What are the best and worst colours to wear to a job interview?

Angela Goh

09 May 2017

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Black – leadership
While too much black can come across as severe and even unapproachable, wearing the colour correctly can effectively communicate a serious personality that is widely valued in a professional setting.
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Blue – confidence
Blue exudes confidence and trust, making the colour one of the best to be worn to a job interview. Studies have actually shown that a navy blue suit can actually be the tipping point for you landing the job than if you were to wear a suit of a different colour.
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Grey – analytical
The colour grey is actually one that signals your desire for independence. It is a colour that screams ‘lone-wolf’, which is not necessarily a bad thing as long as you can show that you are confident in yourself. It may say to others that you are a self-sufficient individual who is very much cable of handling things on your own.
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White – organised
White and light colours like beige can exude an aura of being “organised”, especially in a work setting where people usually wear darker colours. To hiring managers, it is a colour that isn’t easily pulled off in a chaotic environment, so if you can confidently wear white with the air of assurance that you won’t get your clothes stained, you are most likely organised indeed.
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Red – power
The classic colour of sensuality and power, red is a hue that can come across as strong and attention-grabbing, which makes it the best colour to deck yourself with when you are trying to persuade, impress, or make an impact. Red is also linked to positive traits such as courage and passion.
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Orange, yellow, bright green, purple – creative
Louder colors such as these convey that you are more of a fun-seeker and that you would like to attract attention. While not necessarily bad things, these qualities don't quite evoke feelings of commitment or trust, which shouldn’t be what you want to communicate in a job interview. Save these colours for when you’ve managed to nab the job and would like to spruce up your work wardrobe.

You may want to think twice before wearing that cheerful yellow dress to the interview.

It goes without saying that what you choose to wear to your interview will form an impression and communicate who you are as a person to the people around you. With this in mind, have you ever thought about the colour you should be wearing to your important interview to drive home the message that you are serious about landing the job?

A survey done by CareerBuilder that took into account the opinions of 2,099 hiring managers and HR professionals has revealed that the colours black and blue are the best colours to wear to a job interview, and that the worst colour is orange.

The reason is that colours such as black, blue, and even grey and brown give off a conservative vibe, which means that they are safe colours to pick when meeting someone for the first time. Colours that are too bright, like orange, signal a certain “loudness” and “creativity”, which might not be best qualities to aim for when you need to prove yourself in a professional setting.

Head up to the gallery to find out what hiring professionals think of the colours you should and shouldn’t wear to your job interview.

Angela Goh

Photos: Getty Images

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