Interview Faux-Pas

In the mornings, I like to sit down with a hot cup of coffee and read up on all the news (celebrity or business) of the day.  This morning, I particularly enjoyed reading an article on the 50 Worst of the Worst (and Most Common) Job Interview Mistakes.  The list consists of obvious mistakes ("arriving late" or "bringing your mother or friend" - huh?) and some interesting tips ("Taking a seat before your interviewer does." Really?).  The list also included some advice on being appropriately dressed and presentable for your job.  I thought I'd share them here:

• Lighting up a cigarette, or smelling like a cigarette.
• Wearing the wrong (for this workplace!) clothes.
• Wearing a ton of perfume or aftershave.
• Wearing sunglasses.
• Wearing a Bluetooth earpiece.
  This list was cherry picked by me from Karen Burns' original list.

A few other faux-pas I'd include:

For women,

• If you're wearing a skirt, make sure the skirt isn't too short or too long (though too short is definitely the worse mistake of the two).  Ideally, the skirt should hit within one inch above or below your knees.  You have two inches of wiggle room, that's it.
• If you wear make-up make sure you keep it to a neutral palate so your "look" doesn't overshadow your credentials.
• Wear appropriate shoes with your clothes, whether they're heeled or flat, make sure they're comfortable.  We can never feel our best or be our most confident when our feet are aching.
• Keep jewelry to a minimum.

For men,

• Be sure you trim your facial hair.  If bearded, make sure it's neatly groomed.  If 'stached, what are you thinking?!  The 70s are over, get rid of it!... general faux-pas of the century whether at work or not.
• Make sure your hair is neatly groomed/brushed/combed/gel'ed/sprayed... but most importantly, washed.
• Wear appropriate footware.  If you're in a suit, don't pair them with sneakers unless you're interviewing with an extremely trendy or design forward workplace (and you must have personally surveyed the workplace and know for certain this is acceptable).
• A general rule:  when wearing a suit or slacks with dress shoes, wear dark colored socks (either black, navy or brown/tan).  No whites.

What about you?  What do you keep in mind when interviewing for a new role?