What Is Forward Facing or Client Facing Work?

Recently I heard the terms “forward facing” and “client facing” used by a recruiter in reference to interviewee appearance. If the potential new employee is going to be hidden somewhere in a cubicle, that is not forward facing work. But if they meet with clients or anyone outside the company on a regular basis or are responsible for being the face of the company, as in reception work, then they are in a forward facing or client facing job.

The basic idea is while looks can indeed matter to an employer when looking to hire someone for any job, in many companies there is particular attention paid to a candidate’s looks when public contact work is part of the job description. Very few companies will admit to what extent they mention this requirement to interviewers since they don’t want to be accused of hiring discrimination. And even without this being discussed, some interviewers choose to err on the side of good looks just to play it safe. But whatever the case, forewarned is forearmed.

All that said…even if you aren’t exactly a 10, well groomed, good energy and a great smile will get you far when it comes to these kinds of positions. The rest is out of your control. And who wants to work for someone that uptight anyway?

For more on this topic see also:

What Is FOA in Job Interviews?

NOTE: If you want to suggest changes to this or any other definition in our career dictionary, please feel free to add your suggestions in a comment.