Recently I had the opportunity to work at a Restaurant Management Career Fair. The job candidates were looking sharp in their suits, shirt & ties, slacks, skirts, etc. They all presented very professional images.
However, I noticed a job candidate enter the event who appeared to be at once unprepared for interviewing.
I could see he came well equipped with an envelope full of nice looking resumes, a couple of pens, and a smile on his face. All signs of excellent interview preparation.
The problem was that he seemed to have left his sense of personal image at home.
His shirt was wrinkled and completely untucked, his shoes looked like they were probably his work shoes (a colorful collage of food particles and stains), he had at least a day worth of facial stubble, and his hair looked like he had just stepped out of a wind tunnel. With attention to detail being such a huge part of any hospitality operation (restaurant, hotel, or club), all I could do was cringe a little and say, Yikes!!
After the interview was done, I thought he was a very experienced and enthusiastic Kitchen Manager with a very good track record of success and a solid work history with some major high-volume restaurant chains. Based on what was discussed, he seemed to have the work skills and energy level that would be needed for the position but were very much concerned about how his lack of concern for his personal appearance might reflect itself in meeting other aspects of the job responsibilities and restaurant’s goals. (Note - Restaurant recruiters are used to seeing managers and chefs come straight from their jobs and bringing along all the assorted stains that they manages to collect in their +10 hour days. The big difference here is that this job seeker hadn’t even made an effort to “tidy” himself up or even shave that morning…)
The candidate might get a second interview, but he will be fighting an up hill battle to convince the next interviewer that he is the right one for the position if he appears as rumpled as he did at the Job Fair.
No matter what the interview setting, ALWAYS make sure you are portraying a professional image of your job skills and of your self. Dress for success!!
For men:
For women:
Source : http://www.hospitalityhr.com/