Accessorising for success

Over the last three weeks, our company has begun conducting interviews with college students looking for an unpaid internship for the summer. Although not everyone came dressed for the interview, the trends in accessories and some major body odour mistakes make it essential to do a piece on this subject, as the problem is not limited to the US or the Caribbean.

Nothing is more distracting than a well-dressed person who made poor choices in the accessory department or has an offensive odour. Accessories can enhance an outfit, make it elegant, classy or downright gaudy, so choose wisely as you think about how to accentuate your outfit. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Jewelry

• No more than 1 earring per ear
• Keep rings to a minimum, 1-2 max
• One bracelet. Two bracelets make too much noise
• Conceal body piercings and tattoos
• Avoid oversize pieces of jewelry, large linked chains and flashy rings.
• No fancy nail designs with studs, tropical scenes, loud colors etc . Stay with a neutral color scheme
• No Bulky bags or backpacks. A simple briefcase or portfolio will do

Common Make-up Mistakes to Avoid

• Heavy foundation and often in the wrong shade
• Bright or very dark colored lipsticks
• Heavy black outlined lips
• Too much blush, and extra dark eyebrows.

Fragrances

• Use no fragrance at all
• Do use deodorant, and light scented body lotion should be fine. Many people are allergic to strong fragrances.

Hairstyles for Women

• Stay with natural human hair colors, soft highlights. Avoid drastic hair colors
• Overly trendy hairstyles that are designed to be attention grabbers should be kept for the weekend
• Braided extensions should be clean and neat at all times.

Hairstyles for Men

• Braided and the no-comb hairstyles are unacceptable in the traditional workforce.
• Low-cuts are preferred.
• Dreads are becoming more acceptabl,e but only if clean and well kept. Please, no matted clumps of dirty, stringy hair.

Karen Hinds President/CEO –
Workplace Success Group,
Toll Free: 1-877-902-2775;
Tel: 1-203-757-4103
A CT Winner of the Make Mine a Million Dollar Business award!
Karen@WorkplaceSuccess.com