How to Dress for a Job Interview

A mistake many people make early in their careers is not putting enough thought into their initial appearance (I don’t mean you have to be a supermodel to get a job, but I do mean you should make an effort to look put together).

Even in a casual office (like mine), it’s important to make a good first impression when you walk into your interview.

And for everyone, here are some general tips I have for dressing for an interview:

1. Dress up. Even if you think the environment you’re going to work in is fairly casual, dress up anyway. It’ll make it look like you’re taking the interview seriously. It’s always better to be over dressed than under dressed. For men, a suite and tie always looks nice. And for women, a blazer and pencil skirt hits the spot as well.

2. Wear clothes that fit you and that you’re comfortable in. This seems simple enough, but unless you’ve worn the outfit for an extended period of time before, you may be treading dangerous waters. Last year, I had an interview for a PR agency and I borrowed a friend’s belt. The belt looked great with my outfit but I wasn’t used to wearing belts, and this one didn’t fit quite right. As a result, I spent half the interview fidgeting with my belt instead of focusing on the questions I was being asked.

3. Don’t wear jeans. Seriously. Pretty much every generation older than Gen Y sees jeans as very casual, and sometimes even sloppy. Jeans may be fine for the office once you get the job (or they may not be), but don’t wear them to an interview. If you want to be taken seriously, wear some nice pants instead.

4. Dress conservatively. This is kind of a no-brainer for men, but ladies, this means absolutely no cleavage, no short skirts, and wear tights.

5. Keep your hair neat and avoid trendy styles. This means your hair should be clean, brushed, and tidy. Skip trendy hair styles like poofs and messy buns (if your female) and shaggy or spiked hair (if you’re male).

Do you have a “go to” outfit that you always wear to interviews? What are your interview dress rules? Remember, you only have one chance to make a FIRST impression. So make it count.

Ps. Now that you know how to dress professionally, you’re on your way to ace your next interview. But more important than clothing, you need to be prepared to answer those tough interview questions. To do this, check out my post: “5 Difficult Interview Questions and How to Answer Them.”