Top Dress Tips for Acing a Job Interview2:17
How you dress for a job interview can make or break that crucial first impression. Keri Ferry, founder and designer at 25 Bedford, gives her top tips on how to dress professionally but show personal style.
Going for a job interview is nerve-racking at the best of times — make sure you put your best foot forward.
The job market is hot and the unemployment rate is low, but you still have to be at the top of your game if you’re looking to land your dream job.
A new survey of more than 1,600 job recruiters and human-resources professionals conducted by Jobvite reveals that job seekers are making careless, preventable mistakes — and their top-notch resumes are ending up in the reject pile because of them.
So whether it’s keeping your drunken photos off social media or remembering to spell check your cover letter, here are the top errors that are giving hiring managers pause when they read your application — and how to fix them.
Reason for rejection: Oversharing on social media
According to 60 per cent of recruiters, posting anything from sexual innuendos to politically charged memes could spell danger for your employment goals. Anthony Fanzo, managing director of Midtown-based Bachrach Group, says he eliminated a woman from consideration for a job because she posted a photo on Facebook of herself in a sheer lace bra. “It shows poor discretion,” he says.
“We saw your Contiki pics on Insta, you’re a mess”Source:Supplied
But it’s not just risqué stuff that can rule you out. “Even seemingly innocuous social-media shares, like your positive pregnancy-test stick, political bumper stickers or religious icons, may turn off an employer,” says etiquette expert April Masini.
The fix: Clean up your online presence. Recruiters check you on the Web long before they consider calling you for an interview. Expect that anything you have ever put online can be found. “Those ‘lost weekend in Vegas’ photos are not so lost when they’re online,” says Masini.
‘Even seemingly innocuous social-media shares, like your positive pregnancy-test stick, political bumper stickers or religious icons, may turn off an employer.’
Reason for rejection: Poor spelling
It’s the No. 1 reason recruiters eliminate an otherwise qualified job candidate from contention. And we’re not just talking about resumes, cover letters and e-mails. “You need to check your spelling on Facebook and Instagram, too,” says Rachel Bitte, chief people officer at Jobvite. “It shows whether you pay attention to detail.”
The fix: Spell check all your application material. If typos are a consistent issue for you, consider investing in grammar lessons.
Reason for rejection: Not looking like you belong
Your appearance is an important aspect of your in-person interview — and there are a dozen ways to screw it up. Bruce Hurwitz, owner of Hurwitz Strategic Staffing in Hackensack, NJ, was taken aback by a woman who arrived at his office dressed like she was going to a club. “Her resume was strong, but her skirt ... it looked like a very wide belt,” he says.
While that’s an extreme example, showing up for an interview in a three-piece suit at an office where workers dress in hoodies and jeans is almost as problematic — and shows you haven’t done proper research on the company.
OK don’t look like you belong THIS much.Source:Supplied
The fix: Find out how current employees at the company dress and then go a step higher, says Jill Jacinto, a millennial expert at Midtown-based career-success brand Works. She recommends looking at the employer’s web site and social-media pages. “You’ll get an idea of what to wear there,” she says. Jacinto also recommends thinking about the company’s culture as you assemble your interview outfit — for example, don’t wear a sterile dark suit if you’re interviewing at a creative firm.
Reason for rejection: You smell
Similar to appearance, any unpleasant smells emitting from your body will leave a more-lasting impression than that award you received years ago. And it’s not just body odour; recruiters also cite tobacco, marijuana, perfume and aftershave as equally offensive. “I once had to cut an interview short because I became nauseous [from the smell of tobacco],” says Hurwitz.
Look, we’re not saying this stock model smells — but we’re not saying she doesn’t.Source:Supplied
The fix: Be sure to take a thorough shower before your interview, and be light-handed with scented products. Also, consider scheduling your interviews in the morning, when you’re freshest. If you’re prone to sweating, splurge for a cab on a hot day.
Says Jacinto: “Think of the fare as an investment in your career.”
This article was originally published on the New York Post and appears here with permission.