Physical appearance and its effects in job interviews

Coulter Ebbert

CAS 283

While sitting in on the lectures during these first two weeks of the semester, one topic, the types of nonverbal communications, really peaked my interest. The fact that nonverbal communications, as miniscule as they seem, are subconsciously impacting every physical encounter we have with other people makes them rather important. Everything from a roll of the eyes during a conversation to the way someone moves and dresses during a presentation effects the information being exchanged and ultimately the outcome of the interaction. Though all nonverbal communications are vital in every day interactions, physical appearance seems to be a prominent factor in the interactions people have, especially in professional situations. Such professional situations in which physical appearance (ie: dress, hygiene, accessories) plays a particularly important role in are job interviews. The way you physically look, among other factors, can either hinder you in a job interview or aid you in landing an important position in your profession. Now assuming that everyone has had a job interview, will have a job interview, or will be interviewing someone for a job, checking out the Chron.com (The Houston Chronical website) article linked below will give you a few great tips and facts on the importance of appearance in a job interview. This article gives great insight into what employers generally look for in an interview and what can cause them to shy away from job hopefuls. The author, Neil Kokemuller, explains in the article that out of all aspects of appearance, grooming is generally the most influential factor in a manager’s decision and that according to the 2006 National association of Colleges and Employers job outlook, 73% of responding employers indicated that grooming has a great influence in the hiring decision while 21% said it has slight influence and only 6% said it has no influence at all. The article also goes on to say that, according to the NACE employers, such features as visible tattoos, visible non-traditional piercings, funky hair and excessive jewelry could possibly negatively impact your chances at landing the job. One should also dress appropriately for the job interview. I can speak from experience (though most would consider 5 years in the work field not much experience) that when going to an interview it can’t hurt to overdress. One instance in particular was my first job working at footlocker. I went to that interview, 15 years old with work papers in hand, wearing dress pants, a button down shirt, a tie with my hair combed over and my 3 chin hairs shaved and nailed the interview. Looking back on it I do feel kind of silly about the way I dressed for the interview considering the fact that after I was hired I wore referee stripes as part of my uniform, but I realize that it was great practice for the future. What I learned about “dressing to impress” from that job interview has helped me get hired for other jobs in the not so recent past. Employers generally don’t want to hire interviewees dressed and groomed like they don’t care, rather the want to hire someone who presents themselves as a professional and looks like they are prepared to work. If you take away anything from this blog post, it is dress appropriately for a job interview, shower and comb your hair, and shave those beards and mustaches (ladies you too). Be sure to check out the article for more useful tips and facts.

 

http://work.chron.com/importance-appearance-job-interview-3677.html