Dressing the Part. How To Dress For An Interview.

Last week I had a pretty long interview. Before the interview, the company had sent out an email asking us to please have our resume and dress in business casual. After taking a 30-minute assessment, three of us were lead into another room to have a group interview. The only man and I were both dressed for an interview. The other girl, also black, had on a low cut t-shirt, slacks, and Air Maxes. At some point, the interviewer asked to use one word to describe the word change. We all answered and then he said, “I’m glad you all used one word and followed instructions because that is the number one thing that kills candidates for me. If I give you a simple instruction and you can’t follow it, how am I supposed to believe that you would follow instructions when I hire you?”

I thought about this later and the email. I thought about following simple instructions like wearing business casual.

 I have noticed this a lot in interviews, that people come to interviews looking any kind of way. Jeans, tight clothes, sneakers, the list goes on. The following are tips to get you in the door and on the payroll!

Don’t Undervalue the Position

I use to work in a restaurant as a server where our uniform consisted of shorts or jeans and a company t-shirt. Because of this, people use to think that was the correct way to come to the interview and they were very, very wrong.  My managers would ask us how that person came in, what they were wearing and if the outfit wasn't business casual, he would turn you away. They wouldn’t even come out of the office, they had one of the hosts or servers tell the interviewee that they were in a meeting and to call to reschedule. Even if it’s not your dream job or its a more casual place, it’s still an interview. 

Start With the Basics

Black slacks, nice tops, a pair of flats, a black dress and a jacket or a cardigan. These are business causal staples that can be paired with just about anything in the rest of your closet. Since you are probably going to be wearing these to the interview and when you land the job, you will want to spend some money on these.

Do Your Research 

You want to go to your interview and look like you could fit right into your role you're applying for. Researching what could be your future work environment is necessary, for both what you say and what you wear.  If you know anybody that works there, ask them what they wear to work every day. Looking at the company's website and social media can get you a good idea of the work environment you'll be heading into. 

Know Your Industry

What you wear to interviews can be totally different depending on what field or industry you’re hoping to work in. If your interview is in a more conservative field like the government, maybe just have some statement pieces.  Careers in fields like social media or fashion like to see your personality. If you're an interview in fashion, wear the clothing of that company or something that looks similar. You can’t go into an interview saying you stay on top of trends or have a passion for fashion and style if you yourself are not showing what you’re saying. You can be fashionable and fun, and still be interview ready. 

There is nothing wrong with being yourself, you just have to know how much to show in your first introduction. Let them know who you are, but don't let the way you dress discredit you before you even open your mouth. Make sure you are the candidate they remember for all the right reasons and don’t let being fashion-forward keep you unemployed.