Personally I know how exciting and heart-smashing to face important interviews, especially when it comes to the very first interview in life. So I hope that these little sets of instructions would really be useful to you, when your interview is ahead. Remember I faced my first interview in three decades ago.The first impression is the last impression. You will never get a chance again to create the first impression. Accordingly, first impression you make on a potential employer is the most important one. The first judgment an interviewer makes is going to be based on how you look and what you are wearing. That is why it is always important to dress professionally for a job interview, even if the work environment is casual.
How to dress for an interview
Men's interview attire
- Suit or trouser solid colour - navy or dark grey
- Long sleeve shirt (white or coordinated with the suit/trouser)
- Belt
- Tie
- Dark socks, conservative leather shoes
- Little or no jewelry
- Neat, professional hairstyle
- Limit the aftershave
- Neatly trimmed nails
- Portfolio or briefcase
Women's interview attire
- Suit (navy, black or dark grey) or Saree (Never dress up with a trouser or jean)
- The suit skirt should be long enough so you can sit down comfortably
- Coordinated blouse
- Conservative shoes or slippers
- Limited jewelry (no dangling earrings or arms full of bracelets)
- No jewelry is better than cheap jewelry
- Professional hairstyle
- Neutral pantyhose
- Light make-up and perfume
- Neatly manicured clean nails
- Portfolio or briefcase
What not to bring for an interview
- Cell phone
- IPod
- Earrings only, is a good rule
- Cover tattoos
Interview attire tips
- Before you even think about going for an interview, make sure you have appropriate interview attire and everything fits correctly.
- Get your clothes ready the night before, so you do not have to spend time getting them ready on the day of the interview.
- If your clothes are dry clean only, take them to the cleaners after an interview, so they are ready for next time.
- Polish your shoes.
- Bring a breath mint and use it before you enter the building.
Dressing up with appropriate dress code is essential to suit the occasion. I might have conducted more than thousand public training programmes in the last two decades, but I have never attended these programmes without wearing the professional dress.
Then my question is what the appropriate dress code for an interview is. You want that first impression to be not just a good one, but, a great one. A candidate dressed in a suit and tie is going to make a much better impression than the candidate dressed in scruffy jeans and a t-shirt. Being a head of the department a decade ago, I have never recruited employees who come for the interviews dressed up with jeans and t-shirts.
Dressing up is not the only criteria your hiring manager is looking at.
