Wearing This Color in an Interview Can Ruin Your Chances of Getting the Job, According to New Study

We all know first impressions mean everything on the job search. But who knew that "dressing for success" meant leaving out certain colors of the rainbow?

According to a recent CareerBuilder survey of 2,099 hiring managers and human resources professionals, blue and black are the best colors to wear to a job interview. Those surveyed said wearing black communicated a certain leadership potential and sophistication, while they said blue communicated someone is a team player. That makes sense because all shades of blue are often conflated with trust and confidence, making it an easy color to wear in the workplace. 

But not all colors in the survey received, well, flying colors. In fact, you should probably leave your orange blouses behind. The bright color was rated the worst by those surveyed and was said to communicate creativity but also a few negative traits. The individuals surveyed believed orange could communicate someone was attention-seeking, untrustworthy and lacked commitment. 

This mental picture doesn't only make orange a risky choice for interviews, but for external meetings and performance reviews, also. It seems safest to save your orange outfits for happy hour or the next time you're working on a creative project. 

Then again, if orange makes you feel powerful, here's a friendly reminder: Confidence is the most important thing you can bring to any interview or negotiation.