The Phantom of the Interview
Just be yourself right? Well maybe not. Today @NancyD68 asked the Twitterverse: “What nail polish would be best w/ a navy blouse & skirt for a job interview tomorrow?”
“Nude or pale pink” one person answered.
“Red #Power” I said. Well to be fair, you’re reading the words of someone who wore red nail polish on her wedding day. Why? Because I like it. Is it bridal? No. Do I care about conventional rules? Not really. So that leaves: is red nail polish (or any out-there color) appropriate for the workplace or a much scarier prospect- the job interview.
My feeling is if you’re not going to get hired because you wore red nail polish, I bet you wouldn’t want to work there anyway. But the bigger question is should you squash yourself into the mold you think the interviewer/company will best relate to?
To me if you pretend to be someone on an interview and then turn into your “real” self once you get your phone extension, the joke will eventually be on you. But do you need to shock and awe the person interviewing you? Nah probably not the best strategy. I think it’s important to show the best possible version of YOU. Not the best possible version of someone ELSE.
As someone who hires, I want the cover to tell me something about the book. Publishers feel the same way right? I don’t want to be tricked. I want to know what I’m buying.
What do you think? Tweet me @dkny.
