided you are not actively forcing this on your colleagues or bringing it up when it is not relevant (e.g. derailing a sprint planning meeting with a rant about the negative impact fairy tales have on childhood development when the team was discussing how to implement a new screen in the application).

In short, the workplace is about work. It is not about your personal hobbies, beliefs, politics, etc. While these can be discussed during social situations at work, they should be completely in the background during actual work. If you need to bring them into the foreground for your own personal needs, then you need to find a work environment with like minded individuals or you need to learn to moderate your need for attention during work hours.

keshlam 41.5k1267144 · Answer 16 · 2015-05-17 05:31:34Z

When selling -- yourself, your services, or your product -- it is easier for folks to deal with you if they mostly know what to expect from you, and easiest if you initially come across as being not only a standard quantity but one who is mostly like them and understands their needs. There are good reasons IBMers -- even repair technicians -- used to wear suits; we were selling to businessmen and they were most comfortable with someone who appeared to be a member of their tribe.

(Old not-entirely-a-joke: you can recognize an IBM service tech by the fact that, when he takes off his suit coat, his sleeves are already rolled up.)

Times and customs change, but the principle remains valid. Unless there is a specific reason for wanting to come across as an academic type, eccentricity is not an advantage... and even for academic research types, it's tolerated rather than encouraged.

Not entirely a joke about IBM techs (back then, anyway), but there was also a distinct inverse relationship between formal dress and technical ability. Worked for a company that was a beta site for their RISC workstations. In the initail debugging, we went from standard suited techs to the ones who came in polo shirts, until finally the ultimate support level was reached: jeans, your prototypical hippie in T-shirt & jeans, with ponytail. Took him about half a day to get everything up & running :-) — May 18 '15 at 4:36
If you're an indispensable wizard, folks will put up with whatever you're wearing... and there is something of a stereotype in our field about the less-than-fully-socialized countercultural hotshot. But that hippie might not have gotten in the door if the suits hadn't vouched for him, and he might not have gotten the job if he'd come into his interview in full regalia for the same reason. Sell yourself on competence first, without distractions, then find out what you can get away with. — May 18 '15 at 14:53

Jane Sâ™¦ 40.8k17125159 · Answer 17 · 2015-05-17 12:19:34Z

I don't know what country you are in, but in many countries you need to be well aware that rejecting someone for attributes such as their sexual orientation, race, gender identity or religion is illegal, as well it should be. These should NEVER be the basis of failing to hire someone if they are otherwise the best candidate.

That aside, if someone has piercings or excessive visible tattoos such as to the face, or anything else that may be taken as offensive, then I might take pause if that person were to be in a customer facing role, despite their qualifications or experience. Each individual is a representative of the organisation and is reflective of that organisation. However in back office roles such as development or phone support, as long as the person is the most capable then as an employer I honestly don't care what they look like or what they do in their spare time (as long as it isn't illegal...!).

Rory Alsop 5,55712340 · Answer 18 · 2015-05-18 10:33:59Z

Large corporates and enterprise level companies have extensive training for interviewers on how to avoid judging others and how to avoid unconscious prejudice, because this is a major issue.

I am a little non-standard for senior management in a global financial services corporation, as I have tattoos, piercings and wear some odd clothing choices, especially outside work when playing in my rock band. This didn't necessarily impact my interview process, but the onus was on me to convince the interviewer that these differences would not affect the team's relationship with our key stakeholders. My interviewers were not judgemental, but we were all well aware that relationships with suppliers, regulators and other 3rd parties may not be so straightforward. At a previous role this did lead to me cutting my long hair into the standard business crew cut. I think the line from my interviewing partner was, "Do what you think is right for our clients..."

The thing to be aware of is that while your company may have very positive, forward-thinking attitudes, customers may not be so enlightened. Will hiring you instead of someone more conventional have a negative impact on the company? If the net effect is zero then they should have no preference, but if they are likely to lose conservative customers, then you may be asked to adhere to more moderate behviour/appearance, or at a worst case may not get the job.

Silver Streak 1213 · Answer 19 · 2015-05-18 11:10:26Z

One of the most important issues recruiters consider is the organizational fit - whether or not the person will fit in the organization and the team (s)he'll be assigned to. Being eccentric is neither good or bad but it is invariable made either by the person in question. I've worked with both eccentrics and 'normies' and you couldn't tell by the results who did what and I've worked with normies who were a pain in the rearward section and eccentrics who could turn a sour day into a great one (and vice versa).

What I'm trying to say here is - employers don't care (to great degree) whether or not you're eccentric if you're not going to interact with the customers on daily basis. As long as your eccentricism doesn't affect the quality of your work or disrupt the working environment (forcing others to adapt to your quirks), it's pretty much anything goes. Having a pony figure or two next to your display won't affect anyone but walking on all fours and asking to be called 'Trixie Lulamoon' might get you sacked in a blink.

ANSWER: On the average, according to my experience - no. In the end, it depends on the employer and on the role. Common sense goes the distance here. Does the role require you to interact face to face with customers? In that case flagrant eccentricism is probably not what the recruiter is looking for.

Communityâ™¦ 1 · Answer 20 · 2017-04-13 12:42:23Z

By "prefer," I mean "is more likely to hire and not fire." I haven't
found any sources saying the employers prefer one over the other, but
knowing human nature, I suspect that employers prefer more normal
people over eccentric ones.

It depends on the human being.

Sometimes, being eccentric lends to coming up with solutions that a "normal" image-conscious person would NOT dare recommend.

Is this accurate? Does it vary by field and location? I'm going into
computer science, so an answer with regards to it would be
appreciated.

Well, look at ThinkGeek's website. Do they look "normal" or "eccentric" to you?
And look at Google ----- do you really think "normal" people come up with those doodles.

In professions that need creativity or "thinking out of the box", eccentrics who can channel their eccentricity to be productive are valuable.

If I was hiring someone, I'd see whether they are a fit for the job, regardless of whether they are "normal" or "eccentric".

Now, this may be a question in https://philosophy.stackexchange.com/, but who decides what is "normal" and what is "eccentric"?

By eccentric, I mean having unusual characteristics, for example, having unusual hobbies such as making duct tape art, having unusual fashion such as by having pink hair, or having unusual beliefs such as believing that children shouldn't be told fairy tails. I don't include sexual preference, religion, race, or gender identity as part of being eccentric, because I've already found literature on them. — May 17 '15 at 14:41
Well this shouldn't matter when hiring someone unless it effects job, professionalism, etc — May 17 '15 at 16:18

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