Dressing Your Best: Interview Outfit Tips to Help Land Your Dream Job
According to recent studies published in the United Kingdom and Turkey, first impressions are formed within the first 3 seconds of seeing someone. In fact, when you’re dressed right, people are quick to assume that you’re “confident, successful, flexible, and a higher earner.”
Choosing the right outfit for your dream job interview should be a paramount task. It can be difficult to distinguish the right outfit from the wrong outfit, and our personal values and perspectives often create gray areas in the decision-making process. Find out how to put together the perfect outfit and land your dream job.
Take the time to prepare
Failing to prepare for a job interview can leave you in a frenzy the morning of. You won’t want to be rummaging through your closet an hour before the interview and panicking that you have nothing to wear. So take the time to decide what to wear and try on multiple options a few days in advance. If you truly have nothing to wear, plan a shopping trip.
Ultimately, you should spend the night before thinking about how you’re going to ace the interview, not worrying about what you’re going to wear.
Dress to feel your best
When it comes to picking the right outfit, start with pieces you feel your best (and most comfortable) wearing. When you feel good, you’ll radiate confidence and positive energy.
If you hate wearing dresses and decide to wear one to the interview, you’ll be left feeling uncomfortable all day. Feeling restricted and uncomfortable will leave you feeling negative and might even keep you from scoring your dream job.
Choose pieces that accurately reflect your personality and what you’re bringing to the company. If you don’t plan to wear a dress after the interview, don’t wear one for appearances. Similarly, if you’re not a fan of dressing up everyday, don’t strive for a job with a strict dress code. When dressing for an interview (and the job ahead), be yourself. If being yourself doesn’t get you hired, it likely isn’t meant to be.
Research the company
After deciding what you feel comfortable in, you can consider what the company will expect of you. Researching the company’s culture on social media can provide you with a comprehensive idea of the dress code, as many Instagram and Facebook pages will have pictures of their employees.
Additionally, thinking about previous interactions with the company — including the professionalism of the phone interview — can help you decide how casual or professional to dress for the interview. Once you’ve figured out the company’s tone and culture, you can start putting together an outfit that reflects your personality and represents how your values align with those of the company.
Putting together an outfit
If your research has revealed that the company’s dress code is casual, make sure not to show up underdressed. Dressing casually for an interview doesn’t mean showing up in jeans and a T-shirt. You’ll need to look polished to land the job. For women, darker denim with a blouse, jewelry, and flats can create a polished — but not overdressed — look.
If you’ve researched the company, and you’re still not sure what to wear, opt for business casual attire. For women, a business casual interview outfit consists of a nice button-up shirt or a formal blouse paired with dress pants or a skirt.
If the company requires business attire, you’ll want to look tailored and professional. Consider opting for a tailored suit or wearing a dress pant/suit and jacket combo to showcase your personality. If you don’t have anything to wear, shop for high-quality professional attire for women at affordable prices.
First impressions are made within a matter of seconds, so it’s important to dress your best to land the job of your dreams. All in all, preparing, dressing your best, and doing your research can help you feel confident enough to ace any interview.
