Taya Reed walked into her interview wearing an all-white ensemble – a long maxi skirt, ballet flats and a white vest. 'Girly and summery,' she says, describing the deliberate choice. The 23-year-old London-based science graduate was applying for a marketing job at a womenswear brand and knew first impressions mattered. 'I find outfits can be a good conversation starter,' she explains. 'I wanted to show I fit in with the company's culture.' It worked. Reed got the job last month.
But substance alone may not be enough. With youth unemployment stubbornly high on both sides of the Atlantic, young adults are looking for any edge. A 2020 UK study found that 51% of employers admitted turning down a candidate because of the way they looked. Managers said they were influenced by scruffy clothes or poorly dyed hair.
“Two graduates share how clothing helped them land jobs, as 51% of employers reject candidates over appearance.”
Min-Hsuan Tu, a human resources professor at the University of Buffalo, warns that job interviews can be unfair from the moment a candidate walks in. In a 2021 paper, she found that good-looking people get hired more often because attractiveness is associated with positive traits such as trustworthiness and intelligence. 'Studies show that attractive people tend to have better communication skills and networks. They also have a higher sense of power,' Tu says. But she adds that physical attractiveness is not limited to face or body shape – clothing and make-up play a big part.
Matt Cohen knows the struggle. The 31-year-old American moved to London two years ago and spent almost a year looking for work after completing a master's degree in marketing. He sent out more than 100 cover letters. 'I aimed for a confident demeanour in interviews,' he says. This month, he finally landed his first post-graduation job – an entry-level executive role at a media company. Reed and Cohen both understood that how you dress can be as important as what you say.