Dressing For A Job Interview - Make A Strong First Impression
Some people have questions about dressing for a job interview. Is that you? Are you wondering what to wear to your next interview? Well, you're at the right place!
Whether you're a graduating college student, or in your freshmen year (or not in college), these ideas will help anyone look professional.
How To Know Exactly What To Wear When Dressing For A Job Interview
When you go to hand in your application, take a good look around. How do the employees look? How does the manager dress? This will be a simple standard to use when deciding how to dress for your job interview.
When applying online, think of what type of work are you're applying for. Is it in an office, a repair shop, a fast food restaurant, a grocery store, customer service, sales, or technical?
Sometimes you can find pictures of employees on a company's website. Or, you can think of another company in the same industry, and dress to that standard.
Every field has a different standard of dress. If you are interviewing for an office job, do they wear office casual or shirt and tie? This is how you'll want to dress for the job interview.
*VERY IMPORTANT to remember when dressing for a job interview* If you can see the manager, take a note of how he or she is dressed. You don't want to dress any nicer than that.
If you weren't able to see the manager, then dress a step or two better than the employees. For example, if the employees are in collar shirts and jeans, you could wear a button up collar shirt, nice slacks, and a dress shoes.
For women, a good rule of thumb is to never wear a sleeveless top and always wear closed toed shoes when dressing for an interview. This might be perceived as too casual and inappropriate for work.
Just don't over do it. You don't want to wear a suit and tie, or a skirt, when going to an interview at a car repair shop.
How About a Haircut?
When dressing for a job interview, your hair is something you need to take into account. Are you applying for a job that requires you to be clean cut? Be that way for the interview.
Again, this is something you can learn from the employees when you hand in your application. If you're interviewing for a labor intensive job, then they may not care what your hair looks like.
But, if the job is for anything in customer service, or that involves you representing the company, then get a clean looking cut. A good hair cut can add significantly to your confidence.
When dressing for a job interview in a labor intensive job, keep in mind that, if you get the job, the company will probably provide work clothes.
So, for the interview, you'll want to wear business casual (a golf shirt or collar shirt), a pair of nice slacks (dickies will work fine), and a pair of casual dress shoes.
Just keep in mind that you don't want to overdress for the job interview. This might put you in the category of being "over qualified". This could cost you the job.
Remember: Look for the manager and keep it at, or one step below, that level of dress. If you can't see the manager, look at the employees and go up a step in dress for the interview.
The Whole Point of Dressing Appropriately For a Job Interview
Why are you even worried about how you look and dress for your job interview? I know the answer...To make a good first impression.
Plan on dressing nicely for any interview. The way you dress will lift your confidence, and confidence is the other half of the equation for a successful job interview.
As much as we may not like it, people judge others by the way they dress. This is especially true of managers and HR people who interview potential employees.
Make sure not to under-dress for a job interview. You don't want to show up to an interview in shorts, a tee shirt, and sandals (unless it's for a life guard, and even then...be careful).
You want to make the strongest first impression you can. Your clothing plays a big part of that. You need to look the part of an employee and then act the part in the interview.
Be confident, believe in yourself, and make sure it reflects in the way you look, dress, and act.
Good luck in the job interview.
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