Information Security consulting is neither a custom motorcycle build-off, nor  an episode of Mythbusters.  To all my South West Coast brethren (and other flashy stylists) out there: Please, lose the LA earlobe-stretchers and low-rider aesthetics while on the job. There  was a time when I was a young punk, when I “pimped” myself up that way too.  I went for the (early 1990s) rock-star looks, as if to say, “I must be good if I can afford to have long hair (with glam highlights) and still intrude upon your corporate environment! Look at my pointless willfulness and reckless disregard for social convention in action!  Tolerate me begrudgingly!”

You could be the smartest geek on the planet, with communication skills from here to all eternity. But if your first impression is “Militant Motorhead” with neck tattoos to match, it just doesn’t matter.

First impressions aren’t everything. They’re just the lens through which all your subsequent efforts will be viewed. If your goal is to put people off initially with a coarse appearance, and then redeem yourself through your irrepressible wit, charm, and enormous intellect, knock yourself out. Literally, grab a large implement and smack yourself in the head. It’ll save you the pain of watching people with less technical skill and better fashion sense schmooze all of your customers away.