Top job recruiters revealed the worst fashion mistakes of their candidates who forgot the basic rule of 'dress to impress' interviews.
Too much attention is paid to what to wear to a job interview and not enough to what NOT to wear.
A prestigious Virginia recruiter revealed that they had sent their candidate to interview for an executive position at a major food manufacturer and that he had committed several fashion crimes.
The interviewee appeared in a Nascar jacket with 'VIAGRA' in large letters on the front.
He was a proud Nascar fan and he saw no problem with his choice of outfit, said Al Polson – a recruiter from The Colonial Group – in conversation with the Wall Street Journal.
Top job recruiters have revealed the worst job interview outfits they've ever seen – one of the worst is a Nascar jacket with the word 'VIAGRA' printed on it
Polson was at a working lunch with the company's HR director while his candidate had a job interview.
His lunch date was called mid-meal, with her saying 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 briefing his candidate on what to wear.
The candidate simply explained that he didn't have a suit, so Polson demanded he buy one and begged the company to give him another chance.
He wore the suit and got the job, but ultimately failed 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 screened candidates for a leadership position.
He was impressed by a recent Harvard graduate with an incredible resume and naturally decided to interview her for the job.
But to his horror, the woman showed up to her interview in an Elizabethan costume with a full face and matching makeup.
The theatrical fashion choice surprised Schiff, but he continued with the interview.
After talking about her love of theater, Schiff started to feel like she might have a closet full of risqué outfits.
He decided not to recommend her for the job because the suits wouldn't look good in the office.
Jonathan Schiff was impressed by a recent Harvard graduate with an incredible resume. But to his horror, the woman showed up to her interview in an Elizabethan costume with a full face and matching makeup
The theatrical fashion choice surprised Schiff, but he continued with the interview. After talking about her love of theater, Schiff started to feel like she might have a closet full of risqué outfits
Phil Muldoon of Hirewell, a well-known staffing firm, 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 his resume was printed and that he was prepared for the interview, but he was surprised by the interviewee's major fashion mistake.
“Hey man, you just gave me a grenade with no pin in it,” Muldoon's colleague told him.
The interviewee had shown up to his interview with his tie in a 'literal knot'.
Luckily, Muldoon's business partner arranged it for him and he ended up getting the job.
“Sometimes you have to protect the candidates from themselves,” Muldoon said.
One candidate from a New York recruiting firm didn't even show up for the interview because his outfit choice was so out of hand.
Anthony Fanzo of The Bacharach Group revealed that his candidate showed up with the cuffs stapled to his suit trousers because he didn't have them tailored.
Dress codes were apparently very important to the client, so the recruiters did him and themselves a favor by intervening.
After all, a global employment network shared their expertise which you should stay away from when dressing for a job interview.
The job search experts said T-shirts are a no-go, along with jeans, open-toe shoes, sneakers, restrictive clothing, body jewelry and hats.
It was also advised against opting for sportswear, bright colors, visible undergarments, busy patterns, revealing clothing and heavy makeup.