SOURCE:Opinary MARCH 2019 MONEY.COM 15
Work
You Should
Never Wear
This Color to a
Job Interview
Thousands of hiring managers say so.
BY JENNIFERCALFASLAND THE JOBA JOB INTERVIEW OFFERS you the first opportu-
nity to meet a prospective employer in person
and tout your skills, accomplishments, professional-
ism, and poise. Can you really convey that message
while wearing the color orange?
The experts at CareerBuilder surveyed more
than 2,000 hiring managers and found that orange
was the worst color to wear to an interview and the
one most associated with unprofessionalism. Here’s
how to get noticed for the right reasons.PLAN AHEAD
Don’t choose your outfit at
the last minute, says Marty
Lundstrom, a Houston-based
lawyer and founder of Pol-
ished Professionals, a website
geared toward working
women.
“If you’re on the job hunt,
have an outfit ready that fits
you like a glove so you can
throw it on and feel great,”
she says. “That removes the
mystery of what to wear.”
You should also try to
figure out the general dress
code for the organization
ahead of the interview.
Ask around or check to
see if the company posts
pictures of its employees
online or on social media,
Lundstrom says.
Using that information,
dress a step up for your first
interview. “That means you
take out any risk factor,”
she adds.WHEN IN DOUBT, GO WITH
NEUTRAL COLORS
While orange is most asso-
ciated with unprofessionalism,
neutral colors have more
positive and workplace-savvy
attributes, according to
CareerBuilder.
Hiring managers prefer
colors like blue and black,
which signify someone who is
a team player and convey
leadership. Gray gives the im-
pression that the interviewee
is logical, white shows he or
she is organized, and brown
suggests dependability.
Playing with neutral colors
keeps things traditional and
simple, says Anh Sundstrom,
who runs fashion blog 9to5Chic.
She recommends colors like
navy, gray, cream, and black.WANT A POP OF COLOR?
DRESS TO ACCENTUATE
YOUR EYES
Joseph Rosenfeld, a personal
style strategist and advisor to
high-profile clients, recom-
mends playing up your eye
color with your interview
ensemble.
If you have green eyes, for
example, a pop of green in
your tie or blouse will bring
out your eyes and help grab
the interviewer’s attention.
“It makes an amazing,
powerful, subtle, and well-put-
together statement,” he says.
“You’re creating more ele-
gance, and it looks refined and
polished.”Yes, a few white lies don’t hurt. That’s debatable. Define “lie.” No, honesty is the best policy.HAVE YOU EVER
LIED ON YOUR
RÉSUMÉ?67
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