Interviewing Inadequacies

Job Seeker's Story

Sanelle had the opportunity to interview for the position of Manager for the Kidz Play Hut. She had visited The Hut and knew that all the staff wore running shorts and had to constantly be in the play area, but she reasoned that, for a Manager's position, she should still wear a nice suit to make a positive impression.

When Sanelle arrived, she had dressed with extreme professionalism, wearing a navy blue suit, designer scarf, and navy pumps. She was interviewed by a young woman of similar age who was wearing running shorts. The interview had hardly progressed when the interviewer said, “You know, if you are looking for a 9–5 office job where you can wear your fancy suits, then this is not the place for you.”

Sanelle tried to convince the interviewer that her record spoke for itself. She had worked in similar game rooms, movie theaters, and other kids play places where shorts were a must. She explained she was unafraid of getting dirty and being hands-on. However, the interviewer maintained a skeptical impression and did not warm to Sanelle throughout the rest of the interview.

At the end of the interview, the employer was not convinced that Sanelle would fit in. She just could not get past the suit or how out of place it was in the Kidz Play Hut. She believed that Sanelle would not have dressed that way if it was not how she wanted to dress on the job. As a result, she did not offer Sanelle the job.

Job Seeker's Stumble

In Sanelle's effort to make a good impression, she positioned herself right out of a job opportunity. Although it seems that it would make sense to always dress professionally, her experience is just one example of where the job seeker just appears to not fit into the company or the culture based on her choice of attire.

Job Seeker's New Strategy

To make a positive impression, you should dress to fit in to the organization and its culture. In order to do this, you need to learn how they dress. If you do not have contacts at the organization, you might talk to your network, or you might perform a little reconnaissance work by parking across the street from the company to see how the personnel are dressed as they arrive in the morning. However, be careful with “casual Fridays,” when staff may be dressed down compared to the rest of the week.

Another way to possibly gain insight on how to dress is to ask the person who is scheduling your interview: “Is there anything special I should be prepared for during this interview?” When asked for clarification, you might state that you just wanted to be prepared if you needed several hours for a series of interviews or if you might be expecting a tour of the plant where you should adjust what you are wearing for safety. This information could provide subtle clues about how to dress.

Consider the following professional attire do's and don'ts:

For Professional Organizations or Job Fairs

• • Keep it simple. The best colors for men's suits are charcoal gray, dark blue, and black. In today's business world, three-piece suits are overkill and should be avoided. Women have many more choices in acceptable colors, but should aim for a knee-length skirt and not a miniskirt. Red or other fiery, aggressive colors should be avoided by both men and women.
• • Pay attention to your shoes and polish them.
• • Select a muted tie (men) or simple jewelry and minimal accessories (women), because you want the attention to be on you and what you say, and not your great accessories.

For Semi-Professional Organizations

• • In most cases the suit is still your best bet. For men, if it looks as if you are overdressed, you can remove your jacket and even your tie. Women might opt for a more casual suit, or a jacket and trousers.

For Casual Organizations

• • Avoid wearing jeans, even if that is how the staff at the company is dressed. Instead, strive to dress professionally without overdressing; a nice pair of dark or casual slacks and a sports shirt will allow men to make a nice presentation. Women could wear a nice dress, blouse and skirt, or blouse and trousers.
• • Shoes are still important and a nice loafer-style dress shoe for men or a simple closed-toe flat or pump for women would be appropriate.

Additional Tips

• • Remove all facial jewelry (unless they are industry/job appropriate).
• • Get a haircut
• • Keep hair simple, clean, and professional..
• • Trim or shave facial hair.
• • Remove pinky rings, and keep jewelry simple with one or two rings per hand. For women, stick with one pair of earrings (none for men).
• • Place gold chains inside of your shirt and wear only one.
• • Clean and trim nails.
• • Wear dark socks with dark trousers.
• • Avoid shimmery or sheer fabrics.
• • Wear simple and minimal accessories.
• • Conceal tattoos (unless they are industry/job appropriate).

Dress for the company to show you fit in with the organization, its people and culture, and they will see you as one of their own.

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