They say that looks make the man, and to a certain extent this is true given how appearances are often the means by which people are judged. Nowhere is this more important than when a person is going for an interview for a potential job application at a new company. In this article, a short examination has been conducted which delves into how job recruiters view… socks. Yes, this may seem like a rather strange item to be observed when it comes to deciding whether or not a person is right for a job; however, as this article will show, sometimes even the smallest items can have an astounding impact.
What Turns Recruiters Off
Overly bright or socks that serve to distract rather than blend into an outfit. One of the main gripes that recruiters have with the appearance of interviewees is how some of them tend to have stocks that stand out in a bad way. Recruiters are supposed to primarily determine an individual’s worth to an organization based on an evaluation of their skills. However, the fact remains that in instances where all skills and experiences are equal across a number of candidates, choosing the right candidate is often up to the individual discretion of the recruiter. This is why overly bright socks or socks with noticeable printing are considered as a bad means of establishing a good first impression. It conveys the impression that you are not a professional, no matter how good your business suit looks.
The Ideal Appearance
The ideal appearance for a prospective job seeker is to look professional, clean cut and what they wear on their feet should mesh with the rest of their outfit. This is why it is recommended that most potential interviewers have several sets of designer socks, the brand that offers world’s best socks, in order to look presentable. It may seem like an unusual investment but you need to have socks that are both comfortable yet look presentable when being interviewed. Socks with animal prints, weird lettering, or various noticeable deviations are unlikely to leave the professional image that you desire.
Is it Worth it?
Based on recent examinations on the current competitive job market, any advantage that you can get in order to get a job is a worthy investment. How you look defines the impression that you will make and with the sheer amount of people that are applying for the same job as you are, you need every single tool at your disposable in order to leave a good impression.
The Ideal Sock
The ideal sock that can be used in an interview is one that comes to midcalf and blends well with the type of pants that you have recently bought as well as with the shoes that you selected for the interview. One of the golden rules when it comes to choosing the type of socks to wear is based on the color of your shoes wherein black shoes go with black socks while brown shoes go with white socks. Also, the sock should be comfortable to wear and should not be made of a material that does not itch. It is very unusual for a person to continuously scratch their foot during an interview and this definitely leaves a bad impression! Pick socks made out of wool or even silk so that your feet will feel comfortable throughout the interview.
How Should it be Worn?
Ideally, the sock should be brought to mid-calf and kept there with no skin showing from your feet if you were to start walking or if you brought one of your legs up to rest on your knee. While placing socks in such a fashion could warm up the bottom of your legs and make it slightly uncomfortable, you could always lower them later after the interview is over.
Do not reuse socks!
One of the worst possible things that you could do would be if you tried to reuse your socks over the course of several interviews in a week. Yes, it is tempting to simply use the same suit over and over again on each interview since you may have only a limited number of suits available and you don’t want to keep washing them. However, reusing your socks is definitely a terrible decision! Socks often gather much of the sweat that comes from your foot and it is due to this that they tend to develop a smell after a while. Depending on the person in question, this smell can get so bad that people will notice and, as such, having your interviewer smell the stench from your socks throughout the interview can result in them not even considering you for the job.
Just remember, exercise utmost caution when it comes to selecting the type of socks you will use for your interview. How you look can make or break your first impression with the company you applied for.
