Personal Care and Grooming

Beyond clothing choices, your overall grooming is critical to projecting a professional and polished image. Neglecting these basics can send negative signals to the interviewer.

Basic Hygiene (Hair, Nails, Body Odor)

Hygiene is paramount. Be sure to:

• Wear your hair clean.
• Wash it on the day of the interview if necessary.
• Have clean and manicured nails.
• This applies to both men and women.
• Control body odor.
• Take a shower, use deodorant and make sure you smell clean.
• If you wear perfume or cologne, make it very mild or avoid it.

Clean, ironed and well-maintained clothes.

The clothes you choose should be impeccably clean, well ironed and free of damage (stains, tears, missing buttons).

A wrinkled or dirty garment conveys slovenliness and lack of attention to detail.

Hair and beard (Men) well-groomed and professional

Hair should be well groomed and cared for. If you wear a beard, it should be neat and clean. A scruffy appearance can detract from professionalism.

Shoes should be clean and in good condition (An important detail).

Often overlooked, but the condition of your shoes says a lot about you. Make sure they are clean, polished and in good condition (no excessive scuffs or worn heels).

Interviewers, especially those with attention to detail, will notice sloppy shoes. Paying attention to this detail demonstrates neatness.

Summary

Beyond clothing, your overall grooming is critical to projecting a professional and neat image. Hygiene is paramount: make sure your hair is clean, nails are manicured, and body odor is under control.

Your clothes should be impeccably clean, well-ironed and free of flaws such as stains or missing buttons. A wrinkled garment conveys slovenliness. Hair and beard (for men) should be neatly groomed.

Often overlooked, but the condition of your shoes says a lot about you. Make sure they are clean, polished and in good condition. Interviewers will notice sloppy shoes.