“Should It Matter?“: Recruiter Raises A Concern After A Candidate Didn’t Make It Through In Part Because Of What They Were Wearing
Interview With Author“Dress for success” is a widely popular message that encourages employees to take care of their attire. Now, without a doubt, clothes make a strong visual statement and might even get you an extra client or two – however, is it still crucial to dress in business wear for interviews?
Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, instead of the usual face-to-face procedure, employment has turned to virtual team meetings, video conferences and Zoom interviews.
Those who get the pleasure of working from home don’t wake up a couple of hours prior to their shift just to compose themselves and, perhaps, choose a more fitting outfit. I mean, let’s face it, most of us don’t even have our pants on.
Each company has its own policy for clothing – however, is it important to dress smart for Zoom interviews?
Image credits: g_u (not the actual photo)
“What to wear?!” – a LinkedIn user and recruitment specialist took it to the platform to share a concern regarding virtual interviews and dress code.
The woman wondered whether recruiters are responsible for reminding job-seeking folk to dress appropriately after she revealed how one of her candidates didn’t move forward because external clients didn’t appreciate them wearing a hoodie.
Recruiter wrote a LinkedIn post that stated how an interviewee didn’t move forward because the client didn’t like their casual attire
Image credits: Louise Ogilvy
Bored Panda has managed to reach out to the author; Louise started working as a recruitment consultant at the age of 24 when she set up her first recruitment agency. For 18 years, the woman worked in what they call the “rec to rec” sector, which is focused on placing recruitment consultants with other recruitment agency clients.
Image credits: Louise Ogilvy
The thing is, two of their candidates were put forward to interview with two external hiring clients. Louise said that neither candidate made it through the first stage – however, a comment was made in which the hiring managers said that one of the applicants was “unprofessional” in their demeanor, in part because they were wearing a hoodie.
Louise then added: “the post was a question to other recruiters. Our job as a recruiter is to help candidates prepare for interviews as much as we can. We point them in the right direction regarding websites to review potential questions to think about, but should we also be advising them to think about what they wear?
Image credits: Louise Ogilvy
We also asked the author whether she thinks that appearance affects work performance, to which Louise said: “absolutely not. In fact, I don’t even use video screening myself when I am registering candidates because it doesn’t even feature into my criteria. However, if a hiring company has a dress code or if the role is client facing, surely the client can have expectations on what is considered professional attire. As recruiters, should we be asking this information and ensuring that we share with candidates or do we assume that candidates will seek out this information themselves?”
Image credits: Louise Ogilvy
“It is widely accepted that in tech, people wear what they want. This is an assumption I too have held for the last 3 years. My point was, it’s not about what I think, or the candidate thinks, but if you are applying for a role in a company where there is an expectation, is it not our job as a recruiter to make the candidate aware? I wear hoodies all day when I am working from home, but if I am jumping on a call with a client, I will change my top, yes. Why? It makes me feel that I have made an effort to get ready to be online, just as I would have done if I was driving to meet a client face to face.”
Moreover, a great deal of LinkedIn users have, in fact, misunderstood the context of the post and thought that it was Louise who was against casual wear during online interviews. However, once it went viral, the woman edited it to debunk the criticism.
Daniel Space, an HR content creator, also made a TikTok video in regards to this post
Image credits: dan_from_hr
Daniel Space has worked in HR as a business partner for almost 20 years and he has worked for companies like Electronic Arts, WebMD and Spotify.
Bored Panda also managed to contact Daniel and he thought that Louise’s post was really representative of the fact that we have changed; that the way that we used to job search and the way that we view the job search – pre-imposed pandemic – are two very different things. Given how comfortable we are within the span of our home, the man thinks that it’s really important to consider why we’re considering professional dress to be crucial.
Image credits: dan_from_hr
We asked Daniel the same question, “do you think appearance affects work performance?”, to which he said: “I personally do not think dress impacts work performance but I do think that that’s something each person has to decide for themselves. I know that there are people that do prefer to get dressed up even if it’s working from home because it gives the illusion of productivity, and I know that there are others who are fine to not dress up formally and just to be more comfortable because they feel more productive then. My thought process is to 1. – know who you are 2. – be with a company that can accept that.”
Image credits: dan_from_hr
Lastly, we wondered whether there’s something else that Daniel would like the readers to know and the content creator responded with: “my big thing that I want all the readers to know is that we’re still in an extraordinarily hot job market but we’re starting to see the signs of it cooling down so there’s still tons of opportunity; there’re a lot of great ways to find them but this is the time to also start thinking about stabilizing.”
Image credits: Dustin Moore (not the actual photo)
Whether you agree that dressing smart is essential for both face-to-face and virtual interviews or not, appropriate attire is always welcomed. Perhaps having exceptionally strict workwear, nowadays, is not as important in many companies – though it is still in your best interest to match your job’s culture.
What do you think about it?
You can watch the video here:
@dan_from_hr Thoughts? #Jobsearch #linkedin #jobsearchhelp #getpaid #hireme #openroles #gethiredjobsearchtips #jobsearchtiktok #danfromhr #danfromhrtiktok ♬ original sound – Dan.from.HR
The author of the post has clarified her intentions under Daniel’s video
Fellow TikTok users shared their thoughts and opinions
149Kviews
Share on FacebookRegardless of what you would wear doing the actual job, the interview is an official business meeting, and a lot of employers will expect you to dress up. If it turns out it's an employer who wouldn't mind you casually dressed in the interview, they are not going to think any less of you for dressing up. But of it is a place where they are expecting you to wear business wear for the interview and you don't, you are just stacking the odds against yourself. You don't know which way it will go beforehand, so why not give yourself the best chance of getting the job
That's what I was taught. People who interviewed for even lower paying jobs dressed for the interview. The prevailing thought was "dress for the job you want, not the job you have." HOWEVER, I was in a financial services career. I think dress codes are more casual now and I wonder if interviewing for a tech job at Google is different or construction. It's really a workers market now and the industries need to consider changing some hard fast rules.
Load More Replies...I'm just gonna give this example from someone I knew. He walked on to a construction site, in a nice pant suit asking for a job in construction. He got an interview right then and there. It's a messy, dirty job. No place to wear a suit. All he was asked was when he was ready to start. This guy brought steel-toed boots and work clothes with him so he was prepared to start that day. That stuck with him to this day, that it's always important to dress up no matter what the job is. It's about showing respect, dignity and professionalism. Unless you own an established, wealthy business.
Years back, I interviewed two people because I was leaving my job. They dressed up - the office was more casual. I appreciated the effort.
Load More Replies...I was always told you wear one level above what is expected in the actual job for an interview. Construction work? Wear a shirt. Office job? Wear a suit. Hotel receptionist? Suit and natural coloured hair neatly tied back. Does it matter? Yes, because even the most laidback place has a minimum dress code (except fully remote when not in meetings, and for meetings office dress code would apply) for safety if nothing else.
My take is that if a person doesn't have the sense to put on a decent decent shirt for a video interview, then they are likely to show poor judgement in other things as well. A tech job doesn't require business formal, but how hard is it to wear a button down or a blouse instead of a tee and a hoodie?
The tiktok commenters saying "clothes don't affect work quality" are missing the point. People dress up for interviews to signal interest in the job and respect for the process, not to indicate their working credentials. No one's saying you need to wear a suit and tie for a Zoom interview -- I think that's a legitimate concession born out of the pandemic -- but it shouldn't be that difficult to put a button down shirt on. What you wear once you're hired is a totally different matter.
I think some things shouldn't change. If you are interviewing, you should look well put together. It shows you are making a conscious effort to put your best face forward even if your interviewing for a dirty job. Once you have the job then you can dress accordingly. Just my opinion :)
have had applicants show up in dirty clothes, nope. Put on a proper shirt, I have zoom meeting all the times, takes two seconds to put on a proper shirt and try to look professional, once you get the job wear what ever the hell you want.
Disregarding showing respect, it shows you are taking the interview seriously. Whether you agree or not, your outward appearance reflects things about you that, regardless of right or wrong, will be used as indicators of your personality. Tshirt and hoodie could show that you may be laid back or enjoy comfort but it can also be seen as lazy and lacking in effort or attention to detail. There's psychology in this.
My Two Takes: This is not about a dress code, this is about "can you follow simple instructions". If you choose to show up dressed differently than expected then you are saying I probably cannot be trusted to perform complicated job tasks either. If you show up without the prescribed dress and let the interviewer know at the beginning than your dress is what you currently have and you cannot afford better until employed then it is another matter. If this still counts against you then maybe the workplace is not going to be a good place for anyone to work at.
Wear nice clothes or appropriate clothes dumbasses. Show you care about the fucing job, it would be weird to expect your programmer to wear a buttinup daily but he can at least wear one for the interview
As a hiring manager, I would expect business casual at a minimum. You are there to impress....a hoodie is not going to do that.
Years ago I went to a microsoft conference in Toronto. Wore business attire. Thought it was appropriate. Well, turns out nearly no one else did. However, I was treated with so much respect at that conference. Also, in the states, when you go to interview for a federal government job (particularly one requiring a bachelors degree) you'll show up to the interview wearing appropriate attire. They might even tell you to. It's part of the "do you have the minimum qualifications" requirement, even if it's not a job requirement.
Turning up in the right clothes for that workplace is a sign of emotional intelligence and indicates that you are willing to fit in with the culture of that company. It's not about the clothes, it's the unspoken signal given.
Maybe do a little research on the company you are interviewing for and get a feel for the culture so you know what to wear. Just because you are at home doing a Zoom interview doesn't mean you can dress like you are at home. You should dress the same way you would if you were going on an actual in-person interview. Heck, even Mark Zuckerberg doesn't wear his t-shirt when he is in front of Congress. Know your audience...
You dress age and job place appropriately when on interviews. Regardless if video or in person. That's it. If the person doesn't understand that to get the job then they probably don't really want the job. I understand if someone doesn't have a suit or dress shirt or slacks or nice shoes because it cost money they don't have, but they could say something along the lines of "pardon my appearance, my cleaner didn't have x ready before I was coming to meet with you", or " I apologize for my dresses down apparel but if hired, I can adjust it once I'm getting income. It's been pretty tight budgeting lately". It goes to show you know you aren't dressed correctly and you want to be thankful to getting the chance to explain and a future you will look sharper. If I worked from home I'd just have a nice plain top I could change jewelry with to make it look different if I couldn't afford diff tops for all week long. There are also charity's that help people dress for interviews too.
If we're talking about an external facing role or a leadership role, I can understand the need for the employee to dress the part.... but for a back-office IT role, forcing people to dress up is simply a power trip. I used to work in tech support back in the day, and because of "dress codes", I had to crawl under desks in slacks and a tie. It was absurd. I'm getting paid to do a job... not take your daughter to prom. Employers need to smarten up.
I've heard of ppl who showed up for an interview in proper business attire, who were *also* wearing a hoodie or a denim jacket because it was cold outside. They're kept waiting well past the interview time, and when they finally insist that the receptionist find out what's going on, the interviewer comes out and says, "When Receptionist told me you were wearing a hoodie, we knew you wouldn't be a good fit, so I just can't bring myself to proceed with the interview." Even though the candidate *was* dressed properly, somehow the mere presence of a hoodie/denim jacket was enough to make the interviewer decide that they "obviously didn't know how to dress for an interview." Whatever...
I was an HR Director for over 20 years before becoming disabled. All but one position was in manufacturing, so casual dress was fairly normal. I can't recall ever "dinging" someone for their clothing specifically and it wasn't uncommon for applicants to come in for an interview after or just before their shift at another job. What I did appreciate was them saying something like, "sorry about my appearance. I didn't have time to change after work". ".... I am heading to work when I leave here". Anything to let me know they did know how they should dress, even though they weren't currently dressed that way. We did have one guy who reeked. He smelled like dirty laundry, stinky shoe sweat, and wet dog. My assistant, the production manager and I were all in the interview and the smell made our eyes water. It took forever to get the stench out of my office. That being said, he was an amazing interview. We hired him. Later we had to tell him he needed to do better with hygiene.
What a horrible thing to say! That's just evil and says a lot more about you than her...
Load More Replies...Interesting thoughts. As a 25 year corporate tech, I turned up to every interview in a suit, it's just standard practice and shows at the very least you understand that you are attending a formal business meeting. What you wear on a day to day after that is down to what the company allows for the role.
Load More Replies...Regardless of what you would wear doing the actual job, the interview is an official business meeting, and a lot of employers will expect you to dress up. If it turns out it's an employer who wouldn't mind you casually dressed in the interview, they are not going to think any less of you for dressing up. But of it is a place where they are expecting you to wear business wear for the interview and you don't, you are just stacking the odds against yourself. You don't know which way it will go beforehand, so why not give yourself the best chance of getting the job
That's what I was taught. People who interviewed for even lower paying jobs dressed for the interview. The prevailing thought was "dress for the job you want, not the job you have." HOWEVER, I was in a financial services career. I think dress codes are more casual now and I wonder if interviewing for a tech job at Google is different or construction. It's really a workers market now and the industries need to consider changing some hard fast rules.
Load More Replies...I'm just gonna give this example from someone I knew. He walked on to a construction site, in a nice pant suit asking for a job in construction. He got an interview right then and there. It's a messy, dirty job. No place to wear a suit. All he was asked was when he was ready to start. This guy brought steel-toed boots and work clothes with him so he was prepared to start that day. That stuck with him to this day, that it's always important to dress up no matter what the job is. It's about showing respect, dignity and professionalism. Unless you own an established, wealthy business.
Years back, I interviewed two people because I was leaving my job. They dressed up - the office was more casual. I appreciated the effort.
Load More Replies...I was always told you wear one level above what is expected in the actual job for an interview. Construction work? Wear a shirt. Office job? Wear a suit. Hotel receptionist? Suit and natural coloured hair neatly tied back. Does it matter? Yes, because even the most laidback place has a minimum dress code (except fully remote when not in meetings, and for meetings office dress code would apply) for safety if nothing else.
My take is that if a person doesn't have the sense to put on a decent decent shirt for a video interview, then they are likely to show poor judgement in other things as well. A tech job doesn't require business formal, but how hard is it to wear a button down or a blouse instead of a tee and a hoodie?
The tiktok commenters saying "clothes don't affect work quality" are missing the point. People dress up for interviews to signal interest in the job and respect for the process, not to indicate their working credentials. No one's saying you need to wear a suit and tie for a Zoom interview -- I think that's a legitimate concession born out of the pandemic -- but it shouldn't be that difficult to put a button down shirt on. What you wear once you're hired is a totally different matter.
I think some things shouldn't change. If you are interviewing, you should look well put together. It shows you are making a conscious effort to put your best face forward even if your interviewing for a dirty job. Once you have the job then you can dress accordingly. Just my opinion :)
have had applicants show up in dirty clothes, nope. Put on a proper shirt, I have zoom meeting all the times, takes two seconds to put on a proper shirt and try to look professional, once you get the job wear what ever the hell you want.
Disregarding showing respect, it shows you are taking the interview seriously. Whether you agree or not, your outward appearance reflects things about you that, regardless of right or wrong, will be used as indicators of your personality. Tshirt and hoodie could show that you may be laid back or enjoy comfort but it can also be seen as lazy and lacking in effort or attention to detail. There's psychology in this.
My Two Takes: This is not about a dress code, this is about "can you follow simple instructions". If you choose to show up dressed differently than expected then you are saying I probably cannot be trusted to perform complicated job tasks either. If you show up without the prescribed dress and let the interviewer know at the beginning than your dress is what you currently have and you cannot afford better until employed then it is another matter. If this still counts against you then maybe the workplace is not going to be a good place for anyone to work at.
Wear nice clothes or appropriate clothes dumbasses. Show you care about the fucing job, it would be weird to expect your programmer to wear a buttinup daily but he can at least wear one for the interview
As a hiring manager, I would expect business casual at a minimum. You are there to impress....a hoodie is not going to do that.
Years ago I went to a microsoft conference in Toronto. Wore business attire. Thought it was appropriate. Well, turns out nearly no one else did. However, I was treated with so much respect at that conference. Also, in the states, when you go to interview for a federal government job (particularly one requiring a bachelors degree) you'll show up to the interview wearing appropriate attire. They might even tell you to. It's part of the "do you have the minimum qualifications" requirement, even if it's not a job requirement.
Turning up in the right clothes for that workplace is a sign of emotional intelligence and indicates that you are willing to fit in with the culture of that company. It's not about the clothes, it's the unspoken signal given.
Maybe do a little research on the company you are interviewing for and get a feel for the culture so you know what to wear. Just because you are at home doing a Zoom interview doesn't mean you can dress like you are at home. You should dress the same way you would if you were going on an actual in-person interview. Heck, even Mark Zuckerberg doesn't wear his t-shirt when he is in front of Congress. Know your audience...
You dress age and job place appropriately when on interviews. Regardless if video or in person. That's it. If the person doesn't understand that to get the job then they probably don't really want the job. I understand if someone doesn't have a suit or dress shirt or slacks or nice shoes because it cost money they don't have, but they could say something along the lines of "pardon my appearance, my cleaner didn't have x ready before I was coming to meet with you", or " I apologize for my dresses down apparel but if hired, I can adjust it once I'm getting income. It's been pretty tight budgeting lately". It goes to show you know you aren't dressed correctly and you want to be thankful to getting the chance to explain and a future you will look sharper. If I worked from home I'd just have a nice plain top I could change jewelry with to make it look different if I couldn't afford diff tops for all week long. There are also charity's that help people dress for interviews too.
If we're talking about an external facing role or a leadership role, I can understand the need for the employee to dress the part.... but for a back-office IT role, forcing people to dress up is simply a power trip. I used to work in tech support back in the day, and because of "dress codes", I had to crawl under desks in slacks and a tie. It was absurd. I'm getting paid to do a job... not take your daughter to prom. Employers need to smarten up.
I've heard of ppl who showed up for an interview in proper business attire, who were *also* wearing a hoodie or a denim jacket because it was cold outside. They're kept waiting well past the interview time, and when they finally insist that the receptionist find out what's going on, the interviewer comes out and says, "When Receptionist told me you were wearing a hoodie, we knew you wouldn't be a good fit, so I just can't bring myself to proceed with the interview." Even though the candidate *was* dressed properly, somehow the mere presence of a hoodie/denim jacket was enough to make the interviewer decide that they "obviously didn't know how to dress for an interview." Whatever...
I was an HR Director for over 20 years before becoming disabled. All but one position was in manufacturing, so casual dress was fairly normal. I can't recall ever "dinging" someone for their clothing specifically and it wasn't uncommon for applicants to come in for an interview after or just before their shift at another job. What I did appreciate was them saying something like, "sorry about my appearance. I didn't have time to change after work". ".... I am heading to work when I leave here". Anything to let me know they did know how they should dress, even though they weren't currently dressed that way. We did have one guy who reeked. He smelled like dirty laundry, stinky shoe sweat, and wet dog. My assistant, the production manager and I were all in the interview and the smell made our eyes water. It took forever to get the stench out of my office. That being said, he was an amazing interview. We hired him. Later we had to tell him he needed to do better with hygiene.
What a horrible thing to say! That's just evil and says a lot more about you than her...
Load More Replies...Interesting thoughts. As a 25 year corporate tech, I turned up to every interview in a suit, it's just standard practice and shows at the very least you understand that you are attending a formal business meeting. What you wear on a day to day after that is down to what the company allows for the role.
Load More Replies...
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