How to dress for an interview – Impress your interviewer with the winning look
You finally get a call for a job interview, and next step you do is opening your wardrobe and thinking about what to wear on the big day.
Your attire portrays your attitude about the job. Here are some tips for a winning look to get the best impression from interviewers.
Dressing appropriately for the Work Culture
Dressing appropriately is crucial for winning at the first sight. Since what you wear for an interview is definitely not a one size fits all situation, you should match your attire to the company style.
Formal Attire
If you're interviewing for a traditional firm, such as finance, banking, legal, it's important to look professional so your employers can see you fitting in with the people in their company. Instead of playing with different styles, you should always wear full suit and tie for this kind of interview. Typically, a dark-colored suit, long-sleeved shirt, leather shoes, and a classy briefcase will be an ideal set.
Semi-Formal Attire
For most companies, ranging from technology, education, marketing and hospitality, are more commonly associated with business casual wear.
Business casual is basically about suit but dressing down. You may add a little bit of style through choosing Linen-made ties or ties with simple and basic patterns, such as stripes or plaid, showing a sense of kindness in a professional look.
Smart Casual Attire
Smart casual is a dress code most commonly associated with the creative industries and start-up business culture, where the workforce is generally younger.
For these interviews, you can present your taste and personality to the interviewer through how you dress. One tip is to play with color matching. Why not pairing any neutral tone together (navy, beige, grey, white, tan) to create an elegant and classy style without being too stiff and boring? A simple yet smart outfit makes others feel comfortable as well.
Carrying the Right Bag
Bags are strikingly often neglected by job seekers, and you should never do that.
Briefcase
A briefcase is a timeless, never-wrong bag that goes with all sorts of interview looks. It’s the must-have item to elevate your professional look, hold your resumes and documents. If you want to bring out your individuality without being too off, you may choose a briefcase with non-leather material or a bit of catchy colored details that can leave a strong impression to your interviewer.
Backpack
If you’re young and fresh or you don’t want to look too formal in the interview, a minimalist backpack would be a good match to you. A sophisticated business backpack made with premium materials like leathers can also look dapper and professional.
Portfolio
Even if you don’t need to bring any document or laptop for the interview, bringing a clutch or a portfolio will show that you're ready for work. Just never show up empty-handed.
Don’t Afraid to be Too Formal
No matter what job you are interviewing, it's always better to look overdressed than under-dressed . At least when you are too formal, you still present yourself as a professional. When you’re underdressed though, your potential boss might just think you don’t take your job seriously.
Be Well-Groomed, From Head to Toes
Belt is a small but significant part of your look. You should always choose a formal and neutral color, either black or brown belt to pair with your look. If you would like to add some personalities, some subtle patterns can do the job well.
Lastly, stop wearing fragrances for job interviews. Fragrance preference is a very personal thing and you cannot predict how your interviewer will react. And if that reaction is negative, it will damage your candidacy.
