Would-Be British Bankers Showing Up For Interviews In Brown Shoes Might As Well Just Fling Themselves In The Thames: Report

Hoping to land a gig in London's financial centre? Did you score top marks at an elite university, garner all the best recommendations, and generally come off as a highly intelligent, affable human being who won't manipulate Libor? No one across the pond gives a sh*t about any of that if your shoes are the wrong color or you part your hair the wrong way or you sound like you grew up with these people.

Candidates from less affluent backgrounds in Britain are being shut out of investment banking jobs, particularly those involving meeting clients in corporate finance, because of their dress, their accent and their manner of speech, according to the report released by the Social Mobility Commission, an advisory body created by the British government in 2010...An ill-fitting suit, the wrong haircut or a lower-class accent can quickly eliminate a potential hire from corporate finance roles, according to the findings. As an example, the researchers found that wearing brown shoes with a business suit was generally considered unacceptable among British investment bankers, but a similar judgment did not apply to bankers from Continental Europe, where brown shoes were more commonplace.

We hear Frankfurt is lovely this time of year!

Want a Job in British Banking? You May Have to Ditch the Brown Shoes [Dealbook]

Related: FT Correspondent: UK Businessmen Dress Like Vulgar Slobs Compared To Parisian Counterparts