If you or someone you know is planning to interview for a new position, carefully consider the color choice of the interviewing outfit. We’ve found from a recent article in Fast Company that a brown “power suit” may make you look passive and you should never wear orange. Here’s what your color choices may be saying about you in an interview before you’ve had a chance to utter one word.
♦ NAVY: This color sends a message of being enterprising, trustworthy, honest and credible. It’s a great choice for industries like law or finance. For a creative environment, however, it could be considered too conservative. If you’re interviewing for a creative position, consider wearing…
♦ PURPLE or YELLOW: These colors send a message that you are unique. Purple sends the message of being artistic and unique. Yellow signifies optimism and creativity.
♦ GREEN is a color often associated with a sense of calm and well being, as well as wealth and prosperity. This color may put your interviewer at ease.
♦ WHITE is a reassuring color that can convey a feeling of new beginnings, impartiality and cleanliness. You’ll appear that you have attention to detail in this color choice.
♦ BLACK is a great choice if you are interviewing for a management job. It’s a strong color and is the highest on the authority scale and…
♦ GRAY sends a message of being rock solid, wise and reliable. It’s a great choice for any industry.
♦ RED is a bit much. It may send a message that you are domineering, rebellious and obstinate.
♦ Stay away from BROWN. It says that you are simple and slow to change.
♦ And, according to a CareerBuilder list, ORANGE is considered to be unprofessional. We don’t know why but 25% of the employers stated this was the worst color. Better safe than sorry!
What is your go-to color choice for an interview? Do you think color matters?
– S.O.
