Washingtonians go full glow-up to stand out in crowded job market
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Some Washingtonians are finding it's not enough just to update their resumes and grab networking coffees amid the area's hyper-competitive white-collar job market — they need full-on glow ups.
Why it matters: If job candidates are looking refreshed on Zoom, it might not be an online filter.
The big picture: D.C.'s economy is struggling in part due to the Trump administration's cuts to federal spending and the government workforce — moves that have had ripple effects throughout the local job market.
- That's left local workers vying for a limited number of white-collar jobs amid public and private sector layoffs.
What they're saying: More Washingtonians are getting cosmetic work done for the purposes of job hunting than ever before, local plastic surgeon Navin Singh tells Axios. "This is the first time I've seen this kind of spending on self-improvement for purposes of employability."
- Think people coming in for Botox or fillers before they get new LinkedIn headshots, all so they look as young, fresh and hireable as possible. "They don't want to be thought of as someone's uncle or someone's grandpa."
- Or, as one man who got a new government job earlier this year told Singh: "I think this facelift is what got me hired."
Zoom in: Robin Fisher is a D.C.-based image consultant who helps female executives with their personal brand and style.
- She's seen an increase in inquiries from women who are "doubling down and making sure that they're looking the part" to keep their current jobs amid a turbulent market, or as they search for new ones.
- Take, for instance, contractors who lost government contracts and now have to reposition themselves in the private sector. "They want to make sure they're walking in looking the part and owning the room," says Fisher.
Plus: Fisher's sent people to makeup artists and speech coaches, and gotten them help posing in photos, all to up their game.
- Her price tag: anywhere from $1,200 to $6,000.
The intrigue: Fisher also has clients who work in government-associated jobs — like diplomats or attorneys — who dislike working under the current administration and are "packaging themselves" as they look for other opportunities.
- Initially these people were "shell-shocked" when the cuts began earlier this year, she says. "[But then] they started getting strategic."