How do you avoid common grooming mistakes that can ruin your impression?

I always ask my clients what my candidates should wear. There are some law firms and companies that still want candidates to wear suits, even for video interviews. If I am told that "business casual" is fine, I make sure to find how what that actually means. For some, it's a button down shirt and nice pants. For others, it's a jacket and tie. If you are a man and you're wearing a suit, always wear a tie. If business casual is fine for the initial interview, I always ask my clients if they want my candidates to wear suits for callbacks.

Wear something that won’t pull for your attention later. Your outfit feels so good and you’re confident about how you look in it, so now you can forget about it and put all your attention elsewhere, and particularly on the interviewer and the people you meet. This way you don’t have to have any attention on fussing with some part of your outfit throughout the day, or feeling uncomfortable after lunch. You can then forget about you and be all about them.

Don't wear fragrance at all. I once had a candidate whose cologne was so pungent that it gave me a headache. I couldn't wait to leave the meeting. After that, I told all of my candidates to stop wearing fragrance to their interviews. I stopped wearing perfume too.

Tattoos have nothing to do with hygiene. While it may help an individual get a job to cover such personal expressions, it likely does a disservice to the collective, reinforcing a stereotype of deviancy thrust upon those who have chosen this path of self expression

I absolutely agree with not wearing perfumes or colognes at the office or to an interview. Those can be saved for personal events but should not be worn at work.

A good rule of thumb - after you have added all of your accessories, remove something. It is better to lean conservative in your dress and accessories. If you are wearing a necklace, go without earrings. If you have chosen a nice set of earrings, go without a necklace and pair with a slight bracelet. Avoid any bracelets at all if they make noise as they bang together or will be in the way as you take a computer or typing test. Your nails should be a professional color and not too long. Avoid anything you would wear out to a party or a club, instead select office attire. First impressions are important and the way a person presents him or herself can sometimes outweigh their experience, especially in a client facing role.

Make sure that your heels on your aren't worn down. Good shoes can elevate an outfit. Battered shoes can ruin an outfit. Subtlety is key. Don't carry a purse or messenger bag/back pack with big logos on it.

If you have pets, make sure that you don't have any fur on your clothes. I once met with a candidate who had cat hair all over his suit. When I asked if he had a cat, he wondered how I knew. I replied, "because you have fur all over your clothes." Not a good look. Also, if your interviewer is allergic to animals, it's likely that your interviewer will feel allergic to you and you won't get hired.

Arrive at your interview a few minutes early and go into the restroom for a last minute inspection. That way, you don't need to have a mirror. A mini bottle of mouthwash is always good if you're interviewing right after lunch. You should bring several copies of your resume in case you meet with additional people. I disagree about bringing a pen and notebook into the interview. You should not be taking notes during your interview. You should be focused on listening to, and engaging with, your interviewer. Taking notes is distracting. You are not attending a lecture.You can always jot something down after the interview.

If you have long hair, pull it back. Having hair in your face makes it look like you're hiding. An interview is your moment to shine. Put on a smile before you walk into the room. That way, you will appear joyful to be meeting your interviewer.

If you’re scheduled for a video interview, consider the following: Lighting - make sure your room and face is well lit - avoid top-down only lighting as it will cause harsh shadows Sound - make sure you’re in a quiet room - make sure you don’t have a loud echo (soft things in your room help) Angle - either have your camera at eye level or slightly above. If your cam is really low (looking up) or really high (looking down) it’s not ideal Background - Use a virtual background or ensure you have a clean and non distracting background on video. A little personality is okay, but keep it classy Interruptions - they happen, it’s ok. If your dog wants attention or your kids walk in, it’s ok, you’re human and interviewers usually like it