Interesting story on Forbes.com about what to wear to a job interview. “We may work in a world of corporate casual, but that doesn't extend to all job interviews,” Forbes writes. “Despite a recent Yahoo! Hot Jobs survey that reported 25 percent of HR managers think wearing a suit to a job interview is too formal, the bosses and experts we talked to strongly disagreed,” and said that a jacket and tie is a requirement if a prospective executive wants to be taken seriously and hired.
This isn’t always the case, of course, and job applicants are encouraged to ask about appropriate attire before going to the interview. But the intriguing thing is that human resources managers aren’t necessarily in tune with the top executives for whom they work.
This isn’t always the case, of course, and job applicants are encouraged to ask about appropriate attire before going to the interview. But the intriguing thing is that human resources managers aren’t necessarily in tune with the top executives for whom they work.
- KC's View:
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We probably found this story to be more interesting because we’re at Portland State University right now, preparing to serve as moderator/emcee for the Food Industry Leadership Center (FILC) 2006 Executive Forum…and looking forward to spending plenty of time with the students.
While we would tend to agree with the idea that it always is better to err on the side of caution when going for a job interview, dressing too formally rather than too casually, we also think that the people doing the hiring need to lighten up about such issues.
Someone told us recently about a guy who interviewed with a major chain for a job working in an in-store wine department. He was a veteran who had served with distinction in Iraq, he was educated in the subject of wine and was passionate on the subject, and he demonstrated a finely-honed sense of responsibility. He did not, however, get the job – because he was reluctant to shave his goatee, and the company has a policy of no facial hair. In other words, this major chain would rather hire someone who was less knowledgeable and passionate about the subject if he or she did not have a beard.
While a company has a right to maintain standards about personal appearance, we’re living in the 21st century here, and we think there ought to be a room for a little more latitude.
