Welcome back to another episode of the corporate Cowboys podcast my name is Alex as always your host today’s proof of life it’s Monday February 20 2023. you know I like to stay as current as possible so folks know that I’m alive and kicking otherwise would y’all worry
We’ll draw a worry if I wasn’t here no no I joke I kid so today’s episode the question that we’ve taken upon ourselves to answer is coming from our slash career guidance and if you don’t know how this all works you’ve got 30 minutes free from me that should serve
As a sample consult a sample consultation if you had approached us with a similar issue a similar problem maybe you’re trying to work something out with the company maybe you’re trying to move up and just don’t know how to strategize how to plot how to plan your next move to move up
You could come to us you could come to us for something exclusive something personalized tailored to you you can reach out we’re on Instagram that’s at corporates Cowboys with a z you’ll recognize the profile picture it’s us and a ski mask and I mean by us I could
Be anybody behind that ski mask but it’s us in a ski mask we’re on patreon the corporates Cowboys podcast there are multiple tiers go sign up please the more upper level ones because we would be dealing with something personalized something customized uh they’re gonna be a little more than the expensive side
But our rates are still more than reasonable you’d actually be getting a bargain on patreon with the exclusive content so go ahead and do that we’re on Rumble we’re on YouTube you want to share the corporate love with those closest to you I mean the ones that give a [ __ ] family friends
Close Associates your partners in crime that sort of thing corporate corporate crime don’t get it twisted though a lot of uh this organizational analysis you could probably apply it to uh extra corporate entities extra corporate organizations you know those on the street but do not take anything we say this is a
Legal disclaimer do not take anything we post anything we publish distribute in the form of content do not take any of that as if it were legal advice right we don’t promote any wrongdoing ever right maybe it’s uh I’m gonna cut it off there all right well today’s question then is asking
It’s asking is it considered hiring under false pretenses if you change your look once you’re hired now I didn’t really read through the body on this one because it’s relatively short and I figured well I’ll do like I usually do right I’ll read through and and as it comes to me
In a stream of Consciousness I’ll tell it to you pretend Let’s Pretend right you walk into my office okay maybe not even my office but we’re sitting in a room together we’re sitting in a car together how about that right it’s like a impromptu session and I’ll treat you like an associate a
Friend let’s call it I’ll treat you as a friend and you come to me with a question Alex yo Alex I was thinking about applying to a job right and uh I understand you gotta dress the part you gotta look professional but is it considered hiring under false
Pretenses if you change your look once you’re hired and also this question is worded wrong and there’s some misspelling some typos in there but I’m not going to hammer on those because I’m not a grammar Nazi right right okay so it’s it’s uh flared it’s got like a tag for advice it’s
Asking for advice and we’ll read the body it’s saying I live in a house that tells to this day don’t interview looking like you already work there what okay so maybe they live in a household that says don’t interview like you already work there which I would take to apply to imply
I would take to imply don’t look too comfortable interviewing right don’t look too casual maybe comfortable was the wrong word because you could appear really comfortable when you interview and if you need those tips those tricks especially dependent on the industry you’re going into the organizations you’re applying to
That’s more higher level Consulting and unless this question is asking for that I’ll reserve it if you really want to know it’s probably in other episodes or if you want something tailored to you again reach out to us it’s saying I live in a house that tells to this day
You see how it’s worded a little weird but it passes I’ll let it slide I live in a house that tells to this day don’t interview looking like you already work there I’m a graphic design student that wants to get into more of the game and animation side of graphics
Most of these people wear t-shirts and jeans on the job some have colored hair and Tattoos this is the kind of work look I want however I have been told and have said this in other posts that’s if I dye my hair make sure I can wash it
Out for interviews apparently even if the job says it’s okay I have been told not to come in looking like that someone left the comment saying on my post saying this is a word and weird someone left a comment on my post saying that if someone came in for an interview
And they changed their look once hired they would feel that they were hired under false pretenses is this true you see now this is worded wrong I don’t think they were hired under false pretenses I think they were applying under false pretenses right so they were applying and interviewing under false pretenses
Uh promising the interviewer or the employer the prospective employer one thing and giving them another that’s it amounts to fraud of sorts right false pretenses that is a legal cause of action not the not the uh not the interviewing one no not the applying one that’s not a legal
Cause of action right they can [ __ ] fire you for any reason any reason they came in with a bad mood one day it said Alex I don’t like the look of your [ __ ] face you’re gone get out of here that’s that’s fine they could do that because I would be
What entry level and like I’ve said episode to episode back to back hand over fist we are all entry level four ever forever unfortunately some have the power the authority to hire and fire and some don’t it’s just a degree of responsibility I can’t fire the CEO like the CEO could
Fire me if I was working for them that depends on the terms of my employment agreement whether or not they have that power and whether or not they can exercise it if there is no fault if there is no standard for hiring or firing they could do what they will please
In terms of hiring and firing it’s well within their rights but as far as false pretenses don’t don’t make the [ __ ] sound too official I I in my mind at least in my mind’s eye at least I have this societal image of people who work in t-shirts and jeans and have colored
Hair and I’m sure Society has imbued a lot of folks in that demographic with certain identifiers certain labels certain certain uh special monikers right now I don’t discriminate and I know that a lot of business Executives out there don’t discriminate but they could hire and fire you from one day to the next
The only time they can’t I suppose is if you let them know like hey I’m part of this quote-unquote protected class and then they follow up with firing you because of being part of that protected class but if I interview in a suit in a tie right because from
What it sounds like being a graphic designer in animation the industry standard at least appears appears from what the the hypothetical client here is telling us appears to be the industry standard of t-shirt and jeans right so if they interview in a suit and a tie [ __ ] you might not even get hired
They might write you off as being overqualified somehow being stuck up being stuffy being too dry being too old-fashioned by societal standards right on the flip side if you flip that and they’re hiring you based on that image of a suit and tie down Alex’s really professional looking we might put
Him in a capacity to interface with other clients with the public even because Alex is the kind of image we want to put out there compared to back of the house designers so they might hire you with other ideas in mind maybe they are planning your
Career as you should be planning your I mean if you want to be a designer All Your Life by all means do that do that you can Garner the reputation you can cultivate a professional image and repertoire about you that might put you at a level financially that you’re okay with that
You’re satisfied with the company on the other hand when they hire you they may have other ideas in mind right whether or not to cross train me in other areas where I’m not just designing but also leading also coordinating interacting with other businesses maybe I become a manager a supervisor of some
Kind but only only in relation to my employer’s timetable and how long it takes me to develop how long it takes me to learn and to train right now at that point at that point the intersection of image reputation repertoire plans career path that intersection is what they are hiring you on
I guess the hypothetical was me right but we’re talking the client that’s what they’re hiring the client on for you show up the next week at work with [ __ ] purple hair or some other [ __ ] the reason I say [ __ ] is because that’s what I would be thinking if I
Hired you who the [ __ ] is this person so that calls into question your plans and our plants the plans we had together when we first interviewed you because image matters image matters whether you like it or not it’s not wrongful discrimination it’s not even unethical discrimination it’s prudent discrimination
It’s a Prudence business decision again that’s higher level thinking that most entry-level employees don’t think about they don’t have plans of moving up and the ones that do don’t have don’t have uh a cohesive Circle to come to and throw ideas around for how to do it that’s what you have us for
We want you to become corporate Cowboys so if you need help if you need assistance a second opinion a professional perspective by all means that’s what we do on a daily basis so don’t for a second think oh I’ll get hired I can change my look completely I can show up looking
If you interviewed looking like a professional and you show up looking like a bum don’t expect a raise [Laughter] don’t expect to get promoted one day to the next expect them to act or react to what they see that impression because they already hired you on an impression that you had on them
On an appearance on a professional image regardless of how you interviewed you you could interview in a t-shirt in jeans and get the job because that’s the professional image they hired you for that’s the professional image you advertised and so that’s the professional image that got signed on
All right ultimately it comes down to your competency as a professional to get the work done again that comes with time and you cultivating a reputation a repertoire for being effective for being efficient for being a consummate professional I know some folks very competent very competent very effective very professional who wear
T-shirts and jeans but when push comes to shove they know to get their hands dirty and so they are compensated handsomely they make exorbitant amounts of money that’s a lot of dough they’re baking a lot of bread but it comes with the territory it comes with the territory and it takes time
Sure there are faster ways of doing it such as playing the part dressing the parts and embodying the part being a professional because professionals stand out and who else if not a corporate cowboy is going to stand out by holding themselves to a standard of being better doing better and always striving
For improvement not necessarily something different not necessarily and by difference I mean that in quotes not necessarily something special and by special I mean protected not necessarily something protected in quotes about protected I mean [ __ ] crutch societally right don’t don’t rely on these crutches of personal identity nobody gives two [ __ ]
Who you are in reality it’s who you are professionally that matters and that should bleed into your personal life your professional image because that’s your Public Image how you are professionally impacts how you are publicly how you are privately that’s why I always thread that theme through all these episodes
And this entire podcast of being the consummate professional operating like a corporate cowboy which is funny because it’s two words that’s corporate what you think of formality and Order and cowboy but you think of casual and shooting from the hip we’re running a gutting but the risks are measured the risks are calculated
But we’re always moving the first instant that you settle the first instant you get caught lacking don’t don’t [ __ ] it up and you can [ __ ] it up you can [ __ ] it up by not being consistent being by moving consistently like a professional you might think well I’m gonna keep
These folks on their toes I’m going to show up completely shave my head but if it’s not something you’re known to do they’re gonna think something’s off they’re gonna think you can’t be dependent you can’t be trusted for future plans they’re gonna think you can’t be the
Face of a department you cannot be the face of this company you can’t represent us that’s different now there are ways to mitigate and to remediate image but your reputation and your Rapport should already have been established in order for that change to be accepted
In order for those for that pill to be swallowed for that reality to set in like if you didn’t know me and I had hair one day I was like hi my name is Alex I do this and this and that but you don’t have any proof you don’t
Know any of the metrics you don’t know my history you don’t know how how well I operate just the standard of professionalism that I keep you don’t know any of that and the next time you see me I’m I’m [ __ ] bald or my hair is green
I look like I I look like I just walked out of a Batman movie and you don’t know any of my history as far as professional work and work experience you wouldn’t hire me you would avoid me feel this [ __ ] Alex is weird and always changing not consistent cannot depend on them
Unless you are known to do that and your work speaks for you your work can back you up but that takes time that takes history you need to have worked together for some time there are some folks in my life I could change how I look week to week
But they know how I get down they know I do work they know I can put the work in and do it effectively carry it out how I said I would I’m a man of my word I’m a professional about my reputation so I could show up one day in a ski mask
And they recognize my voice how I move how I walk how I talk how I act professionally why because I’m consummate about I’m a consummate professional publicly privately what you see is what you get what you feel is how real it is it isn’t it isn’t pleasurable always I’m not that hedonistic
But the authenticity is rolled up into originality don’t don’t hide who you are right but you’re gonna have to come to terms sometimes with who you are requires temperament in terms of your image in terms of moderation higher hiring under false pretenses whoever left that comment
I mean as far as uh they’re saying that they left a comment on a post saying that if they did that it would look like they hired them under false pretenses that dude sounds that person that person sounds sour but as a hiring manager as a manager you
Need to know how to manage if the person you hire one day shows up as a completely different person the other day do your [ __ ] job as a manager and either change their position or adjust to that change if you know the person is a [ __ ] professional is it
Ace and it’s just something you have to deal with right the them changing their image them changing their appearances is this something you have to deal with just another thing that you have to roll into the cost of doing business with them then you roll with the punches you roll
With the change you’re a manager [ __ ] manage otherwise let them go you’re a manager you’re the hiring firing manager do your work I I don’t know why that’s surprising sure you expended the time and the energy of interviewing them and we’re about to hire them and onboard them
But if you know nothing about them what you think I’m just gonna keep them on under the fear of do you think I’m gonna keep them on under the fear of oh no they changed up on me they must they must adhere to this other special
Protected identity and if I let them go now what expect a lawsuit [ __ ] all of that it says fire at will out here this is at will employment and everybody is entry level forever the only lawsuits you could expect to come out of that is frivolous ones unless they reveal
Some type of prejudice or discrimination some type of harassing components to it that they’re firing you because I don’t know of religion because of sexuality some other protected class but I really only [ __ ] with professionals so nobody gives a [ __ ] what you look like how you talk how you walk who you screw
Don’t give a [ __ ] as long as the work gets done obviously if you want to get personal and business business by chance just happens to be personal it’s always personal don’t give me that [ __ ] if it’s just business right business is war and business is personal and if this should happen foreign
To overlap to intersect well then we cross that bridge when we get there because we’re in the business of doing things right doing things correct and being righteous right we take care of business business will take care of us let’s read a couple of these comments I only got a couple minutes left
I recognize that a lot of these consults are just me speaking one way right huh I’m pretty uh I’m impressed I’m proud I suppose that I could keep on a 30-minute quote conversation without any back and forth which gives you The Listener time to go back and replay it take notes
And ask those questions of yourself if I had the hypothetical clients in front of me I’d be asking them all sorts of questions in the interview some of those you might have caught on to the industry the organization their work experience their past Works a portfolio if they have one
Their Ambitions and aspirations their career career goals in terms of pathway objectives the first comment here says As Long as You Follow the dress code once hired I don’t think anyone would care okay well yeah I addressed that if it’s your if it’s in your employment agreement
That they could fire you with or without cause like I said they could let you go for not liking your face for not liking the way you dress any number of reasons if they have a policy for wearing a uniform and that uniform consists of a suit and tie when you’re representing
The organization in some official capacity and you show up to an event to an engagement that constitutes an official capacity and you’re in a shirt and jeans and [ __ ] blue hair dog I’d terminate you myself because you’re [ __ ] the game up you’re not adhering to your and it’s not
Because you look bad to the client the client might be yo this person’s chill as [ __ ] but I don’t care about that that’s if I hired you I hired you with a certain intent and you signed on to a certain agreement and with your name on that dotted line your ass is owned
At least you’re committed you’re compromised you don’t have to work for me but if you work with me it’s gonna be on certain terms as a consummate professional right at no point in time have I said that I’m racist prejudicial discriminatory or bigot any of that [ __ ] professionally speaking I’m prudent with
Who I do business with as are a lot of my associates a lot of business owners and executives that I know and a lot that I don’t know but when you’re dealing with corporate you have to act corporate you have to infiltrate corporate business is war you just keep coming back to that
We keep coming back to that the next comment here says it’s normal to dress up for an interview yeah I mean it’s normal I guess but then you have to you but then these smart cats Smart Cats he’s not even smart educated I guess educated and watered down socialist cats
Want to be like well what is the norm what is normative what is tradition again the third column the third comment here says your look has nothing to do with why you were hired I’m gonna say they’re wrong it has some some to do has some to
Do with why you’re hired right and then it says or at least legally it shouldn’t be but it doesn’t it has nothing to do with it legally but it does have to do with why you’re hired right it says if they fired you due to how you
Look they’d be sued unless if broken rules they had in place okay well yeah it’s fine I mean you again you can’t sue just for being fired by the way you look you can’t it have to be proven that they broke the law by firing you and you’d have to prove something about
The way you look that makes you special something about the way you appear that makes you special and that because of that reason they fired you but again this comic continues hired under false pretense would be if you lied about experience or education yeah but I mean that’s just fraud that’s
Just fraud and typically typically employment agreements have those Clauses and Provisions in them if they’re hiring you on for an executive position you’re making you’re you are representing you’re making that pretense you’re offering that pretense and making that that guarantee you’re warrantying your experience that you have the experience and our competence
To be hired as an executive beyond that if the agreement says that you’re going to show up to work every day in a suit and tie and you don’t the one day that you don’t they could fire you but it’s all part of the agreement one that I’m hoping you read and understand
And can interpret and or negotiate before you sign again you need help with that reach out to us we’d love to help that’s what we’re about educating you training you having you understand that you can work with corporate with the key word is with corporate as an individual Elevate you on a level
That gives you that gives you some Leverage equal if not greater than that of corporate have you come around become a corporate cowboy to work with corporate and not for it be your own professional dress however you want as long as the work gets done have a nice one we’ll catch up later
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