Flipflopalypse – The Death of a Job Search

 Flipflopalypse [flip-flop-uh-lips]
noun
1. a prophetic revelation, especially concerning a cataclysm in which wearing any backless, usually open-toed flat shoes or slippers causes the forces of evil to permanently triumph over the forces of good.
2. any universal or widespread destruction or disaster caused by inappropriately wearing a flat, backless rubber sandal, usually secured on the foot by a thong between the first two toes.
(Syn. thongalypse)
(Ant. dresshoesuccess)

Even if the world continues beyond each prediction of the end of time, elements of our lives are subject to abrupt and traumatic termination at any point. Life is full of irreversible decisions that may have a greater impact than originally thought. Looking for employment or making the best impression in a current job is no exception to going over this precarious cliff into oblivion. Job seekers are bombarded with conflicting information from “experts” who love the sound of their own voice (or tweets) and usually have a book to sell. As if the conflict over setup and composition of a resume was not enough to deal with, everybody also has an opinion on what a candidate for employment MUST wear to an interview. They are all wrong… at least those who have only one solution. These are all intelligent people with experience in the area of interviewing and should be heard for their opinion, but they all have one thing in common: they are not you. The more enlightened of the job search advisors (that would include me, of course :-)) understand that one answer will never fit all situations. Each morsel of information is applicable somewhere, the trick is to figure out where it fits.

Begin with the basics – Comedic performers who use a musical instrument to be funny, such as the legendary Victor Borge, must first be masters of their craft in order to depart from recognized standards. Regardless of the current norms or the specific cultural environment that may be encountered, it is important to be knowledgeable on the recognized standards of dress for interviews. The old standby, which has been around for decades was called Dress for Success by John T. Molloy. Of course, fashion trends change every 37 seconds in today’s society, so searching online for his title that has been plagiarized by so many will turn up much more current information and advice. Most will point to a conservative style of dress for both women and men, e.g. solid color suit with coordinated blouse or white shirt with conservative tie. Flip flops are not considered to be conservative footwear.

Determine acceptable deviations from the norm – To summarize, forget the norms and all previously stored advice. Ask somebody! The person setting up the interview is the local expert on dress expectations in an interview. It may not be possible to learn this by observation alone. Even if the daily dress for employees is business casual, there may be the expectation that candidates appearing for an interview will be dressed in “traditional” interview attire. Yes guys, that means button your collar and learn how to tie a Windsor knot. Also keep in mind that even if there is an allowable policy of business casual attire for candidates, it is always best not to assume that casual means flamboyant. In casual dress men can use a subtle touch of color to be unique and women can accessorize with limited amounts of attractive jewelry. Even if advised that flip flops are acceptable, they really aren’t.

Decide on the importance of personal brand statements – In an information vacuum where the dress code is uncertain, most advice would be to wear traditionally prescribed conservative clothing. It is perfectly OK to choose to follow this advice or ignore it. The best advice is to always be yourself. Someone who would never be caught dead wearing a business suit should not do it if it doesn’t speak to a personally established more important standard… individuality. If this means that someone will not hire you because of that, so be it… but be aware of that situation going in the door and don’t complain afterward. It is a conscious decision every interviewee has to make and if the personal brand clashes with the company culture you probably don’t want to work there anyway. If the personal brand includes wearing flip flops daily, look for a job as a lifeguard.

In interviews as in life, outward attractiveness counts. It has been estimated that in business relationships, including interviews, as much as 50% or more of the impression that an individual makes is based on how they are dressed. This is unfortunate. While it could be argued that it is an indication of the mind and values of the candidate, it says nothing of their intelligence, work ethic or passion for the job. I have talked to managers who blatantly state that they would never hire anyone who wears a tie to an interview. My reaction is that this is just as discriminatory as only hiring blonde blue-eyed people. I have also talked to managers who would never hire anyone who wears flip flops to the interview… no, wait… that was me! Oh well.