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Job Interview AttireJob Interview attire – what do I wear to the interview? The general answer is that it depends on the type of job for which you are being interviewed. For example, if you are going for a position in a warehouse where you will be required to wear overalls and a hard hat you would obviously wear different clothes to the interview than if you were going for a job in an upscale lawyers’ office as a legal secretary. However the “rule of thumb” for job interview attire is to dress as you would for an important day at work. Imagine the “big boss” was visiting your place of work and you were all told to look you best and be on your best behavior. How would you dress for that day on the job? Dress that way for the interview too. The exception being if you have to wear a “uniform” at work, including overalls, then wear everyday dress, clean and smart to the interview. Another way to decide is, if you have time, to go to the location where you hope to be working, around lunch time or end of the day, and watch the present employees coming out of work. Note what they are wearing, making the obvious allowances for the different types of work they may be employed at. Then choose your job interview attire based on the dressiest level of what you saw. Most people have what they wear on a daily basis to work, and something a bit dressier that they wear for special occasions at work. An interview is a special occasion so you want to match, as best you can, what you would wear for a special occasion if you were already in this job. Here are some very general guidelines for appropriate job interview attire. Everything you wear must be clean and freshly pressed or ironed. No strong odors, colognes or perfumes. In some places tattoos are acceptable, in others they are not so welcome, so if you have tattoos that can be easily hidden by clothes, then do so for the interview at least. Switch off your cell phone. Put your keys away in your pocket or purse. If you are wearing an outdoor jacket, take it off when you go into the interview. You want to look as though you belong and as though you expect the interview to last a while – not give the impression you are just popping in while you wait for your bus to come! If you are carrying a purse or a briefcase, put it on the floor when you sit down – don’t sit with it on your lap. Though obviously if you have occasion to take something out of it, you may put in on your lap (no, NOT the interviewer’s desk) while you do so, then return it to the floor. When you arrive at the interview, if you can find a washroom, go in and check out how you look: tidy windblown hair, straighten ties, adjust skirts etc. If you don’t see one elsewhere, ask the receptionist if there is one you can use. But only do this if you’ve arrived early – you don’t want the interviewer coming out to meet you to be told you’re in the washroom! We will cover women’s job interview attire first then discuss attire for men. Job interview attire for a woman being interviewed for an office position could consist of a smart suit with either pants or a skirt, a dress, or even pants and a shirt if it is a reasonably dressy shirt. Just make sure the skirt is not too short, the neckline is not too plunging, nothing is too tight, and heels are not too high. Have no runs in pantyhose. Discreet, subdued jewelry – no long dangling earrings, or jangling bangles. Neutral colors are safest, but any pastel shade or deep shade is probably acceptable, but don’t mix colors. One color and the rest in neutral is best. There is of course a whole psychology of color and what each one means. But as mentioned above, bright colors can go over just great, but they also can be a risk so make your own decision, but just choose one. Mustard and orange are generally not recommended for an interview as many people don’t like these colors. And all black can be rather intimidating – you don’t want to overpower your interviewer. Job interview attire always includes dress shoes. If you have to walk quite a way to get to your interview, wear your runners if you must, but take a pair of dress shoes with you and change before you go into the interview. And that also means you need to take something appropriate to put your runners in when you are in the interview. Do not wear flip flops no matter how hot it is outside although a nice pair of dressy sandals is fine. A pet peeve of mine is women to wear the wrong length of “leg gear” for the outfit. To explain: there is NO place for ankle socks of any kind in job interview attire. Only wear knee highs or socks if you are wearing pants. When you sit down no stretch of leg above your “leg gear’ should be showing. With a dress you need pantyhose, tights or if it’s summer and your legs are nicely tanned, bare legs are acceptable… but remember, not too much nicely tanned, bare leg should be on show! Subtle makeup please, or none if that’s your preference – but please don’t overdo it. You won’t make yourself look younger, more employable or anything else that is positive by lashing on the makeup for an interview. And wear your hair in a relatively subdued version of the current fashions. That said, if you are going for a job in show business or something very arty, then you have to judge for yourself how extreme you can go. Or, say, if you are going for a job in customer service in a high fashion location you would be well advised to dress to show your flair for fashion. Blue collar jobs require you to have less formal job interview attire. If you are going for a job in a warehouse, if you just dress in clean, neat clothes you will be fine. They are unlikely to be able to picture a woman in high heels and a business suit or a man dressed for a board meeting fitting into their environment. So use your common sense as you read these guidelines and adapt the ideas to your particular situation. Job interview attire for men is generally easier than it is for women. If it’s an office or customer service job, a shirt and tie with dress pants and dress shoes are usually the norm. A jacket is good if you have one, but if not you can usually get away with just a rain jacket – or winter jacket depending on the weather – on top of the shirt. Even if on the job you expect to be able to wear golf shirts and casual pants, the dress pants, shirt and tie are still best for the interview. Again, keep the colors subdued. Dark, light or pale colored shirts, and ties that blend with the shirt and do not instantly attract attention by some garish design or color. A pair of black dress shoes can be worn with almost anything. Another pet peeve of mine … please, please, please wear dark socks with your dress pants and dress shoes. If you are in a hot climate where you wear lighter coloured dress pants, socks that blend with your pants are fine. White socks are NEVER acceptable with dress pants and shoes no matter what the rest of your color scheme is. Clean shaven, or neatly trimmed facial hair, and hair tidy and not too extreme in style is best. When you arrive at the interview, if you can find a washroom, go in and check out how you look, tidy windblown hair, straighten ties, adjust skirts etc. If you don’t see one elsewhere, ask the receptionist if there is one you can use. But only do this if you’ve arrived early – you don’t want the interviewer coming out to meet you to be told you’re in the washroom! Consider ahead of time what you will wear and have it clean and ready to wear on the appropriate day. When you are dressed appropriately and know you look the part, it increases you level of confidence. Remember, you only have one chance to make a first impression and that first impression is made within 15 seconds of you coming in sight of the interviewer. You don’t have time to speak, you hardly have time to move. It’s all based on how you look – how you hold yourself, and how you are dressed. Take the time and make the effort to make sure your job interview attire creates the first impression you want to last! Relax now and read some
funny interview stories.
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