Putting Your Best Foot Forward
Do Your Shoes Talk At The Interview Before You Do?
If clothes make the man (or woman), read on to see what experts say about your foot coverings!
Putting Your Best Foot Forward?
According to a news report - what you wear on your feet says a lot more than you know about what's in your mind and personality. Certain shoes show certain traits. This truly gives new meaning to putting your best foot forward during a job interview - literally!
A poll from Mindset Media found that those people who bought (and wore, it is assumed) "more than three pairs of sneakers a year" were more likely to be leaders and "fly from the seat of their pants". Qualities found included having ideas and the vision to see beyond the ordinary. More interesting though, is that this trait crossed all boundaries with respect to "age, income or gender".
Pay Attention To Your Footwear
Does this mean you should wear running shoes to your next interview for that CEO job? Or green polka dot high heeled footwear for that job as President of the company? Probably not. But it does mean you need to pay attention to your full outfit for your next job interview. Do your shoes match the colours you are wearing? No, this does not mean you must wear purple shoes to go with your purple dress. Wearing white loafers may not really go with a dark suit, but it certainly will get you noticed! It may not be the right attention though.
Basically, wear the shoes you'd most likely wear on the job, assuming you got it. Yes, for a construction worker , wearing construction shoes is very appropriate and important: it shows the prospective employer you already are equipped for the job. Wearing high heels to a warehouse job is probably not the best choice - as it is doubtful you'd be able to keep up to the pace required wearing those stilettos.
The Right Footwear - Clean And Neat Is Always In Style
Ensure your footwear is neat and clean - polish them as much as possible. There's nothing worse than seeing muddy or dirty shoes traipse into the boardroom. Avoid cracked footwear as well. If your shoes have laces, ensure these are properly tied. It's not the type of bow that counts, but that the laces are neat and unobstructive to walking.
And depending on the company you are hoping will hire you, wearing sneakers or unusual colours/styles could be the best foot forward to let them know you are an imaginative individual who takes chances. Just remember you aretaking a chance at the interview with those shoes.
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Copyright April 15, 2008. Paym Bergson and Suite 101. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized use of this material will constitute an infringement of copyright.
