Can You Wear a Hat to An Interview?

This shouldn’t even be a real question, but people do in fact wonder if they can wear a hat to an interview.

This could be the shortest article I’ve ever written. NO. You can not wear a hat to an interview.

But let’s spend more time on it because it’s something amusing, and there might be people who are not sure about it.

Sometimes what is obvious to either you or me might not be obvious to everyone, so it isn’t a waste of time in that respect.

Are Hats Unprofessional?

Not really, but that doesn’t mean that you should wear them during an interview.

There needs to be a distinction between what’s appropriate for work environments and what is appropriate and professional for an interview.

Sometimes you can wear a hat on the job and it’s totally fine. Construction workers, project foreman for development companies, fireman, police officers, mailmen, and many other jobs not only allow but require hats of some kind.

However, this does not mean that you can wear a hat on an interview. These are two separate things. While you might be able to wear a hat during your job, but when you actually go out and do the interview for the job you definitely shouldn’t wear a hat.

It’s simply not something that is appropriate. Even if you are interviewing for a role in a company that employs people who routinely wear hats during their normal working day, it’s not something that you would wear during the interview.

It’s not that hats are unprofessional, it’s that they are not appropriate wear for a professional interview setting.

You Don’t Play Ball: Headbands Are Unprofessional

Let’s be serious for a moment. Headbands are not something that you should ever wear to an interview.

Headbands are strictly for casual spaces. People who workout or play sports wear headbands, there is absolutely no reason to ever wear a headband to a job interview.

Unless you’re planning on making a joke of the entire thing, I would advise against wearing a headband.

If you show up to an interview wearing a headband, prepare to lose the job. It’s just a simple fact that if you show up to a formal interview wearing a headband the interviewer will not take you seriously. They might not say anything, but they won’t hire you.

Anyone who shows up wearing a headband for an interview is clearly someone who does not understand how a professional environment works and won’t be called back for a second interview or land the job.

How About Online? Can You Wear a Hat to a Virtual Interview?

The same etiquette applies to online interviews as in person interviews when it comes to wearing a hat. It’s not appropriate.

Don’t be under the impression that because you are having a virtual interview that you can dress extremely causal.

Unfortunately, many people make the mistake of dressing too casually for Zoom interviews and then they wonder why they never get a call back from their recruiter or the hiring lead. You should approach a Zoom interview with the same seriousness as you would a regular interview.

Well, it’s because they did not take the interview seriously and instead of acting professionally and dressing appropriately, they showed up in casual street clothing or even workout clothing.

There are numerous mistakes you can make when going on an interview. However, dressing inappropriately is going to be so substantial that in most cases you can’t overcome it with a great resume or by being impressive in any other manner.

My advice would be to treat the initial interview as the most important one. In some respects it is. Even if it’s a first round interview, you won’t be able to get to the second round if you don’t pass the initial screening.

That’s why you want everything to be in order. You want to make sure you bring two copies of your resume with you. You want to make sure you show up early for the interview. And you certainly want to dress appropriately for the interview and not wear a hat or anything else that would signal that you are unprofessional or not fit for a work environment.