We’ve all heard the advice. Don’t get a tattoo on your face or you’ll never get a job, don’t dye your hair a crazy color or you’ll never get a job, don’t get gauges or you’ll never get a job, and on and on the advice goes. While there are some discrimination questions to be asked when it comes to getting a job and your personal style, we all know how difficult it can be to prove that you didn’t get that job as a law clerk because you had a green streak in your hair. Obviously personal liberty matters, but so does being able to pay your rent and the truth is, most people have to do some style or wardrobe compromising to keep themselves in an endless supply of ramen.
So the question is, what about your personal style might need to change in order to get a job? We’ve got a list of three things you may not have considered but might need to in order to get hired.
1 – Shoes
Yes, if you’re looking for an office job, you need some old school dress shoes. Like the kind your mom used to make you wear to funerals when you were a kid. The shoes you wear need to be clean, polished, and though they need not be new, they need to look well-maintained. Try to think about more conservative looks with colors that lean toward dark earth tones, browns, and blacks. If you wear heels, think of pumps or heels that aren’t too high. You’re probably thinking that you never notice what someone’s shoes look like unless it’s a “d@mn, Daniel” situation, but the truth is a lot of older bosses will look your shoes over and make all sorts of judgements based on them.
2 – Go unbranded
Whatever you like to wear in your off-time is totally up to you, but for your job interview, it’s a good idea not to be an advertisement for any brand names. So try not to wear anything with visible logos, or if the logos are there make sure they’re small and understated. This goes for handbags and briefcases or messenger bags as well. Most corporate types are looking for employees who look a bit generic, so think about your clothes that way. Your dress to impress interview look needs to show that you know how to blend in with the atmosphere your corporate overlords are trying to create.
3 – Limit your accessories
Don’t be afraid to wear some of your usual accessories and jewelry, but try not to over do it. Like we said, bland is kind of the name of the game in the corporate world, so anything that indicates you’re too much of an individual may subconsciously turn off the person interviewing you. So think about limiting yourself to one or less statement pieces of jewelry with some quiet and simple understated pieces to back you up. If you’re wearing flashy earrings, keep your necklace and bracelets simple. If your watch is blinged out, keep your rings and chains in one tone metals.
