How To Dress For Job Interview Success
Posted by Robert J. Weese under Sales Career Advice
“You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” This cliché is never more important than when you are heading to a job interview.
When you are invited to an interview you need to consider that your first impression is going to weight heavily on the person who is interviewing you. If you make a great first impression then you can bet the interviewer is going to use the meeting to try and justify why you should be working for their company. Likewise, of you make a poor first impression you should know that in the back of their mind they are looking for reasons why they shouldn’t hire you.
First impressions count and the way you dress for success is one of the simplest and most powerful ways to portray an image of confidence, authority, success, style and self-esteem.
Here is a universal truth that you must keep in mind whenever you meet someone for the first time. “People almost always judge a book by its cover.” Our appearance is the single most important way we impact someone else when we first meet. Studies have shown the following
- 55% of the other persons impression is determined by our appearance
- 38% determined by how we speak, our tone, volume, diction, etc.
- 7% of their impression is determined by what we say
So what does this mean if you have a job interview?
1) If you are in doubt find out the dress code in advance. You can call the company and ask the receptionist or a sales person: “what’s the dress code for your sales people, is it business casual or suit and tie?”
2) If its business casual then dress one level better than you need to. If they work in jeans and T-shirts then wear a set of clean crisp Khakis and a new golf shirt or open collar dress shirt. If the company’s sales team wears dress pants and jackets with no ties then wear a suit and tie.
3) It’s always smarter to dress better than is needed. You don’t want them wondering; “what were you thinking when you got dressed for this job interview”.
Don’t be afraid to invest a few bucks in a new shirt and tie when you are job hunting, they will go a long way towards sprucing up a suit you may have had for a few years. Looking good will improve your confidence and help you move one step closer to landing that job.
If you are looking for more job hunting and resume writing tips, including a free template that you can use to track your job search, please visit our Free Download Centre.
AIM HIGHER!
Bob
Robert J. Weese – Sales Career Coaching
5 Responses to “ How To Dress For Job Interview Success ”
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Great information! For women, acceptable fashions tend to be more broad, so wearing the right thing can be a little complicated.
I suggest wearing dress pants and always bringing with you a blazer or jacket. If you are meeting someone who is dressed casually, you can simply remove your jacket. However if you are meeting with someone in business attire, you will fit in by wearing your jacket.
What about plus-size women? Do we have a disadvantage from the beginning? I usually dress very nicely (gorgeous suit, heels, nice scarf) and was wondering if being plus-size hinders me so much and if there is anything I can do (besides lose weight) to counteract the wrong impression.
Brenda, I don’t think so. If you are wearing what is considered acceptable business attire, and more importantly you are confident and comfortable wearing it, that will be what shows in the interview.
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