What Not to Wear

No one will ever hire me to replace Clinton Kelly on 'What Not to Wear' or any of the other fashion related television shows that have become so popular! My wife and daughter have tried without luck to change my clothing style for a very long time. Putting all this aside, I do get questions from job seekers all the time about how to dress for interviews and I ask this question of hiring managers quite often.

The days of following the rule that a candidate must always wear a business suit have faded a bit. The best suggestions I can make are that you want to look professional but not overdressed, conservative but not stodgy, and to appear comfortable however you choose to dress. Of course, the type of job or industry will dictate somewhat how you should look. A machine shop mechanic probably needs to be a bit more casual than a CPA for example but no matter what, you must be well groomed and neat at all times.

For women, coordinated separates are totally acceptable, especially with conservative jewelry and footwear. Avoid wild designs on your nails and streaking your hair with colors such as green, purple, or pink (yes, I have seen this more than once on interviews i have conducted)! Into is okay for men to wear a blazer and khakis as long as they are well pressed. Some guys feel the need to douse themselves in very strong smelling cologne. Leave it off on interview days! Also, avoid blazers that are bright yellow or neon green (yup, I have seen this too)!

Basically, neat, somewhat conservative, and tasteful are the rules. Visiting discount clothing stores is fine if your budget is a bit restricted. No one is expecting you to spend all of your resources on your wardrobe!

Positively Passionate

One of my favorite things about working in recruiting and coaching is that I learn something new just about every day. A longtime client taught me to look beyond the raw skills and experience in a candidate and focus on their passion, their desire to do well and their love of their chosen field. He also validated something I always knew but cannot hurt to have reinforced, interviews need to remain positive at all times.

Let's start with passion. Three candidates interviewed with this hiring manager for an engineering position. All were reasonably similar in their educational background, types of companies they had previously worked for, years of related experience, certifications and software packages, etc. Salary expectations were about the same as well. Two of them were very efficient and competent on their interviews and highly professional. The third was all of the above but shared success stories from their past as well as how much they love their work and how they are constantly researching ways to improve how they perform on the job. At the end of the interview, this person was the only one who asked for the job and ultimately did get hired.

Positive interviews are very critical to getting a new job. No one wants to hear that you despised your prior manager, hated your co-workers, disliked the old fashioned furniture in your office, felt your company did not spend enough money on computer upgrades,etc. What they prefer to hear is what you accomplished at the old job, how you coped with the limitations thrown your direction, and how you made the best of what you had to work for. Even when times were better and their was a shortage of available candidates, employers hesitated to hire people who came across in a negative way.

Everything I have written today might seem obvious to you but I assure you hiring managers will scrutinize you closely. Remain 'Positively Passionate' at all times and you will improve your chances exponentially. Good luck!

Interview Bloopers

Interviews are essential to getting hired for most jobs. Most everyone knows the basic rules: bring copies of your resume, arrive 15 minutes early, dress professionally, etc. Sometimes, interviews take place where all rules are tossed out the door rather fast. Having sent candidates out on interviews for more than 20 years, I have acquired a mental list of resume bloopers and thought I would share a few today!

One candidate was dispatched to a very traditional client who frowned upon candidates who were not impeccably dressed and groomed. Having prepped the individual about this, she went to the meeting in a very impressive looking suit. The CEO walked in wearing a Grateful Dead t-shirt and sandals!! The rest of his staff were dressed in similar garb!! As I learned later, he had secured concert tickets for his team later that day!

Another candidate arrived at the interview and was ushered into a VP's office containing a 100 gallon fish tank with some very sick looking fish. This candidate was a computer programmer who moonlighted in a shop that specialized in rare tropical fish. He spent the next 20 minutes inspecting and repairing the filtration system and walked away with a job offer as a programmer!

Several years back, I worked on a project for a client who needed to 10 people with various technical backgrounds and contacted me at the trade school where I was assisting graduates in their search process. Over the course of about 2 weeks, they interviewed about 15 people and selected 9. We had one slot to fill and I sent a talented, if not a bit offbeat, candidate. Right after the interview, the hiring manager called and asked if I had seen the young man before he went to the meeting. Having not, I was curious. As luck would have it, he stopped by on his way home......in his lime green trousers and bright yellow blazer! Apparently, he spilled breakfast on his suit and tried cleaning it in the washing machine! In a fit of panic, he borrowed clothes from his uncle! End of story!!

I am sure there are some entertaining interview bloopers out there worth sharing. Whether you were the interviewer or the candidate, please share your unusual experiences!

Biggest Disappointments of 2010

As 2010 limps into the sunset, I was thinking about those areas that underwhelmed me this year. The biggest shortcoming is from the Obama administration's efforts to stimulate job growth. Quite frankly, I see no signs that they accomplished anything whatsoever to get people back to work in jobs even somewhat related to their previous fields. The federal government has become too much of a battlefield rather than a playing field and both major political parties need to step up to the plate and repair this situation now.

Next in line is the lack of sensitivity companies appear to be showing toward their employees. Layoffs are taking place without any warning to soften the blow. Even worse, those same firms are hiring for slightly different positions practically at the same time the layoffs occur. How about retraining your loyal workforce rather than dumping them in favor of total strangers who are unknown quantities?

Finally, my last concern is that we still seem to be an entitlement driven society even in light of everything that has taken place the past few years. Way to often, candidates call me with their lists of must-have items before they will consider interviewing for a new position. Once I start hearing these unrealistic needs, I simply move on to the next available candidate.

Hopefully, 2011 will get going quickly as the year of recovery!

PS: I am attempting to make a list of positive items from 2010. Any suggestions?

Wake Up Time!

All of a sudden, head count dollars seem to be making a guest appearance at some companies. Perhaps this is an encouraging sign that the slump is gradually fading away. Now that some employers are looking for new team members, it is time for candidates to come out of this involuntary hiatus period and start interviewing. Based on what I have seen recently, many folks seem unwilling to jump back into the market just yet and I am concerned. Should they sit back to long, they might NEVER recover. Now is the time to recharge your batteries, dry clean your interview clothing, clean up your resume', and plunge back into the very different job market with open minds, positive outlooks, enthusiasm, and open eyes and ears!

Quich Advice (Part Two)

Time kills.

• Submitting one's resume to a job posting then waiting 6 days to reply to a phone call will never get you a job as it will be filled before you respond.
• Interviewing a great candidate for an open need then not providing feedback for almost 2 weeks before making an offer will not necessarily mean the person is still available.

Things are improving slowly and employers and candidates need to realize timing is everything once again!

Interview Wardrobes

Suffice it to say I am not a fashion consultant, never have been, never will be, and never will be confused for one! Numerous people have told me they are concerned as things begin to turn around that their interview clothes are out of date or worn out. Do not fret. Pull them out of moth balls, visit a dry cleaner (and perhaps a tailor) and see if a few dollars rejuvenates them. If not, skip the high price mall shops and visit the off price retailers. Find lots of separates (applies to both men and women) so you may create a large wardrobe out of perhaps 2 or 3 groupings of clothing. Neat but basic work work just fine! Good luck!

Thank You!

Thank you, these are two simple words that still mean an awful lot to hiring managers. Think about it for a moment, the number of people fighting for open jobs is extremely high and a manager might (misguidedly) interview 10 or 12 people for one position. By the end, they all start to look and sound very much similar. My guess is that maybe three or four will take the time to send a quick note of thanks (email is fine) for the time invested in meeting with them. Perhaps two will actually make a reference to something discussed. Quite likely, those folks will be among the people receiving call backs for a second interview. This is not new advice but it is a proven method to increase your odds of being hired. Since it costs nothing other than a few minutes of your time, I strongly suggest you start saying Thank you quite often!