Applicant showed up wearing a denim jacket and sandals

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We did bring her back for a second interview, and she did step it up a bit in her attire. She came in a dress and had her hair a bit more polished. While she wasn't impeccable in terms of fit and fashion and she still had those sandals, had she shown up like that for the first interview her clothing probably wouldn't have even been a consideration. Ultimately, she wasn't the strongest candidate for the position overall, but she didn't do herself any favors by being so casual in the first round. Had we had a deeper pool, she probably wouldn't have gotten a second interview based on how she presented herself. First impressions matter.

That’s the most important piece. I am glad you found someone qualified.

I doubt that was really the case, they just let their prejudice about her class of dressing influence their assessment. Op knows to really recognize that will look bad so says that.

[Anonymous]

Not appropriate attire. This would lead me to think applicant might be unprofessional in other circumstances as well. Give it a pass.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bring her in for a second interview just to see if she picked up on her inappropriate dress. If she comes back dressed appropriately you are good to go.

I would do this. If you want, you can even have HR send her a copy of the dress code before the second interview.