Rant: Perfume in an interview

[GourmandHomme]

This is not your usual "what perfume should I wear to this job/interview" thread. This comes from the other side, as I was one of the interviewers for a recent job interview.

Moral of the story: Lay off the nasty fruity-florals. Of all people, I'd be the last to complain about an interview candidate wearing perfume. Hell even the receptionist chick remarked on it. For a recent one that I had, she wore too much of a nasty fruity-floral that is so awful, if I were the manager of the area, that family of perfumes would be banned in my section. That, and aquatics/aromatic fougeres for the guys (I'm looking at you, Cool Water). :P

OK, rant over. Thanks for listening.

[BayKAT]

You should have given her the feedback.
She's losing jobs because of it (I"m assuming she is young and inexperienced at interviewing)

hmm. tough one. My SO just interviewed a guy yesterday who brought in a similar turn off. he was ugly. My SO was so distracted by his chicken neck, squashed face and receding hairline that he couldn't focus on the responses to his questions.

My guess is you were distracted by the bad choice of perfume. Perhaps a comment like, "Is that Britney Spear's latest, or did I step in something on my way back from lunch?"

[sarıpatates]

run of the mill aquatics and fougeres are usually boring at worst.
but those sugary frooty synthetic stuff are nasty to me even when they are good.

[PaulSC]

...

[GourmandHomme]

You should have given her the feedback.
She's losing jobs because of it (I"m assuming she is young and inexperienced at interviewing)

40-something and a former manager at another company; so by that count you think she should know better. Or at least have better taste in perfume than a cheap nasty fruity-floral fit for a teenager.

[actiasluna]

She probably thought that a) it made her "seem" younger... or b) it was office-safe. Or she had less than fresh smelling interview clothes and she grabbed her teenage daughter's 'fume on the way out the door in an attempt to cover up.

(or she just doesn't appreciate or understand the effects of perfume like THE REST OF US here do. )

Please don't take my comments seriously, I just see the sadly comedic potential of a situation like this one.

[Klute]

Yup, I hate those cloying fruity-florals, too! I am often really annoyed when I take the subway here in Berlin, especially now in this scorching hot weather, and somebody has bathed in a cheap fruity-floral or a really heavy gourmand. I guess there are different opinions about this, but I personally feel that fragrance choice should at least remotely be influenced by temperature. Otherwise you can quickly become a real pain in the *** for everyone around you...

[Guest 3]

If it were me, I'd be curious to know exactly which one it was!

[Primrose]

She probably thought that a) it made her "seem" younger... or b) it was office-safe. Or she had less than fresh smelling interview clothes and she grabbed her teenage daughter's 'fume on the way out the door in an attempt to cover up.

(or she just doesn't appreciate or understand the effects of perfume like THE REST OF US here do. )

Please don't take my comments seriously, I just see the sadly comedic potential of a situation like this one.

Better to wear one's teenaged daughter's trashy fruity-floral than her clothes. I worked with a woman who dressed in clothing for a teenager. Not that I, of all people, try to deter anyone from clothing as personal expression, but the clothes were sadly too small for her...by the buttons that looked ready to pop off!

[Diamondflame]

I wonder if the interview had gone any better had she worn, judiciously I might add, one of your absolute favorites...

[Lian]

I think some studies showed that women wearing a more masculine perfume are considered to be more competent in their job, so for an interview I'd wear more masculine scents.

Quick google showed this
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/j...TRY=1&SRETRY=0

[Therese]

I interview people all the time. And I am humbled by my position. Really, to be so judgmental (and may I add snarky) seems so shortsighted and downright mean.

May I add: Welcome to the 21st century. Women are no longer "receptionist chicks."

[Klute]

I think some studies showed that women wearing a more masculine perfume are considered to be more competent in their job, so for an interview I'd wear more masculine scents.

Quick google showed this
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/j...TRY=1&SRETRY=0

VERY interesting!

[kumquat]

It's sad but true. The sweet, loud scents are too obnoxious for most people. Plus they make you seem as if you are trying too hard to seem young. That is always a mistake. It only ages you. Like a comb-over or a toupee.

[actiasluna]

I interview people all the time. And I am humbled by my position. Really, to be so judgmental (and may I add snarky) seems so shortsighted and downright mean.

May I add: Welcome to the 21st century. Women are no longer "receptionist chicks."

Therese, you definitely have a point! I wasn't looking at the OP's post as snarky until you pointed it out.

Unfortunately, interviewing people is a talent and a skill that requires discernment and is a "judging" no matter what else you call it... and unfortunately our preconceptions regarding how someone should appear or how they should smell can make the difference.

That unfortunate fact is what the candidate probably should have taken into consideration before making the perfume choice she did. (but definitely, if she is qualified, it's not enough as far as I'm concerned to disqualify her.) ... and yeah, "receptionist chick" is kind of a dodgy characterization by the OP...and his words "even the receptionist chick" also implies a lower "caste" if you will. Perhaps the OP can use this feedback to adjust his own perceptions!

[Nostalgie]

It is possible to over-apply perfume by mistake and not realize it until it's too late....

[coopmom]

Since a.) scent is so subjective, and b.) the interviewee usually doesn't know the interviewer (or his/her olfactory preferences) from Adam, I personally think it would be unfair to judge someone's ability to do the job, or to fit into the workplace, solely on the choice of fragrance. I too have conducted many interviews over the course of my career, and the only thing in a candidate that totally puts me off is arrogance. Poor clothing or hygiene (or scent) choices can be gently corrected if they offend others in the workplace, but a crappy attitude is very difficult to overcome. Just my opinion....

And OP, I'm not referring to you or any of the others who replied. I'm sure you're all very nice people with very good attitudes.

[coopmom]

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[musse]

GourmandHomme - as I see it, your post just tells us that you hate certain types of fragrances...so, what´s the point of posting this here, really??

[Klaire]

My advise, treat Interviews like dentist appts, go easy on the frags. I want to make the impression, not my scent.

[Perfume_Addict]

You could fill in the blank on GourmandHomme's comments with any category of fragrance -- no matter the scent, there's a chance someone will dislike it (or dislike it on you). The moral of the story, if you're going to be in a situation where people you don't know will be judging you, apply whatever scent you feel you must wear VERY lightly.

[bookwyrmsmith]

My advise, treat Interviews like dentist appts, go easy on the frags. I want to make the impression, not my scent.

I agree.

[bookwyrmsmith]

You could fill in the blank on GourmandHomme's comments with any category of fragrance -- no matter the scent, there's a chance someone will dislike it (or dislike it on you). The moral of the story, if you're going to be in a situation where people you don't know will be judging you, apply whatever scent you feel you must wear VERY lightly.

I agree with this too. Also you often don't always know the room's conditions where the interview will be held -large open room or small office the size of a closet or elevator or whether the room will be warm or cool .All of these could have some impact on your fragrance's impression to the interviewer.

[Pimpinett]

May I add: Welcome to the 21st century. Women are no longer "receptionist chicks."

This. "Even the receptionist chick" is a perfumista sometimes.