Unless your company is a sock manufacturer, it is difficult to see how this applicant’s sock-free behavior will manufacture any problems for you or your customers. Except for positions that require socks as a matter of safety, people at all job levels can be highly successful without them.
The best indicator of this applicant’s suitability for your sales and marketing position is his work history, and you have already indicated that he has the experience and skills to do the job well. The fact that he comes well-recommended simply tips the scales further in his direction.
There can be any number of reasons for an individual to go without socks, and there is no need for any of them to play a role in the hiring process. For some people, it is simply a matter of comfort. Others can have a medical or allergic issue related to socks, while still others view the practice as their own fashion statement or sign of individuality.
It sounds like you have attracted a strong applicant for your sales and marketing position. Perhaps he will be so good that he knocks your socks off.
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