At a recent gathering of job seekers, it was interesting to see that some took their job search more seriously than others. How could I tell? The most obvious way was the way they were dressed.
Most job seekers work on strengthening their interviewing skills and spend countless hours reworking their resume while overlooking a very big part of the interview process: The clothes they wear to the interview.
Lizandra Vega, an executive recruiter and image consultant, says “a professional image can easily be projected by the choice of clothes, accessories and appearance. Visual cues are very important and play a role in developing chemistry.”
Here’s an example: Recently, a job candidate flew to another city for an interview. He landed in the right city — his suit didn’t. He arrived late at night dressed in well-worn khakis, loafers, a denim shirt and a casual jacket. While his interview suit was flying across the country, he was left wondering what to wear to the interview, which was first thing in the morning. He decided to purchase a tie and shirt in the hotel’s clothing shop and hoped his luggage would appear.
Morning came, but his suit didn’t, so he made the best of an unfortunate situation. He met with the employer on time, and while he was mentally prepared for questions he did admit he felt self-conscious wearing a nice tie and shirt with frayed khakis. While exchanging pleasantries, he noticed his potential boss looking at his clothes. He explained his situation and apologized for his appearance, hoping the employer would understand.
He was not called back for a second round of interviews, although he was a talented professional with many accomplishments and successes in his industry. Looking back, he can’t help but wonder how his attire may have influenced the interview.
Clothes do send a message about your judgment. Employees are representatives of the employer, and whether it’s fair or not, your clothes help create a first impression.
