What not to wear to an interview

A new survey has given jobseekers the inside look into how fashion and grooming can affect their job prospects.

The survey of recruitment consultants, conducted by recruitment firm LINK Recruitment, found that inappropriately dressed candidates were a common occurrence in the interview room, with half of those responding to the survey seeing up to 20 instances of fashion ‘faux pas’ within the past 12 months.

Two thirds of those surveyed said that bad grooming, such as unpressed shirts and untidy hair, was the most common failing. Just over half said that bad body odour was also common!

When it came to clothing, lowcut tops (45 per cent) and loud or over-the-top make-up (40 per cent) were two of the most common examples for women. Very short skirts also were noticed.

For men, wearing casual clothing to an interview was a big no for prospective employers, with 44.6 per cent commenting that they had interviewees wear jeans and one third saying that they had interviewed candidates for professional positions who were wearing sports or casual wear.

LINK Recruitment’s Gemma Avon says that fashion in the professional job market was still on the conservative side but predicts that this would begin to change as more of Generation Y enter the job market. ‘‘Members of Generation Y like to express themselves through fashion, in both the clothes that they wear and their personal style,’’ says Gemma.
 
‘‘The balancing act between maintaining your own personality and fitting into the image of the company you would like to work for can sometimes be a sticking point in an interview situation.’’

LINK Recruitment’s top tips on what to wear to a job interview:

1. Research the role to see what type of dress is appropriate, seek advice from a recruitment consultant
if necessary.

2. Show your own personality and style — but don’t go over the top.

3. Carry your resume or portfolio in a professional document folder or briefcase. Avoid backpacks and extra carry bags.

Published: 10 May 2008