What Your Job Interviewer Won't Tell You About Grooming Faux Pas

April 22, 2013

One of the toughest things about being a human is that we never really know how we look. One of the toughest things about being a human on a job interview is that you never know how the interviewer would prefer you to look.

Shauna C. Bryce over at Careerealism.com has a few tips on how to avoid grooming faux pas that will cost you the job. Here were the ones that struck me the most (plus, one from my own job interviewing history):

1. Don’t Stink

Most of us shower and put on deodorant before an interview. But do you then put on a lot of perfume or cologne, or chain-smoke your way to the interview? If so, you’re undoing all the good you did by bathing. Not to mention, some people are allergic to smoke and scent, so you might be distracting your interviewer or possibly endangering their life. Not exactly the way to get hired.

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2. Don’t Have Distracting Facial Hair

Some people will tell you that it’s always better to be clean-shaven, but if you can’t part with a hard-grown beard, make sure it’s neat, tidy, and again, not distracting. Now is not the time to debut your old timey strongman from the circus mustache.

3. Know That a Lot Depends on the Place You’re Interviewing

Way back in the stone age, I met with a recruiter who told me flat out that no one would hire me with a nose ring. Chagrined, I took it out for my next five or six interviews. When I finally got hired, it was after I’d given up and put it back in. The internet company that hired me couldn’t care less about the facial hardware — in fact, it might’ve been in my favor. (This was the early 2000s, when you didn’t have to have full-sleeve tattoos to be cool.)

The bottom line is that you’re always better off assessing the vibe of the place you’re interviewing ahead of time. If they’re a suit-and-tie kind of place, get ironing. If they’re more casual, try to a strike a more comfortable — but still professional — vibe.

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We want to hear from you! Have you ever decided not to hire someone based on grooming? Leave a comment or join the discussion on Twitter, using the hashtag #MakeItHappen.

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