Successful Interview Presentation
Many interviewers make up their minds about candidates in just the first few minutes of meeting them. How you look and behave in those first few minutes could make the instant difference between success and failure.
Put yourself into the interviewer's shoes for a moment. If you saw a scruffy-looking candidate in reception waiting to meet you, wouldn't you think that they were probably a bit disorganised in their work too? Or if a candidate were a bit nervous or stilted in introducing herself, wouldn't you suspect that she might be lacking in social skills with her colleagues as well?
So get your first impression right.
Don't Let your Clothes Let you Down
A book can't tell you exactly what to wear for every single interview. However, your friends might be able to give you some valuable advice on what to wear. So go ask your friends, colleagues and partner for their honest opinion. But if you ask them for advice, then be gracious enough to thank them for their advice and, above all, listen to their advice and incorporate some changes into your wardrobe.
The rules for men are simple:
- Wear a dark suit. Navy blue and grey are the most acceptable colours.
- Wear a long-sleeved shirt, either in white or a pale colour such as light blue.
- Choose an uncomplicated 100% silk tie. No one wears polyester anymore!
- Wear black shoes. Italians can get away with brown - but it just does not seem to work for the British!
- Allow yourself only three items of jewellery - a watch, a wedding ring and perhaps cuff links with a double-cuff shirt. Nothing more.
For women, the principles are not dissimilar:
- Also aim to wear a suit as opposed to separates.
- Wear a jacket and skirt as opposed to jacket and trousers. Unfortunately, some male interviewers can still be a bit sexist about skirts versus trousers.
- Choose a plain blouse. Don't try to look sexy - as your definition of sexy may be an interviewer's definition of tarty.
- Wear shoes that your grandmother would be happy with. High heels might be the height of fashion - but again some (typically older, male) interviewers may have negative views about them.
- Avoid unusual jewellery such as more than one earring per ear or thumb rings. Again you may get a negative reaction from older, male interviewers.
Dressing Down
Increasingly, companies often have ''smart casual'' dress codes at work. However, be very, very careful if you are tempted to dress down to match the culture of a company. You may, for instance, find that an interviewer makes an effort to dress up in a suit when meeting candidates.
If you are planning to dress down, make sure you are 100% certain that this is the right move - perhaps if you have been told personally by the interviewer's secretary that he or she will be dressed casually. Far better to be overdressed than underdressed. A man, for example, could simply remove his tie and undo his top button to appear more relaxed - while women's suits tend to be suitable both in formal as well as smart-casual situations.
