Top recruiters revealed the worst fashion faux pas of their candidates who forgot the basic rule of “dress to impress” in the interview.
There is too much emphasis on what to wear to an interview and not enough on what NOT to wear.
A reputable Virginia recruiter revealed that he sent his candidate to interview for an executive position at a major food manufacturer and he committed several fashion crimes.
The interviewee appeared wearing a Nascar jacket with “VIAGRA” written on the front in huge letters.
According to Al Polson, a Colonial Group recruiter, who spoke to the Wall Street Journal, he was a proud Nascar fan and saw no problem with his choice of outfit.
Top recruiters have revealed the worst interview outfits they've ever seen – with the worst including a Nascar jacket with 'VIAGRA' printed on it. Former Nascar driver Mark Martin is pictured here in 2005 wearing an identical jacket
Polson was at a working lunch with the company's HR director at the same time his candidate was interviewing.
His lunch date received a call in the middle of dinner where she said to the person on the other end of the line, “What?” What is he wearing?'
Polson was stunned by the shocking fashion statement – he had spent 30 minutes explaining to his contestant what she should wear.
The contestant simply explained that he didn't have a suit – so Polson demanded that he buy one and begged the company to give him another chance.
He wore the suit and got the job – but ended up failing a mandatory drug test, and it wasn't Viagra that he tested positive for.
When Jonathan Schiff worked as a consultant for a professional membership organization in New Jersey, he evaluated candidates for leadership positions.
He was impressed by a recent Harvard graduate with an incredible resume and naturally decided to interview her for the position.
However, to his horror, the woman showed up to her interview wearing an Elizabethan costume and complete matching makeup on her face.
The choice of theatrical fashion stunned Schiff, but he continued with the interview.
After talking about her love of theater, Schiff felt like she could have a closet full of risqué outfits.
He decided not to recommend her for the job because the costumes wouldn't go over well in the office.
Jonathan Schiff was impressed by a young Harvard graduate with an incredible resume. However, to his horror, the woman showed up to her interview wearing an Elizabethan costume and complete matching makeup on her face
The choice of theatrical fashion stunned Schiff, but he continued with the interview. After talking about her love of theater, Schiff felt like she could have a closet full of risqué outfits
Phil Muldoon of Hirewell, a well-known employment agency, remembers 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 gave me a grenade with no needle in it,” Muldoon’s colleague told him.
The interviewee came to his interview with a “literally tied tie.”
Luckily, Muldoon's business partner made things right for him and he ended up getting the job.
“Sometimes you have to save the candidates from themselves,” Muldoon said.
A candidate from a New York recruiting agency couldn't even make it to the interview because his outfit choice was so out of control.
Anthony Fanzo of The Bacharach Group revealed that his contestant turned up with the cuffs of his suit trousers pinned together because he hadn't tailored them.
The hiring client apparently cared deeply about the dress code, so the recruiters did him and themselves a favor by intervening.
In fact, a global employment network has shared its expertise on what to avoid when dressing for a job interview.
The job search experts said T-shirts were off-limits, as were jeans, open-toed shoes, sneakers, restrictive clothing, body jewelry and hats.
They also advised against opting for sporty clothing, bright colors, visible underwear, flashy patterns, revealing clothing and heavy makeup.