Lindsay Olson

Dress to fail for men

Cartoon by Dave Walker

Jason Alba's The Tuxedo movies

• Ladder 49 dvd

blog post, Top 10 Things a Guy Can Do To Dress For Failure District 13 buy , made me realize how very little I understand about men's wardrobe. It's pretty complex. This is why even my husband won't get clothing as a gift from me.

Here are Jason's tips on things a guy can do to dress for failure (see his post for the extra humorous commentary).

1. Wear white socks with your suit pants.
2. Wear Dickies pants.
3. Don′t align your Gig-line.
4. Tie your tie so the wider, front part is HIGHER than the narrower, back part.
5. Wear your pants too high or too low.
6. Wear a short-sleeved shirt with a suit jacket.
7. Wear a brown belt with black shoes.
8. Walk into the room with the back of your shirt untucked.
9. Don′t wear a full undershirt.

What would you add?

Link: Top 10 Things a Guy Can Do To Dress For Failure

Weekly column: Interview blunders and wacky resumes

After a long debate and some great feedback Kill Kill Faster Faster move from my Twitter community, I'm going to do it. I will be posting a weekly column (every Thursday) showcasing the worst (or the most bizarre) mistakes by job seekers and hiring companies.

People aren't perfect. We all make mistakes and hopefully we can learn from them and move on. I have a close friend in recruiting who always tells me she can't believe what she wore to her first interviews. When she told me, I was in tears laughing (she's a friend so I can laugh at her!). I don't think it dawned on her until she became a recruiter why she never got that job!

I've seen lots of mistakes made by interviewers and hiring companies. I've even made my fair share as well. The phrase most used in the recruiting business is probably, "You're joking, right?"

Does that mean that if someone makes a huge mistake in the interviewing process he's a terrible candidate? Absolutely not. But we can all learn from these mistakes and improve for the next time.

I've been warned by a few that this column is a bad idea because if I could give examples on a weekly basis it would be a testimony to potential clients about my candidate pool, but I don't necessarily agree.

First, this column will be a compilation of experiences that have happened over the past 10 years and counting. These aren't only my examples but also those of other recruiters in my office. It doesn't matter how good of a recruiter you are, it is impossible for things to go right with every single person. This is a human business. I can't control what someone is going to say or do - ever. I can only control the information I give to help prepare. It's up to the person to listen and act appropriately.

Second, the guilty party may have never been presented for a position. Many times it all comes out in the screening process (I don't just send in a resume and let the client do all the work!). And those who were presented and end up getting the interview know what ended up happening because I told them. If I get negative interview feedback or someone really screws ups, I prefer to tell him in the most constructive way possible, no matter how difficult it may be to hear.

I do promise a few things for this column:

• Anonymity to everyone involved. I will not post names or companies and I will not disclose any information that may reveal the identity of those involved.
• I'll always highlight the lessons to be learned, even if they seem obvious.
• I'll balance the good with the bad and showcase successes.

I would love to hear your comments and anything else you think I should consider.

Video by: Denham Resources

Learning from other's mistakes

Photo by: Ktpupp

I'm a recruiter. I talk to a lot of people everyday about their jobs, about what they looking for, how to get their next job and present their best during the interview process. I guide each candidate every step of the way, beginning with the interview process, leading to the offer stage, and (hopefully) ending with the acceptance. As you might imagine, with over 10 years in the business, I have some good stories. I work with very intelligent, professional candidates, but it is inevitable mistakes will happen. People make big mistakes. Mistakes that, well, make you glad they didn't happen to you.

Much of my week is spent prepping candidates and giving them the information they need to do their best during their interviews. I even prep the people I don't feel need a prep or people who I wonder might feel like I am insulting their intelligence. You would think PR folks should be pros at selling themselves given their profession. The truth is they are just like everyone else, and frankly, most people have a hard time finding a way to "tell their story" without underselling and or overselling themselves.

Here are 5 tips - each a product of real life true stories.

1. Make sure you know the company's name when you write your follow-up thank you letter after the interview. The same goes for the interviewer's name. "Weber Edelman" isn't a company. Lesson: Attention to detail. Future employers need to see that a future hire pays attention to detail and truly wants to work for their company, not just any company.

2. Show up to the interview on time. Not the day before or after. It won't matter that you showed up at the same time on a different day. What matters is that you got it so wrong! Lesson

• Daddy Day Care video

: The interview is the first impression. Showing up late/too early is a predictor of possible future issues. It also shows very little respect for the other person's time. (This goes for interviewers showing up late with candidates as well, but more on that in future post).

3. Don't suck up.

People generally hate that. Especially the hiring manager or the CEO of the company. Telling the hiring manager you will get along because you have the same fashion sense doesn't score points. Lesson: Don't be overly familiar with the interviewers. An interview is nothing more than just that. You don't have the job until you sign on the dotted line AND start your first day of work.

4. Dress the part. You can be goth at night or wear your "fun" clothes to the club. And hygiene - women, if you wash your hair every few days normally, that's fine, but wash it before the interview. Clean your fingernails too (use clear or no polish). Go easy on the makeup and the jewelry. Lesson It's Pat ipod : A decision to move forward or not with a candidate is usually made during the first few minutes of an interview. Don't give the interviewer a reason to be distracted by appearance. You are being judged on how well you would represent within the company and the image of the company to the outside.

5. Be available during business hours for an interview. Yes, 9:00 pm is too late for the interview and let's not even think about asking for the weekend. Interviewing while having a job is difficult, but it is a necessary evil. Asking an interviewer to be available outside of normal business hours will translate as being disrespectful of the process and the interviewer's personal life (let me just add the "interviewer" includes your recruiter). Lesson: Be prepared to figure out a way to make the interview happen. Standard times are between 8-5:30pm.