Tips To Dress For Interview Success

8 Tips To Dress For Interview Success<br /><br />Struggling to decide on an outfit for your upcoming job interview? What you wear to an interview creates an image or perception of the type of person you are, so choosing your attire is critical to presenting yourself as the right candidate to hire.<br /><br />How interview attire has shifted<br /><br />The dot com era ushered in a more casual approach to workplace attire, including during interviews, in the past 10 15 years. When the economic recession hit, job seekers began dressing up as a way to differentiate themselves from other candidates. The recession created a heightened awareness by hiring managers of what candidates wear to interviews. Interview attire is also often seen as a test of a candidates familiarity of the company and industry.<br /><br />Tips to dress for positive impact<br /><br />The appropriate interview attire depends on the industry in which youll be interviewing, as well as the geographic location and time of year.<br /><br />Spend time on the Internet researching the company, industry and competitors to determine suitable interview outfits.<br /><br />Still not sure? Call the companys HR department and ask what they recommend you wear.<br /><br />When in doubt, err on the side of being slightly over dressed, rather than show up looking too casual.<br /><br />Dont have an appropriate outfit? Go to a large department store like Nordstrom or Macys and ask for help from a personal shopper or hire a personal stylist.<br /><br />Ensure that your clothes are cleaned and pressed.<br /><br />Avoid wearing perfume or cologne.<br /><br />Wear makeup and jewelry that are appropriate to the job/company/industry.<br /><br />Your clothes can influence your chances for landing a job<br /><br />If a man wore a dark suit to a job interview in California or any warm climate in August for a position as a construction worker, the hiring manager might think the man had lost his mind. Why? The attire is inappropriate not just for the position and industry, but also for the location and time of year.<br /><br />What if a woman wore a navy pant suit, pulled her hair into a low ponytail, wore little makeup, no jewelry and flat shoes to a job interview as a clothing stylist? Its doubtful she would be offered the job. The hiring manager would probably be looking for someone who projects an image of creativity and wears clothing, makeup and accessories that are fashion forward.<br /><br />As the old saying goes: Perception is reality. Think about the image you want to project during your interview and then choose an outfit that will create a positive perception and is appropriate, given the time of year, your geographic location, and the job/company/industry. And, in a warm environment or when someone perspires the strength of the perfume or cologne can increase greatly. Job seekers trying to use the cologne to cover perspiration odor might want to consider using a stronger clinical strength deodorant/anti perspirant and skip using cologne. You want the hiring manager to remember you, not your cologne or perfume.<br /><br />Thanks for reading the blog and posting your comments and questions. Yes, you should always research the companys culture and environment it will help you better determine appropriate interview attire. I also had that problem of looking younger than my actual age and found it helpful to make sure I was dressed in a way that conveyed professionalism and maturity without looking too dowdy. Formal attire can be good if youre interviewing in a traditional/formal attire office environment, just dont forget to let some of your personality and style show through, such as with your blouse/shirt, necklace, or even your shoes.