Reruns from the Dusty Archives No.8: Why oh why can't educated, apparently intelligent, grown-ups dress and comport themselves properly? I was interviewing a couple of weeks ago and, yet again, a bunch of people walked into the room and the interview was over before they had sat down.
When it comes to dress sense, I rarely see people get it wrong per se; what I see is people getting it the same. If I’m seeing a large group over a couple of days – let’s say men and women in their 20s – after a very short while, they tend to morph into one another. Almost all of the women will be wearing a black suit (whether that colour suits them or not) with either a t-shirt top or a large collared white shirt underneath. The men will mostly have navy suits with white shirts and red ties. This is so tricky; you want to fit in, to conform, but you also want to stand out.
Case in point: We had a young female client going for a group interview in a major law firm. She was a solid candidate and, after a few hours of practice interview work, had a very strong story to tell. When we came to the clothing part of the consultation, she was going to wear the ubiquitous black suit and white shirt, both of which were of very good quality and had been specially purchased for the interview. Two problems: the white shirt drained her face and black didn’t ‘work’ for her either.
After a brief chat with our style expert, she decided upon a grey suit paired with a silk T-shirt in a pale pink that really lit up her face, accessorised it with a designer scarf (borrowed from an aunt) tucked inside the suit so she had a strong bead of colour, akin to a man’s tie, under her chin. She was going to wear her hair in a ponytail, but we recommended a more 'grown-up' French roll. She had good shoes, a good handbag and borrowed a really good coat and a nice pair of gloves. She looked and felt a million dollars. More to the point, she saw her competitors blanch when she walked into the reception area. They may have spent big bucks on their clothing, but one black suit and white shirt looks very much like another to interviewers.
This should be easier for men – essentially, you need to look like Mr Big from Sex & The City. Quality, solid suit. Really good shoes. Really good shirt. Really good tie.
Nothing to it – except, how do you stand out? Wacky socks? Flintstones tie? Big clumpy James-Bond watch? We have all laughed at the 'cloning' of political candidates, but it just shows you how hard it can be to break out of the mould:
"Who's the fella in the yella tie? Some kind of showboater?"
Unfortunately I meet all too many female candidates who take their style guidelines from Sex & The City too and, while Carrie Bradshaw may get tongues wagging (even in re-runs) with her style choices and colour combinations, she is not your optimal role model for almost any job interview. [I am always amused at the chorus of disappointment I get when I deliver this news in lectures]
So, for the young female candidates out there, who is the optimal role model? Somewhere between Grace Kelly and Betty Draper from Mad Men, I'm afraid. [And you should hear the chorus of disappointment I get when I deliver that little gem in lectures!] "But I'll look like my mother!" "That's so old-fashioned!" "There's no style, no individuality in that!" Etc, etc ...Mr Big good, Carrie baaaaad.
Clearly that look is an extreme in and of itself and it certainly provokes extreme reactions from young female candidates. But ask anyone who interviews for a living what they think of it and, I guarantee you, most of them will nod their head in approval. We're back to my discussion on stalking here - if you scope out the location of the company you are interviewing with a bit ahead of time, take the time to have a look at what spills out of the building at lunch time or at going-home time. If the men are all schlepping around in torn jeans and T-shirts, well and good. If the women all look like extras from Sex And The City, well and good. But look at the older people - because they are more likely to be the ones interviewing you - and see what they wear to the office. That's the look you will want to be mirroring. That's the look that will get you the nod of approval as they scan you head to toe as you walk in the door.
My rules of thumb on this for both men and women:
- In any suited-and-booted environment, you should look like a television newsreader - in the majority of business settings, this is what professional people expect other professionals to look like.
- The suit is the canvas, what people will (dimly) register are the accessories. Spend your money there. A worn belt on a man or a cheap handbag on a woman speaks volumes to an alert interviewer.
- You should always strive to be one of the best-dressed people in the room. Stalking again, to make sure you know what's expected ...
- How polished you are should be directly proportional to the depth of the pile of the carpet in the building in which you are being interviewed. If you can barely see your shoes, you'd better go all-out ...
Does apparel make any real difference to the selectors? Almost certainly not, unless you get it seriously wrong. So, at some level, this stuff matters - we don’t walk into interviews naked. Years ago, I remember telling my boss that if our presentation was strong enough on content, I should be able to deliver it wearing Speedos and Disco-Boppers. [Thankfully, she didn’t take me up on my challenge.] Remember Hillary Clinton’s great joke in her commencement address to Yale in 2001?:
“Hair matters! This is a life lesson my family did not teach me [and] Wellesley and Yale Law School failed to instil – your hair will send significant messages to those around you. What hopes and dreams you have for the world; but more, what hopes and dreams you have for your hair. Pay attention to your hair, because everyone else will.”This was delivered tongue-in-cheek, but Ms Clinton’s subtext was clear – people do care about, or get distracted by, these minor details, so get them right.
“The best clothes are invisible – they make you notice the person.”
(Katherine Hamnett)
(Katherine Hamnett)
5 comments:
With your correct colour palette, people see your eyes & face and not the clothes.
It continues to amaze me how a T-shirt (even if it is a Ted Baker) continues to be acceptable business wear for women. I even had a colleague once who wore a vest under her jacket. I know it was a vest because she took her jacket off when she felt too warm in the office. None of the people who insisted that the men wear shirts and ties batted an eyelid.
GrannyM - I hadn't thought of it that way before. You express yourself (as always) as elegantly as you dress!
Mr Nobby - I see this a lot. Many bosses don't know where to draw the line, there isn't a formally drawn-up dress code and they aren't confident to have the discussion with an inappropriately dressed subordinate. And yes - I do see this occurring with females more than males. Male bosses in particular seem to have a problem broaching this subject with female staff.
Your advice is sound as always, Rowan. I would suggest one deviation from the norm: People should avoid dressing too formally when going for interviews in the fashion industry but should wear something that demonstrates their understanding of current trends, although they should still err on the side of classy.
Declan - Definitely; hence the stalking. I recommend scoping out these kind of details just short of actually boiling the bunny ...
You simply have to know what if the 'norm' in the industry and the company you are talking with; and then plan your look and feel off that base understanding.
It's should a lousy reason to have a line drawn through your name - particularly because this element of the process is totally within your control.
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