Three Things Not to Wear to an Interview

Deciding what to wear when you go on an interview is a major stressor for most people. The choice of outfit, accessories, and overall presentation can be nerve wracking. A lot of people think that they might win or lose the job based on how they dress.

While that’s often not the case, and many people stress too much about how they are dressed, it is true that you can throw off an interview if you’re dressed improperly or if you are not presenting yourself in professional manner.

For most jobs, an in person interview is essential.  That is becoming less true with the advent of remote work, where people can interview via Zoom and other online software systems. But it’s still true for the majority of jobs.

So, unless you are a registered nurse (the interview process for nurses is significantly different ) you will have to be mindful of how to go about getting ready for an interview.

For the most part, you can wear whatever you like to an interview. It’s not an instance of a preferred uniform being required. Even medical professionals such as nurses don’t have to show up in uniforms (or scrubs).

This article is going to be about things you should not wear to an interview. There are some things that you just shouldn’t wear to an interview. They are immediate red flags.

A Fancy Watch

There is some degree of discussion as to whether or not you should wear a watch to an interview. The rule of thumb is that unless the watch is ostentatious then it should be fine.

What kind of watch is too fancy? Well, it makes sense to not wear a Rolex watch to a job interview where your interviewer wouldn’t be able to afford the watch. And that’s most interviews.

You also shouldn’t wear a watch that is too flashy. Anything that looks like it belongs in a music video—all encrusted with diamonds—is something that you should leave at home in your watch drawer.

So, keep it simple and straightforward. Nothing that is too flashy. Nothing that is showy—you don’t want to make the person interviewing you think that you’re “too wealthy” to want to work.

Super Casual Clothing

This could be the bulk of the entire article for most people. It does all come down to clothing sometimes. If you show up wearing sneakers, or jeans to an interview, then you’re going to tank it.

Even job interviews for retail work and customer service roles in minimum wage facilities aren’t that forgiving when it comes to people interviewing in jeans and sneakers.

The expectation is that you arrive at an interview on time, dressed well, and conduct yourself in a professional manner. Anything that deviates from this is bound to draw red flags and make you seem like an undesirable candidate.

The more professional the setting for the role, the more stress there is upon how you dress. For medical roles, nurses and techs for instance, scrubs and sneakers or jeans are not considered uncommon.

But for people who are set to work in a professional setting, showing up in a business suit or at least professionally dressed (a dress shirt and slacks, for men) is important.

It shows people that you are someone who understands the etiquette of the workplace. The main reason that people have interviews is to determine if you are someone who is going to fit in with the work office.

If you don’t know how to dress for an interview, then it will be clear that you’ll be a problem in the office. You might end up being someone who doesn’t know how to conduct yourself in a regular way.

If you’ve never gone on a professional interview before, then a good idea would be to just look online at some images of people having a mock interview. Most stores (Amazon, Target, H&M, Macy’s….) will have a section for professional outfits.

You don’t have to spend a great deal of money, but it is important to choose something that is classic (steer clear of colorful outfits or anything that is more fit for a club).

Earbuds Or Headphones

Earbuds or any sort of headphones for listening to music is a huge red flag. It shows a complete lack of professional setting.

You would be surprised, but there are plenty of people who will show up to an interview and have earbuds in and not take them off.

More egregiously, there are circumstances where people will show up to an interview wearing headphones and listening to audible music while being interviewed. This is obviously a sign that the person is completely unaware of professional protocol.

So, if you are wearing earbuds, take them off before you enter the office space. You do not want to come off as a dismissive, ignorant person. Even if you are rocking apple earbuds, take them off before you go into the office.

Such a little thing might not appear to be much to you, but to the person who is interviewing you is not in a position to be consider it a laughing matter.

The workforce is so diluted with people who are not fit for a professional workplace, and resumes are so often not a clear indicator of a person’s merit, that an in person interview is a vital part of the process.

Many employers are hesitant to hire someone without clear character references, background checks, and lengthy in person interviews. The risk is too high that they will have to deal with an employee who is both incompetent as well as volatile.

Many people who hire staff that are not professionals (such as in the social service field or hospital administrative work) rely on staffing agencies so that they can terminate the employment at any time. This helps to expedite the process and allow the staffing agency to bear the brunt of any of the ill will from the employee.

Before we wrap up this article, I should note that it doesn’t matter much if you are interviewing with a recruiter or with the company directly. You should dress up for an interview with a recruiter, in the same way that you would dress professionally with any other company.