What Wear in Interviews?

Conventional vs Non-Conventional Dress

Recently I was interviewing for an administrative post. One candidate entered with a broad smile at his face. He had not shaved. He was wearing jeans and joggers. Perhaps he had directly come from his bed with a casual dress. He was not looking serious.

I could see a wrong smile on the faces of the other members of the selection committee. On questioning, he proved excellent. He impressed me with his attitude and others with his knowledge. But he was not selected just for the way he had dressed for the occasion.

You may not be looking for a job of an administrator. You may be going to perform as an I.T specialist. You know that you need not to worry about your clothes while working on computers. But even in this modern era, it is better to err on the side of being conventional and conservative rather than trying to dress according to the work that you are required to do. Stick to conventional rules and you cannot go very far off the mark.

Keep in mind that when you put some effort into dressing for interview, you prove to the interviewer that you are serious about your applied job. It is an important business to you. You may impress your interviewer with your attitude and guts by turning up in shorts, sneakers and t-shirt but you probably will not get the job. At the first point of introduction, you would have been mentally sized up and then struck off the list of potential candidates.

That’s why they say, “First impression counts!”

Dress to Impress

When you consider the question; what wear in interview, you need to select the dress which impresses your interviewer. This is one of the most fundamental and basic rules of impressing during an interview. This may be an old rule but even in this modern age, dressing to impress continues to play a major role in helping interviewers to select the right candidate.

You may be thinking how to dress to impress and look different from others simultaneously. But why you do think that you need to look different to impress your interviewers. Your first impression counts but when you have dressed properly, your knowledge and creativity shall single you out. However, an effort to be looked unique may prove you casual or showy.

Women; What to Wear in Interviews?

If you are a woman then stick to solid colors (preferably a suit), well coordinated blouse, corporate-looking shoes (sandals are out of the question), tone down on the jewelry, and groom your hair neatly - you will not go far wrong. As long as you do not go overboard with the makeup, wear too much perfume, or have unruly hair, you will be quite safe.

Men; What to Wear in interview?

If you are a man you should be more careful. In fact, it has been shown that interviewers can be stricter and more stringent on men's dress code during an interview. One small mistake and the first impression may be ruined, and we all know that the first impression is very hard to reverse - if not impossible.

You should keep to solid colors and also preferably a suit. A colorful and fancy tie design will not impress your interviewer. And, although teaming a high quality professional suit with a sports shoe might leave a lasting impression on the interviewer, it may not be the kind of lasting impression you want them to have.

Summary; What Wear in Interview

Whatever you wear in interview is going to be one of the biggest influencing factors that determine if you are ultimately successful or otherwise. If you do not want to be struck off the list the moment you walk into the interview room, keep to the norm and impress them with the effort you've put in to look right for the part. However, you need not to be showy.

Be simple, elegant and conventional...

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