What not to wear to an interview...

I've read a couple of articles recently about the changes in fashion and how they impact on how candidates should, and should not, present themselves in an interview. One of the articles talked about a lady in England who was told by a career counselor that she'd have a better chance of getting a job with a bag over her head than to show up displaying all of the tattoos she had. The lady's response was that her tattoos were reflective of her lifestyle and who she was as a person and she shouldn't have to change. Who's right?

The article, by Suzanne Lucas (AKA "Evil HR Lady"), argued that lifestyle choices come with consequences and that many traditional companies would not hire someone who doesn't look the part for the position they are seeking to fill. The article pointed out that "By and large, sales people are better looking than other folk because — surprise! — they take better care of themselves and understand that appearances are important." I had never thought of that, but I think they may be on to something. I know our marketing representatives on any given day dress far better than the rest of us at Pinnacol because they are directly meeting with our customers and need to portray  a very professional image. They are the face of Pinnacol to many of our customers.  For them appearance really matters because it makes a difference in the impression our customers have of us.

Some of you are scratching your heads and wondering why I am wasting words on such an 'obvious' topic. Well, like common sense which is unfortunately not all that common, what may be obvious to some is clearly not obvious to others. We get thousands of expressions of interest from candidates each year and I'm fortunate to be able to interview several hundred of them. Over the years I've seen almost everything in candidate attire, from blue-jeaned candidates meeting with suit and tie interview panels, tennis shoes with professional dress, to assorted piercings, tattoos, and other body art.

From a recruiter's perspective anything out of the ordinary is a distraction and from a candidate's perspective its probably not a good idea to distract from what you really want to present about yourself - that you can do the job.

I had a candidate many years ago that I'll never forget. This was a young lady that came in with a tattoo of Calvin and Hobbes (a wonderful  comic strip, alas,  no longer available, about a young boy - Calvin - and his imaginary tiger - Hobbes) on a part of her anatomy that as a recruiter I don't usually spend too much time staring at. To say it was a distraction is an understatement, and to this day I think to myself that Calvin and Hobbes never looked so good. Distraction aside, this young lady proved to be a good candidate and actually got the job we had open. And yes, she was smart enough (or someone pulled her aside and told her) to cover up C&H while at work.

At Pinnacol we work in a business casual environment every day with dress down days (casual days) on Fridays. That said, you won't see a lot of tattoos, body piercings, etc. during the work day. Every company has its own culture. As a candidate I'll finish with a last bit of excellent advice from the article mentioned above: before you go for a job interview, make an effort to find out what's appropriate for the company you are applying with.