A Link Between Fashion Trends and Resume Trends?
Why Fashion Trends are Similar to Resume Writing Trends.
There’s no denying the importance of proper grooming and a great looking power suit during an interview; they go hand in hand. But are there similarities between fashion trends and resume writing trends? You might be surprised 
to learn most career coaches say, “Absolutely!” It’s all about confidence in both your appearance and what your resume tells a potential employer about the well dressed candidate in front of him. And guess what? There are trends in proper resume etiquette, too.
Strange as it may sound, there are psychological reasons in linking fashion and our careers. It all comes back to our need to present the image of an organized, efficient and likeable candidate. After all, we don’t spend two hours meticulously applying make up or shining our shoes unless there’s good reason. Those reasons, generally speaking, are our wedding day and interview day – and don’t let the irony get lost in that declaration.
So what do resumes and fashion have in common? Consider these parallels:
- Just as you want reassurances from the neighborhood dry cleaner that your lucky suit will be ready for the big interview, you go through the same process with your resume writing. You want reassurances from others that it’s error-free, well organized and contains everything it should.
- A crisp linen suit in good taste is to modern day as the polyester suit was in the 1970s. Same theory applies to your resume – today’s resumes are focused, streamlined and don’t contain information such as a social security number or even the high school you graduated from. Not too many years ago, that was standard on the professional resume – along with our fraternities and sororities.
- Less is more – Today’s contemporary resume is generally a single page that contains everything an employer will want to know; there are those instances, however, that two pages are acceptable. Again, the proper dress etiquette for interview day is a nice suit that fits well, isn’t bulky and presents a uniform and well dressed candidate. Less jewelry and please – less cologne. A survey some years ago revealed many interviewers confessing to redlining a perfectly suitable candidate because his or her cologne overwhelmed him during the interview.
It really is all about the attention to detail. Leave the flash for the weekend; for that Monday morning interview, both you and your professional resume should be consistent and conservative.
