Wearing the wrong clothes to a party might prompt a few snickers – but a fashion mistake at a job interview not only creates a bad first impression, it could cost you the job.
Few managers openly admit that the way you dress is an important consideration in the hiring process. But experts say fashion and grooming mistakes can derail a candidate’s prospects almost instantly.
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In the last decade, the world has become a much more casual place, and for some employees, tattoos and piercings are a rite of passage.
Body art may look great on an NFL football field, but don’t flaunt it if you’re looking for a job at Disneyworld. It’s easy to research how employees dress at an organization, yet fashion faux pas occur on a regular basis.
“The new grad who borrows a tie from his dad that’s 30 years old and too wide; the candidate who shows up wearing a coffee-stained shirt; the woman wearing too much lip gloss, holes in her shoes and messenger bags – these don’t convey an impression of success,” says Vicky Oliver, the Manhattan-based author of 301 Smart Answers to Tough Business Etiquette Questions.
Oliver advises job candidates, particularly recent graduates, to wear appropriate clothing for any given organization, whether it’s a white-shoe law firm or a fashion magazine.
Avoiding these missteps won’t guarantee you the job, of course, but at least you won’t be making the same 8 mistakes you see in our slideshow here.
