Dress to impress on an interview or on the job
A few weeks ago I was watching a story on “Good Morning America” about Congressional Interns and the way they dress. I guess some interns are going for the very flashy, casual look that is in contrast with the very conservative image you usually see portrayed by Congress. It made me start to think about the way the everyday person dresses for an interview. Let’s face it, most people don’t interview all that often so you might forget some of the do’s and don’ts of interviewing. One major important thing to consider is to make sure you dress to impress. I’m not telling you to go out and buy a new suit or dress for the interview (especially if you are tight on money). What I am advocating is that you dress in a clean, conservative way that exudes professionalism. For a man that might mean pressed clean Dockers pants, a white shirt and a nice tie; for a woman perhaps a nice skirt and top or a nice pair of dress pants with a blouse. Unless you are going for a position in an accounting or law firm (for example) and then you would want to dress even more conservatively.
People often get annoyed at the idea of having to dress nicely for work. There’s an attitude that many have that goes something like this: it doesn’t matter how I look as long as I do my job well. That’s partially true, I’ll concede. But often the way you dress can change your attitude. If you’re in your old jeans and sweat shirt you’re going to have a more casual attitude than if you’re wearing a shirt and tie. And don’t forget the fact that customers expect employees to be dressed a certain way. You wouldn’t go into The Gap and expect to see someone in a three piece suit – you want to see the sales associate dressed in stylish fashions from that store. On the other hand when you go into a bank you don’t want to see someone in a pair of jeans and a cut off shirt.
There’s a certain image that needs to be portrayed by the employees of a business. The owners/managers of the business want to portray that image to their customers and clients. If you want to work for that company you’re going to need to buy into the fact that how you dress matters. Make your best impression in the interview. You don’t want to be turned down for a job because of your clothes. If you look professional then your appearance won’t even be an issue. The manager will be too busy talking about your skills and background to worry about the way you’ll dress when you come to work.