What to Wear to a Job Interview

What You Wear can Make or Break Your Chance at Your Ideal Career

May 24, 2009

The first impression you make at a job interview is vital. Impressions are made within the first seven seconds of meeting someone, so the image you put forward is crucial

It makes sense to dress to impress when going for a job interview. Regardless of how loose the dress code is at the corporation, dressing conservatively and elegantly is a sure fire step above those who dress to match the aforementioned dress code.

Do Your Homework.

You wouldn’t go into an exam unprepared (unless you are in high school), so why would you go into a test without first doing some research? Phone the Human Resources Department of the corporation to find out about the job. Do not be afraid of asking the wrong, or a stupid, question. Ask about the dress code and the standard of dress expected of all employees. Speak to the person who contacted you about the position or who asked you to come in for the interview.

No-Fail Outfits

A great rule of thumb to follow is to be overdressed for the interview, rather than underdressed.

All in the Details

Your shoes should be a dark colour; black pumps with a one- to two-inch heel are suitable and easy to match with a suit or dress. Keep them polished and scuff-free, and have the heels resoled if need be.

Hose and stockings are becoming a grey area when it comes to wearing them or not. Unless it is the height of summer, wear a dark hose to match your shoes.

Jewellery is great for adding a little bit of you into the outfit. Just make sure your jewellery does not jangle when you move and it co-ordinates with your outfit.

Your bag or briefcase need to co-ordinate with your outfit, but not necessarily match.

Pulling the Look Together

To pull the whole look together, try to match the hardware on your shoes and bag to your jewellery and buttons. If you have a silver buckle on your shoes and a silver zip or clasp on your bag, wear silver ear-rings or a silver slide in your hair. Unless it is a feature of the piece of jewellery, avoid mixing metals. It looks unco-ordinated and cheap.

Your hair and makeup need to be neat. Brush your hair and keep flyaways in place with a little hairspray. Make your makeup natural, with foundation, nude lip gloss, nude eyeshadows, like brown and taupe, with brown mascara.

The overall look you want to achieve is one of control and poise. Make sure you leave enough time to get to the interview to avoid looking flustered and being tardy. No matter how much effort yo put into your appearance, you will be remembered as the one who was late.

The copyright of the article What to Wear to a Job Interview in Women's Work Wear is owned by Jo Barrett-Lennard. Permission to republish What to Wear to a Job Interview in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.