- Top job recruiters have revealed the worst interview outfits they’ve seen
- Among the worst are a Nascar jacket with the word ‘VIAGRA’ printed on it and a tie tied in a literal knot
Top job recruiters revealed the worst fashion faux pas from their candidates who forgot the basic ‘dress to impress’ interview rule.
Too much focus is put on what to wear to an interview and not enough on what NOT to wear.
A prestigious recruiter from Virginia revealed that they sent their candidate to interview for a managerial position at a major food manufacturer and he committed several fashion crimes.
The interviewee showed up wearing a Nascar jacket with ‘VIAGRA’ spelled out in giant letters on the front.
He was a proud Nascar fan and he didn’t see an issue with his outfit choices, according to Al Polson – a recruiter from The Colonial Group – speaking to the Wall Street Journal.
Top job recruiters have revealed the worst interview outfits they’ve seen – among the worst are a Nascar jacket with the word ‘VIAGRA’ printed on it. Former Nascar driver Mark Martin is pictured here in 2005, wearing an identical jacket
Polson was at a work lunch with the company director of HR at the same time his candidate was interviewing.
His lunch date got a call mid-meal during which she said to the person on the other end of the line ‘What? He’s wearing what?’
Polson was dumbfounded by the shocking fashion statement – he had spent 30 minutes just briefing his candidate on what to wear.
The candidate simply explained he didn’t have a suit – so Polson demanded he bought one and begged the company to give him another shot.
He wore the suit and got the job – but ended up failing a mandatory drug test, and it wasn’t Viagra he tested positive for.
When Jonathan Schiff worked as a consultant for a professional membership organization in New Jersey, he was screening candidates for an executive position.
He was impressed by a recent Harvard grad with an incredible resume and naturally decided to interview her for the job.
However – to his shock, the woman showed up to her interview in an Elizabethan costume with a full face of matching makeup.
The theatrical fashion choice stunned Schiff, but he went ahead with the interview.
After she spoke about her love for theater, Schiff got the feeling she might have a closet full of the bold outfits.
He decided not to recommend her for the job because the costumes would not go down well in the office.
Jonathan Schiff was impressed by a recent Harvard grad with an incredible resume. However – to his shock, the woman showed up to her interview in an Elizabethan costume with a full face of matching makeup
The theatrical fashion choice stunned Schiff, but he went ahead with the interview. After she spoke about her love for theater, Schiff got the feeling she might have a closet full of the bold outfits
Phil Muldoon from Hirewell, a well-known employment agency, recalls a time when one of his candidates was interviewing for a developer position at a major retailer in Atlanta.
His colleague met with the candidate before the interview to make sure he had his resume printed and was prepared for the interview – but he was taken aback by the interviewee’s major fashion faux pas.
‘Hey man, you just handed me a grenade without a pin in it,’ Muldoon’s colleague told him.
The interviewee had shown up for his interview with his tie tied in a ‘literal knot’.
Luckily – Muldoon’s business partner retied it for him and he ended up getting the job.
‘Sometimes you gotta save the candidates from themselves,’ Muldoon said.
One candidate from a New York recruitment agency didn’t even make it to the interview because his outfit choice was so severely out of hand.
Anthony Fanzo from The Bacharach Group revealed that his candidate showed up with the cuffs of his suit pants stapled because he hadn’t gotten them tailored.
Dress code was apparently very important to the hiring client, so the recruiters did him and themselves a favor by intervening.
Indeed, a worldwide employment network, shared their expertise on what to steer clear of when dressing for an interview.
The job-hunting experts said that T-shirts are a no-go, along with jeans, open-toe shoes, sneakers, restrictive clothing, body jewelry and hats.
They also advised against opting for athletic clothing, bright colors, visible undergarments, busy patterns, revealing clothing and heavy make-up.