Appearance Matters At Job Interviews

Picture this: You are tasked with interviewingmust determine what is appropriate to wear to the
candidates for work in a food manufacturing facility.interview. Clothing that works well for the beach, yard
The job requires maintaining high sanitation standards,work, dance club, exercise session, and sporting event
meaning that hairnets and beard restraints, coupledmay not be appropriate for a professional appearance
with long sleeve shirts and long pants must be worn inat work.
a wet, hot, work environment. The first job candidateClothing that reveals too much cleavage, back, chest,
for you to interview walks through the door wearing afeet, stomach or underwear is not appropriate for
gold chain, cut-off shorts and sandals. He is notmost places of business, even in business casual
wearing a shirt, and is sporting a mane of un-combedsettings. Additionally, clothing should be pressed and
shoulder length hair. On the strength of the informationnever wrinkled, and is generally unacceptable if torn,
alone in this true story, should he get the job?dirty, or frayed. Clothing having words or pictures that
You’re Selling Yourselfmay be offensive is unacceptable, but clothing with
When preparing for a job interview, whether with onefashion brand names conservatively displayed (e.g.,
person or an entire team of people, it is important toDockers, Izod, etc.), is usually okay.
remember you are representing a salable product:Proper dress for an interview in a business casual
YOU. The way in which you walk, speak and appearenvironment does not necessarily mean wearing a suit
makes an impression.and tie. Even if the interviewer is sitting there in a t-shirt
Much has been said about the importance of personaland jeans with big holes in the knees, it is best practice
appearance by job candidates when going to jobfor you to present a clean, neat appearance, and be
interviews, yet examples abound every day of peopledressed to a higher standard than the workplace/job
getting it wrong. Here are a few things to rememberrequires. Candidates are never down-rated for
when heading out the door to that hard-won interview.dressing too well, but frequently are for not looking the
I used to know managers who said they decided on apart.
job candidate at the handshake. Studies show this isMake a Good Impression
quite common. In that brief moment, it is not what youPlease remember to take a good look at yourself
say that may matter most to them, but what yourthrough the eyes of an interviewer before going to
appearance says about you.that interview, take steps to dress appropriately, and
Tips:work hard at closing the "sale." Oh, what happened
Candidates interviewing with organizations havingwith the candidate mentioned at the beginning of this
casual work environments are especially prone toarticle? He was not considered a good job fit and did
error in knowing how to dress. Because all not casualnot get the job.
clothing is suitable for every work environment, you