Interview Attire
Looking professional is a good starting point for an interview. At least on first impression the employer thinks that you look like you are professional. Let’s think of your clothing as a supporting role. It may not be the thing that gets you hired, but it is important for an interview to look nice. A person that comes in for an interview with the appropriate clothing is taken serious because they look the part. Not everyone gets lucky like Chris Gardner, which you may have knowledge of from the movie “The Pursuit of Happyness”.
You do hear a lot to not judge a book by its cover, but unfortunately in the job market that does happen. People in the workplace are victims of being judged by their appearance. Especially when the job you are going after has a lot of customer contact. I don’t want to say that image is everything, but it always helps to look nice. There are times that appearance means a lot, and interviewing is one of those times.
As a potential employee you want to be taken seriously when you go in for an interview so you need to dress that way. A basic two piece suit is always a good choice. You can never go wrong with a classic. First impressions are everything. You out off the impression that you want the job when you look like you put an effort into your appearance. If you look like you took the time and put effort into your appearance people notice that and they take it into account. If someone walked in with jeans, t-shirt, tennis shoes, and a hat an employer is not going to look at them and think, “Now that’s someone with some professionalism”.
WOMEN ATTIRE
- Suit (navy, black or dark grey)
- The suit skirt should be long enough so you can sit down comfortably
- Coordinated blouse
- Conservative shoes
- Limited jewelry (no dangling earrings or arms full of bracelets)
- No jewelry is better than cheap jewelry
- Professional hairstyle
- Neutral pantyhose
- Light make-up and perfume
- Neatly manicured clean nails
- Portfolio or briefcase
MEN ATTIRE
- Suit (solid color – navy or dark grey)
- Long sleeve shirt (white or coordinated with the suit)
- Belt
- Tie
- Dark socks, conservative leather shoes
- Little or no jewelry
- Neat, professional hairstyle
- Limit the aftershave
- Neatly trimmed nails
- Portfolio or briefcase
TIPS FOR MEN AND WOMEN
- Keep it simple (don’t go overboard…you want the employer to remember you, not your clothing)
- Stick with neutrals (there aren’t many employees looking to hire Rainbow Bright)
- Look put together and clean (no lunch stains on the shirt or wrinkled clothing; look like you care)
- Tailor if necessary (make sure everything fits right)
Just remember that first impressions are extremely important. You want the employer to take you seriously as a potential employee, so you need to look as though you cared enough to look professional. A person in a suit looks much more qualified than someone in jeans and a t-shirt.
Women and men’s attire list found @ http://jobsearch.about.com/od/interviewattire/a/interviewdress.htm
