Job Interviews: What to Wear
It takes between seven and seventeen seconds for a person to make an impression of us and much of that impression is based on how we look. It stand to reason, then, that what we wear to job interviews will make a far greater impact on our success than anything we're likely to say once those first crucial seconds have passed.
Dress For the Job
If you're applying for a job as a sale assistant in a trendy boutique in a hip part of town, what you wear will need to be very different to what you'd wear when being interviewed for a job as a lawyer's personal assistant.
By wearing what you believe you'd wear to work if offered the job, you're silently saying that you understand the position you're applying for and that you have the knowledge to fulfil the company's expectations.
If you're applying for a job where you'd be wearing a uniform, think about the kind of uniform that you'd be likely to wear. Is it very casual, as in the unformed overalls given to a car mechanic? Is it smart casual, as often worn by delivery couriers? Is it smart, like the kind of uniform worn by bank employees or perhaps a hotel doorman? Choose your wardrobe to reflect the uniform.
Men:
Women:
The above are simply guidelines - always use your own common sense when deciding what to wear. A job interview for a position in a trendy night club would demand something very different to what you'd wear to ace an interview for a job as a supervisor in a biscuit factory, even though both jobs would suggest you wear 'smart casual'.
Accessories
Men:
Women:
Personal Hygiene
Whilst job hunting it's important you:
Men should be clean shaven or have a beard kept neatly trimmed.
By following these tips you'll be giving yourself a far greater chance of successfully securing the job that you want. Remember: seven to seventeen seconds is all you have to make that all-important first impression.
Sharon Jacobsen is a freelance writer based in South Cheshire, England. She has been writing in one form or another all of her life but as she hasn't always been self-employed, she's learned a few things about working life along the way.
To contact Sharon or to learn more about her work, please visit: http://www.sharon-jacobsen.co.uk