Inspired by the our Annual Professional Presentation Week (February 12 – February 16, 2024), the CSE Team has created a blog series to highlight important topics related to the various aspects of professional presentation. These will be published throughout the month of February (because one week just isn’t enough!), so stay tuned for more awesome Professional Presentation Content.

In this blog post, Marcia Katz, Director, Career Development and Alumni Engagement, tackles the sometimes awkward, but always important topic of paying attention to your personal body odor when preparing for interviews and a day in the office.

About Professional Presentation Week: Featuring several events and challenges related to various aspects of professional presentation, including: Professional Attire, Body Language, Interview Preparation, Online Presence, Networking Tips, The Video Interview, Small Talk Challenge, Personal Branding, and more!

Attention to Scents makes Career Sense

You have probably read and discussed proper appearance for interviews and career events. But did you know that how you smell could be as important as presenting in the proper attire?

SHRM, (Society for Human Resource Management) says:  A dress code “typically requests that employees and candidates exercise good judgment regarding their appearance and hygiene… Additional language may express the employer’s expectation that employees will use deodorant or antiperspirant to minimize body odor. But these policies should also ask employees to refrain from wearing fragrances that might offend or affect those with allergies…”. 

Strong Body Odor Can Be Distracting

This topic can be embarrassing, or sound petty or mean, and don’t over react; but when body odor is strong, it can be very distracting. It can also be misleading. Say, for example, an employer really liked you, but your bad breath or body odor was off putting. You might blame your not getting the job on something else completely. This is just one reason to think about this issue and address it as soon as possible if you have any concerns. 

So Can Strong Perfume or Cologne

In my experience, I once had a part time job for a “head hunter”. In going through candidate files one day, I saw his notes on his interview with me. He wrote that my perfume was overwhelming and he could hardly breathe…or some such thing. 

I guess it didn’t kill my opportunity, but it taught me something. Perfume and aftershave are fine to use, but make sure you don’t overdo it. It is always better to err on less rather than more. 

And by the way, I can’t believe I ever overused perfume, but in this situation, I was not the decider of that. It also made me aware of the fact that some people are allergic to perfumes and other such scents and are very uncomfortable in the presence of those who over-apply them.

The Importance of Clean Clothes – for both appearance and smell

You need to be sure your interview clothes are clean, both to put forth a polished appearance and to ensure odors, such as body odor or perfume odor, aren’t too strong. Sometimes smells can linger from your previous wear. For example, If it’s a dress suit you are wearing to the event/interview, make sure that it is dry cleaned since you last wore it. 

Although this can be an embarrassing topic, I learned to address it directly and respectfully. When I first took this on, I was a bit nervous in bringing up the topic to a very good student whom I liked very much. She couldn’t thank me enough for talking with her about this.  She had no idea! 

Cross-Cultural Differences in Odor Expectations

Another experience I would like to relate is that over the years my colleagues and I have talked about the differences in cultures with regard to odor.

You may encounter cross-cultural differences in your job search, including views on smells. This is okay, but just keep it in mind and know your audience when you go into an interview or start working in a new environment.

I hope you will consider odor as you prepare for interviews and career search events. I am available to discuss this with you openly or discreetly. It is an important and interesting topic after all!