Dress for Success

Dress for Success and to Impress

A few weeks ago I mentioned a candidate who came in for an interview wearing no shoes. It’s true. He rollerbladed to my office, took his skates off in the waiting area and walked into the interview room in his jeans and t-shirt with just socks on his feet. Needless to say the interview took about 5 seconds and he was not offered a position.

Choosing what to wear for an interview is perhaps one of the easiest parts of the job seeking process yet sadly one very often overlooked.  I suggested before that we tend to formulate opinions about people within the first few seconds of meeting them. Nowhere is this truer than in the job interview.

A lot of people tend to think that because they are applying for an entry level position or a more physical, manual type job that they do not really need to dress to impress. Although the work attire for the job a manager is recruiting for may include coveralls, jeans or sweatshirts we shouldn’t make the mistake in believing that attending an interview dressed in this manner conveys we are right for the job. It may be true but unfortunately gives the idea that we don’t really care about making a good impression and just threw anything on before showing up.

I’m not advocating a three piece suit for every interview but we can never go wrong with business – casual in the absence of knowing what is acceptable in whatever company you are interviewing at – even if the position is entry-level. Of course, an interview for a senior position might require more formal business attire. Jeans, t-shirts and sneakers however, should always be avoided.

Many interviews take place in small meeting rooms behind closed doors. It’s best to keep perfumes and colognes to a minimum if worn at all (some workplaces even ask employees to refrain from wearing them). Smokers should pay attention to the lingering smell of cigarette smoke on the breath and on clothing. It is best maybe to avoid smoking completely before an interview as mints or chewing gum really do not mask the smell that well!

How you dress for an interview is an unspoken signal about how important the interview is to you and how you want to be perceived. It tells the interviewer whether or not you really want the job. If you are unsure about what to wear, as mentioned above, you can always rely on business-casual at a bare minimum and take it up a notch or two depending on the seniority of the position. If you are interviewing for a corporate, office position you can always visit a day or so ahead and look at what current employees are wearing. This will tell you something about the organization’s culture and specifically its dress code.

You’re building on the success of your application, resume and phone interview. You’ve done well getting to the in-person interview. Dress to impress and show them you want and deserve the job!