Job Seeker Blog - Spark Hire

Spark a Conversation: Video Interviews and Colors

Here at Spark Hire, we want to help candidates find their dream jobs using the power of online video. We get a lot of questions from readers about how to use online video in their search for a great job. These posts will address those questions about how to find success in your job search.

Question: What colors should I avoid wearing in my video interview? -Aaron from Santa Monica

That’s a really great question, Aaron. Many job seekers may not even think about this when they are participating in video interviews so it’s a great topic for discussion. The fact of the matter is, some colors and patterns look different on screen than they do in person. You want to be careful with what you choose to wear because if it is distracting to the employer or hiring manager it will take the attention off of you. Plus, you want your interview attire to leave a good impression on the interviewer and to have it subconsciously say positive things about you.

For starters, let’s go over the colors that you should wear in your video interview. Green, blue, brown and black are all great colors for a video interview. As you can see, none of them are bright colors and are more on the darker side. Darker colors work better with video because they are easier on the eye. Also, do we have to mention that green is the color of money? Many people associate the color green with money, so wearing this color could work to your advantage in your video interview.

The colors you should not wear include red, yellow, orange and any other bright colors- particularly primary colors. Quite the opposite from the colors you should wear, these colors are all light and pretty bright. On a webcam these colors show up much brighter than they do in person. In a video interview, your bright colored shirt could turn up even brighter and could greatly distract the interviewer. You want to avoid anything that takes the attention away from you and what you are saying.

You should also try to stay away from loud patterns. These can show up drastically different on video and can really hurt the other person’s eye. You definitely don’t want your attire to overpower your own presence in your video interview, so be sure to stay away from these as well. The best thing you can do is test your attire out first if you want to wear something that is not neutral. Ask your friend to sign onto a web chat with you so you can ask them how your attire looks. Is it distracting? Does it look normal? If it doesn’t, consider wearing something else.

Do you have a question you need answered? Spark a conversation with the Spark Hire team by submitting your question to [email protected] or in the comments below.

Spark Hire Team

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