You have received the invitation to attend a job interview. The reason is most likely that our resume spoke for you and you have the right academic qualifications, and now its time to prepare for the D-day and you are a little nervous which is expected as well. Now before you even think of going for the interview, you need to make sure that you have appropriate attire and that everything fits correctly. You need to get your clothes ready the night before so that you don’t spend time in the morning getting ready and looking for this or that accessory.  In the case that your clothes are dry clean only, you can only be fair to yourself if you take them to the cleaners immediately after your interview.

Make first impression

Young Man Interviewing For Job

When you dress for the interview, remember that that image is almost everything and it will go ahead of you and soy so much, even before you get to shake hands with anyone in the panel. Because the image you make is going to be the lasting impression, than you need to dress professionally to cut a clean image that is far from your social life.

What are you “saying” before you speak a word?

You always need to beware of what your clothes are saying about you. If you appear stressed, rumpled, or simply haggard you are going to downgrade yourself straight away, regardless of what academic qualifications earned you the place at the interview. You may end up losing a chance to get the job you wanted because of something that is least related to your qualifications.

Your attire and presentation give non-verbal signals about your personality and can work for or against you. The primary component of your image is your choice of clothes that you bring to the interview. You’re appeal with signal either you are a person that is keen and careful or it is someone that does not care what goes on around them. If you come in with clothing that is waving a flag that says I am a loser, and then believe you me, no one will want anything to do with you.

Image is everything

Your Social vs. Your Professional Presence – the type of wear you have at your social areas doesn’t have to be what you will wear to the interview. Your professional presence needs to be far different from the social life. Actually today many people have two closets or the divide that one into two: one is for professional attire and the other one for casual attire.

Perfume and Cologne – the scent you carry can make or break you. There are some people you can smell the moment they set their foot into a room. Whatever you scent you decide to wear, you need to be careful that it does not break you instead of making. The impact could be negative and dash any chance you had of getting a job. Whether you think you smell nice in that perfume or cologne, make it your own business as much as possible. The less or none is always better when it comes to scent.

Pantyhose – well there is a lot of discussion going on whether a woman should wear a panty hose to an interview and most people think its ok.

Tattoos and Piercings – there are some companies that have their own policies concerning piercing and tattoos and since you do not know yet what your prospective employer thinks about these two items, you are safer concealing them if you have any. Better safe than sorry in some of these things.

Men’s Interview Attire

Men’s attire for an interview can be composed of the following items: Suit (solid color – navy or dark grey), Long sleeve shirt (white or coordinated with the suit) ,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), the suit skirt should be long enough so you can sit down comfortably coordinated blouse, Conservative shoes, 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 to the Interview

Apart from what you put on that makes you presentable and professional, there are some things also that you should bring with you to the interview room, these include: Gum; Cell phone, IPod, Coffee or soda , If you have lots of piercings, leave some of your rings at home (earrings only, is a good rule), Cover tattoos

What Not to Wear on a Job Interview

Flip-flops or sneakers, Underwear (bras, bra straps, briefs, boxers, etc.) that is visible. Don’t wear any underwear that shows – even if your bra straps match your top, Shorts, Jeans, and Skirts that are too short, Pants that are too low-rise or too tight, Blouses that are too low-cut or too short – don’t show your cleavage or your belly. More on underwear and low-rise pants – make sure the top of your thong, if you wear one, doesn’t show above your pants.

Trendy or Classic

It is good advice to invest in a classic interview suit that is likely to last you several years than the latest trendy attire that never goes beyond one season.  You never can be sure but you idea of what you  think is trendy might be repugnant your interviewer and so if you must err, let it be on the side of conservatism. When you go shopping for your interview, you must not break a bank in the process. Take your time ad visit outlets, store sales, online stores and even use coupons to get something out of your budget. Finally remember to have one classic interview suit always at ready because you never know when the next one is going to be.