Why I Don’t Wear White Collared Shirts

“The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice, it’s conformity”. Earl Nightingale

Everyone tells you that you need to wear a white collared shirt and a suit to an interview or formal event. I personally have never owned a white collared shirt (except for my brief, 2 week stint at Shaws…), and I don’t plan on it either.

So why don’t I own one? The answer is simple: I am not like everyone else; I’m a unique individual. It follows from the age old saying your parents have said time and time again “if everyone was jumping off of the Brooklyn Bridge would you jump too?” So why wear a white collared shirt to an interview? Instead, I wear a colored collared shirt to an interview.

Not exactly my style but to each his own.

Imagine yourself being as an interviewer, interviewing hundreds of kids with similar qualifications for an entry-level job. The interviewer is going to be looking for someone who manages to stick out from the crowd because, on paper, everyone looks pretty much the same. Dressing differently, but still professionally, is the first and easiest way to stand out.

Challenge the status quo and make a name for yourself for being who you want to be, not for being what everyone else wants you to be. No one remembers people who don’t make an effort to stick out.

Let me put it this way: think about any party you have ever been at. Other than your friends, who do you remember? Odds are you remember the person who made a really funny joke, or the live band, or the person who looked like a fool because he or she was too drunk. Even though over-drinking is a negative way to be remembered, it is a testament to being unique and sticking out. Being remembered means you’re recognizable, and being recognizable in this day and age might just be the deciding factor in landing your dream job!