How to Dress for a Job Interview

The first impression made toward a job interview will likely be your resume or your skills and application, but the first impression you make in person will be how you carry yourself and dress. If a potential employee does not care enough about the job interview to put their best foot forward, then any employer will assume you won't care much about your appearance on the job either. That's why how you dress for a job interview is so important.

There is no one 'right' way to dress for all interviews, because the dress will change depending on a number of factors. The things you need to ask yourself before you decide what to wear for your job interview, consider the following: the dress code of the company, the job duties required of the job you are applying for, the way the rest of the employees dress during a normal work day, and the current season and temperature outside.

First, do a little stalking - no, not the bad kind, but rather drive by the place where you are applying prior to applying and see what the other employees are wearing. You can drive by around the start of the day or at lunchtime and probably see the most people as they are arriving or leaving the building.

Secondly, take stock of the job duties you will be performing if you were hired. Is it an office job, indoors all the time, with no lifting and little movement? Will you be working in a storeroom or warehouse? Will you be doing mechanic work or working with your hands? All of these things will help you decide what you should wear.

After you have taken stock of the other employee's apparel and determined the type of clothing you would wear on the job, your best bet is dress one functional clothing level higher than you would on the job. If the office is business casual, you should wear business dress, and so on.

You don't want to be too dressy, especially for lower paying or manual labor jobs, but you surely don't want to be underdressed. When in doubt, dressing up a little bit too much is always better than being too casual for a job interview.

For women, wearing a skirt or dress is usually better than pants or slacks or a pantsuit for a job interview, but is not a hard and fast rule. A smart pantsuit, is acceptable for some positions, but it is preferred that women wear skirts or dresses. One very important rule though if you wear a skirt or dress is that you must wear hose. Casual dressing, summer dresses, and full skirts don't always require hosiery for normal wear, but for a job interview, hose are absolutely essential for a job interview.

Shoes are important too, both for men and women. Absolutely no open-toed shoes or sandals should be worn for a job interview, even if you are or would be allowed to wear them on the job.

Women should wear good undergarments for an interview. Nothing says unprofessional like a woman who fails to wear a bra to a job interview. It shows, and people, particularly men, will notice. Men, underwear is essential for you as well, because people, particularly women, will notice.

Keep jewelry, make up, cologne, perfume, and accessories to a minimum. Nothing will end an interview quicker than someone who has too much cologne or perfume on, and the interviewer can't breathe to conduct the interview, or worse, is allergic to you!

Make sure your hair is kempt and clean, professionally styled and neat. If you are a man, short hair is more acceptable, but if you do have longer hair, make sure it is neat and out of your face. If you have a beard or moustache, be sure it is clean, neat, combed and trimmed.

Nail polish is acceptable for a woman, but it should be a normal color, not bright greens or unusual yellows, and it should be clean and solid. Do not show up to an interview with cracked or peeling polish. For men, or if you do not wear nail polish, be sure your nails are filed, trimmed, and clean.

For seasonal dress, women should not wear summer dresses, sleeveless tops or dresses, or shirt skirts to a job interview, even if it is acceptable to wear them on the job, if hired. If it is rainy weather, and if possible, it's best to leave umbrellas in the car, because they can be cumbersome to shaking hands and moving from the front of the building to where the interview will be conducted. The same goes for jackets. It might be cold outside, but most offices are going to have heating. A few minutes indoors with a heavy jacket and you will be sweating bullets, and carrying a heavy jacket around indoors is also cumbersome.

When you dress properly for a job interview, you will feel confident, secure, and in control. Feeling good about how you look lets you focus on really impressing the interviewer with your skills. Dress the part, be confident, and good luck in your job search.