How do I look?

Recently a candidate asked me ‘what colour shirt and tie do I wear to the interview?’ This made me think about the importance of dressing for the interview and of course the vital first impression that you make to a potential employer.

When asking a few of my colleagues if they had come across a similar question I was told that, from the other side of the spectrum, a client in giving feedback from the first stage interview suggested that the candidate buy a new suit for the final stage. In this instance it seems that the skills and experience for the role was apparent in the potential employee but in order to effectively ‘seal the deal’ it was about literally appearing to be capable.

So I took the time to delve further into this and undertook a little research into recent studies about this topic and I found a related recent survey. In this survey female and male clients were asked what colours would be most likely to put them off hiring an individual and the results show that Orange, Red and Pink scored highest with 95% of people saying they would be put off by someone wearing orange.

Although I am sure that everything should be in moderation and a burst of colour may also get you noticed, it appears that the safe navy and black options with a crisp white shirt and plain tie (although may feel dull) ticks a mental box in the mind of a client. Confirming that as a sales representative they could happily put you in front of a customer knowing that you will not offend and that they will be listening to the things you say as opposed to thinking to themselves ‘who let them leave the house dressed like this?’

For female candidates it may be more of an issue over the length of a skirt with 60% saying that they would be put off by a short skirt and 94% saying that they would think negatively about bare legs being on show.  For this is not a time to show that you have a lovely shaped calf but rather that you are trust worthy, proficient and inoffensive.

Personally I don’t believe that a good candidate will be dismissed due to dress alone but in the same breath I have to admit to often judging people on first sight before having even spoken to them. So next time you are thinking ‘what should I wear to an interview?’ Put yourself in the employers shoes; play it safe and reach for the navy.

Source: www.kent.ac.uk

Original Source: www.theladders.co.uk

Alana is our Senior Account Manager for both our Dental and Animal Health divisions encompassing both Dental Sales jobs and Dental Marketing jobs as well as Veterinary Sales jobs, Veterinary Marketing jobs, Veterinary Advisor jobs, Animal Health Sales jobs, Pet Sales jobs and Pet Nutrition Jobs. Whether you’re looking to explore your career options or expand your team contact Alana now to discuss your recruitment aspirations.