Dress for success. What to wear at a job interview?

In our Monday Favorites column, we are discussing an extremely important subject today: the interview (let us all take a moment and thank my friend Iuliana for the great subject idea). If we were men, I wouldn’t have bothered to put this post together, but since our life’s quite complicated, I decided to make this dilemma easy. And while choosing your job interview attire is very much dependant on the situation, there are some rules that are spaceless and timeless.

1. Consider the industry

A job at a bank is very much different from a job in a fashion house. Keep that in mind and never mix them up. You should always be dressed according to the industry, location, size of the company and any other criteria that have a word to say. Do your reasearch and never show up wearing jeans and sneakers in a law firm or black business suit when trying to get a job at McDonald’s.

2. Stay minimalistic

As a general rule, no matter what industry you want to excel in, keep your interview attire sleek and simple. Unless you’re aiming for a job in fashion industry, you should temperate your dressing creativity at an interview. This is just not the day. Wear classics, neurtal colors, and modest cuts. Do not show off your brands. You don’t want to look snobbish.

3. Be conservative

No deep cuts, no short skirts, no open toe shoes, and, most probably, no bare legs. Also, no transparencies and shape-revealing clothes. No red lips, pink nails, or hollywood curls.

4. Look neatly

Do not exaggerate your make-up, but do wear one. It will show your employer that you care about your look. They have to be confident with you representing the company. Also have your hair accurately styled, preferably away from the face. You don’t want to be bothered by some constantly falling into your face entity. Always have your manicure done, yet choose neutral colors. Your shoes should be perfectly clean and clothes perfectly ironed (do not wear that nice blouse, if you know that it crumples as soon as you are out of the house).

5. Add a twist

I know I just told you to keep it as simple as possible, but I strongly believe that you should have a twist. Your clothes say a lot about you and today you surely don’t want to look boring. A well-chosen scarf, a brooch or an interesting belt can definitely add some edge to your outfit, and make you memorable. Add something that pops up into your interviewer’s eyes, yet not distracting.

See Also

Monday favourites. The suede skirt

In the end, remember that professional doesn’t mean boring, and it should not be. Creativity is very much appreciated in any industry today, so if you land a good styling with simple, conservative items, you will definitely be noticed. Be consequent and dress according to your personality. If you’ve never worn a pencil skirt, believe me, this is not the time to begin. You will look clumsy and unconfident, so better choose some good-looking trousers. You should always feel comfortable and confident in the outfit you are wearing for a job interview. If you don’t feel so, you don’t look so; and the last thing you want is to look unsure.