What Should You Wear to the Interview?

You’ve landed the big job interview; we’re talking about the job of your dreams. You look in your closet and pick out something that you think will work. Big mistake! The process of choosing your interview attire should be deliberate and well planned. The first impression is often a lasting impression and you have about fifteen seconds to make it perfect. Think of the Rule of Twelve by Ann Marie Sabath, At Ease, Inc. She stated that an impression is made by individuals’ first twelve words, first twelve steps, first twelve inches of the body, and last twelve inches of the body. Granted the Rule of Twelve doesn’t mention anything about the clothes you wear, but imagine how distracting the wrong suit could be. Therefore, the goal is to make yourself stand out to an employer not by the outrageous way you dress but by the phenomenal qualifications you have for the position.

When choosing your interview attire think “professional” but also keep in mind the industry you will be working in. It is common to wear a suit to an interview, but the flexibility that you have with that suit depends on your field. In more conservative careers like finance and accounting, both women and men should own at least one suit of high quality in a neutral color like black, gray, or brown. For women this attire should include a suit jacket, a blouse, a pair of pants or a skirt, hosiery, and a pair of closed-toe dress shoes with no scuffs. In addition, women should be cautious of the number of accessories that they include in their attire.

The professional attire for men consists of a suit jacket and trousers, button-down shirt, tie, dress socks, and dress shoes that aren’t scuffed. In more creative industries like advertising and graphic design one could be a little more creative with the pattern of the suit, the shirt color or pattern, and the style of the tie. These industries are looking for people with creative flare and if your interview attire looks stuffy they may assume that you are as well. The key to knowing how to dress for your industry and the interview is doing research through your network and knowing what is expected. Never assume that an industry that traditionally dresses casually on the job will accept the same thing from professionals during an interview. Therefore, it is imperative that you do your research and dress appropriately for your situation.

Though these professional pieces aren’t cheap they can be affordable if you make wise decisions. Try to choose neutral colors so you can mix and match pieces to create two interview suits from one purchase. For women this could mean splurging on a suit with both pants and a skirt and buying two different style tops. Men can get the most out of their professional attire by buying two different color shirts with matching ties. If you don’t think you could afford any of it consider asking for these pieces as presents for graduation, an upcoming holiday, or another special event. The goal is not to go broke buying the suit but to be seen as a professional in the eyes of the employer.

For more tips on professional dressing visit the Career Resource Lab, Lucina 235, for books like Karyn Repinski’s The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Successful Dressing.

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