The color of your attire is just as important as your resume, so don’t forget to include it when you’re preparing for a Zoom interview. Here’s a guide to help you choose the right outfit for each part of the process.
The Phone Interview
During this phase, you’ll probably be speaking with a recruiter or hiring manager over the phone. The best attire is something that makes you feel confident and comfortable! It’s not necessary to wear a suit or other formalwear; however, make sure your clothes are ironed and clean.
The In-Person Interview
In-person interviews are typically more formal than phone interviews because they involve meeting face-to-face with potential employers. For these occasions, it’s recommended that you wear business casual attire consisting of slacks and a button-down shirt paired with closed-toe shoes. It’s also important to be aware of any dress code requirements listed on the job description so that you don’t come off as unprofessional during this portion of the process.
Best Color To Wear On Zoom Video
What is the Best Color to Wear on Zoom? by Shelley Golden
Zoom as Art
Stand out as much of you as possible. The best way to accomplish this is to wear a different color from your background—one that is brighter, more vibrant, or just plain different. Think of everything in your Zoom box, including yourself, like a painting with a foreground, midground, and background. You are always the main focus in the foreground. Having lived in Amsterdam for 10 years, I studied the Dutch Masters and the Impressionists and approach each Zoom makeover as an artist who is creating a painting. Draw the viewers’ eyes toward your face and body using color and contrast by creating a bullseye amongst your nice, neat, non-distracting background. This is the best way for people to pay attention to you, read your non-verbal communication, and increase engagement.
Solids and Patterns
Wear a solid color that is a different color than your background. You will act as a color block in the middle third of the Zoom box on your screen to attract the attention away from what is behind you and have people focus on you. I suggest avoiding large patterns such as checks, plaids, or abstract prints so you are not just another pattern in your painting. This makes it more challenging to focus on you. Eliminate any distractions that draw the eyes elsewhere. You want all the attention on your face and torso. After all, isn’t that what you’re aiming for?
Landscapes
Many people are Zooming from home, working from whatever space is available to them: dining room, living room, bedroom, garage, or even a converted closet. Most of these spaces have assorted pieces of furniture and other elements in the background. In an abstract manner, these background elements are part of your pattern. Be aware of the colors in your background to avoid blending in and not being front and center in your Zoom frame.
What colors work best on Zoom?
“No white!” You want your face and eyes to be the first thing people notice, not your clothing. The camera focuses on the white and light areas in your Zoom box and darkens everything else to adjust for the light…so don’t wear white! Avoid off-whites, light blue, pale pink, and ivory because they often appear white on camera.
“No black!” Or…other very dark colors. Black, navy, dark grey, dark burgundy, most brown shades will appear as black. Black makes you fade or blend into the background so you appear smaller. This detracts from the ability of others to read your nonverbal communication—unless you’re sitting in front of a solid white or light background.
The best colors to wear are bold, bright solid colors that contrast to your background. They are the reds, fuchsia, blighter blues, turquoise, teal, and purples. Small to medium size patterns are OK if you sit against a plain background.
Most people don’t have a large selection of bold colors in their closets. The color palettes of clothing available in the marketplaces now tend towards muted hues and greys. This is the Zoom dilemma. What to wear to improve engagement? It’s a bit of a challenge to find and use brighter colors. Be persistent and keep your eyes open for pops of color to wear while sitting in front of a populated screen. They will pay off in the end.
What you wear on Zoom matters. Here’s why.
Color has power. It impacts our moods, emotions, and behaviors, and can be a potent source of information. Have you thought about the colors you wear and what they say about you?
January 25, 2021
Color has power. It impacts our moods, emotions, and behaviors, and can be a potent source of information. Have you thought about the colors you wear and what they say about you?
Wardrobe colors hold meaning and symbolism in the physical world. Similarly, in the virtual world, the color of your clothing can set you apart, complement your story and convey subliminal messages.
Let’s take a cue from last week’s historic inauguration, which, according to Harper’s Bazaar, marked an iconic moment in the use of fashion as commentary.
Members of the Biden and Harris families, as well as key attendees, were dressed from head to toe in bold solid hues—undoubtedly made to stand out on video screens and convey powerful messages.
Vice President Kamala Harris, Michelle Obama, and Hillary Clinton each dressed in a shade of purple, a mix of the political party colors– Republican Red and Democratic Blue, and evocative of bipartisanship and unity.
First Lady Jill Biden wore a monochromatic ensemble in ocean blue, chosen because the color signifies trust, confidence, and stability.
While the Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman’s poem, “The Hill We Climb,” was filled with references and symbols, her outfit was also packed with meaning. Gorman stepped onto the inauguration stage wearing the brightest color of the day, a sunshine yellow coat which likely signified power, light, and joy.
The inauguration outfits in vibrant colors made for stunning images on TV, computer, and smartphone screens. It was a visual feast filled with significant meaning related not only to the transfer of power and solidarity, but to peace, women’s suffrage, and equal rights.
What color should you wear on Zoom?
The lesson for everyday people engaging in back-to-back video meetings is that colors matter. What you wear for a new business presentation, a job interview, a press conference, or shareholder meeting can signal your values and world view. Color plays a large role in how you are perceived… and believed.
Some colors show up better than others on Zoom and streaming calls in general, but a rule of thumb is to wear solids versus patterns. Avoid stripes and busy floral fabrics. If you are using a greenscreen or chromakey, do not wear green. Make sure there is substantial contrast between the color of your garments and the green of the screen behind you or the virtual background will not work.
Best colors for Zoom and their common meanings
In brief, here are the best colors for Zoom and their common meanings, based on the science of color and color psychology:
- Red: Passion, power, love, anger
- Orange: Energy, happiness, vitality
- Yellow: Joy, hope, deceit
- Green: Abundance, nature, new beginnings
- Blue: Calm, responsible, sadness
- Purple: Creativity, royalty, wealth
- Black: CrMystery, elegance, evil
- Gray: Moody, conservative, formality
- White: Purity, cleanliness, virtue
- Brown: Earth, wholesomeness, dependability
- Tan or Beige: Conservative, piety, dull
- Cream or Ivory: Calm, elegance, purity
The color of what you wear can boost your spirits and make you feel energetic and zestful or have the reverse effect. Just understand that what you choose matters.
Colors also play a role in your choice of virtual backgrounds and the elements you select to curate your living set. You may want to pick colors that evoke your industry or the palette of your company’s graphic identity.
The relationship between color, marketing and branding has been determined by countless studies. According to the design website Canva, colors influence more than 85 percent of shoppers’ purchase decisions and increase brand awareness by almost as much.
In a visually supercharged medium like Zoom, color takes on added importance. Tap the power, meaning and symbolism of color. Experiment with color to animate your Zoom rectangle…and let me know what happens.
