Making a First Impression
The No. 1 reason why people don’t get hired.
By Rita Gworek

New York University asked 152 companies, “What are some of the reasons you do not hire people?” Of 48 listed, the No. 1 reason people are not hired is their appearance at the interview. You just can’t get away from first impressions and how important they are to your success.

Research
I teach my classes to research the dress codes at prospective companies. When you interview, you want to be wearing the “uniform” that organization wears. You need to fit in.

Keep in mind that when you are invited to the interview, the organization already knows you can do the job. They are not going to waste their time interviewing you if you can’t. Now is your opportunity to project confidence with a professional look that mirrors their dress code.

Spit, Polish and Shine
A man recently told me he was one of two finalists for a high-salary position. He had been interviewed twice, and the third interview was with the CEO. He was escorted to the CEO’s office by the human resources manager. After the interview, this man felt confident that he would be chosen for the job. He knew he had the right contacts and could make this company more profitable.

When he received the call a few days later, he was told that the other candidate had been chosen. He asked why, and the human resources manager asked, “Do you remember when we were walking up to the CEO’s office? Well, I looked down and noticed your shoes were scuffed up.”

So what did his shoes have to do with it? Only one person is going to get the job, and the organization has to use whatever it can to differentiate you from other candidates. The assumption was that if he didn’t pay attention to details like his shoes, he would miss details at work.

Show Respect
A company recently won a large contract and was subsequently hiring three to four new project managers. A man who was in my “Dress for Success” class interviewed for one of the jobs. His counterpart in the military also interviewed with the company. Since the second man had not yet been in my class, he decided to wear his navy blue blazer, blue button-down shirt, khaki pants and slip-on shoes. This equates to business casual and he subsequently had a difficult time getting a salary offer in the range that was initially discussed.

The man who attended my class wore a suit for the interview because he remembered me saying, “You wear a suit for the interview (if appropriate) if for no other reason that it shows respect for the person interviewing you.” He was offered $28,000 more than the high end of the initial offering. Now that will buy a lot of suits!

I bumped into this man a few months back and told him I share his story in my classes. He said he had more to add. He had been with this company just a little over a year and received raises every month. I’m sure he had to perform on the job, but it appears his image was exactly what the company wanted.

Remember, the No. 1 reason people are not hired is their appearance. Do your research and get the offer.


© Rita Gworek 2010 Rita Gworek is a presenter for the TAP and ACAP seminars on “Dressing for Success.” She has been an image consultant and personal shopper for more than 20 years in the Washington, D.C., area.