I have been conducting video interviews for almost a decade now. Early on in my video career, I did what a lot of people do, and I wore a blazer and my pajama pants. Except in the middle of the interview, I realized that my file with my resumes was on top of the filing cabinet next to my desk. I stood up to grab the file, and the candidate said, “Nice pajama bottoms!”
My p.j. pants had crushed beer cans on them.
Needless to say, I have NEVER done that again!
These days, I am not the only one who has hidden their favorite jammies underneath the desk. According to this article, pants sales have plummeted since the beginning of the pandemic, but pajama sales have skyrocketed by 143%!! And slippers are having their moment too, according to this article.
Take it from me: while those pj bottoms might be really comfortable, it is really easy to get TOO comfortable. If you want to present yourself in a highly professional way, you must put on real clothes. The phrase “dress for success” is said for a reason.
So, make sure that you buy (and wear!) real pants when you are on a video call.
You can, however, wear your fuzzy bunny slippers on your feet. I may or may not be wearing mine as I write this.