Dress for Success: 5 Fashionable Tips for Job Interview Attire

When going to an interview, it’s important to present yourself in the best way possible. Showing up looking untidy can affect the outcome of your interview.

While every job search is different, these fashion tips will put you well on your way to creating a lasting first impression!

1. Keep It Professional

Every workplace has a dress code policy. Therefore, until you land the job, you want to assume the dress code is professional. You also want to make sure you wear comfortable clothing you feel confident in.

Here’s the clothing you want to steer towards:

• Button-up shirt
• Suit
• Blazer
• Knee-length skirt
• Slacks
• Small heels
• Close-toed shoes
• Flats

If your outfit feels a little too boring, add a pop of color. Consider a vibrant purse or some fashionable Italian shoes for women. These will liven up your outfit while keeping it professional.

2. Pick Neutral Colors

Whether we’re conscious of it or not, colors evoke certain human responses. Play it safe at your interview and stick to dark or neutral colors like the following:

• Great neutral color that gives off feelings of calmness.
• Navy in particular gives off a sense of trust and confidence.
• Shows sophistication and neutrality. It’s a great color to wear as a suit or a dress.
• Very popular color for suits and dresses in interviews. Black conveys power and authority.

Pro Tip: Avoid patterns that are bold. You want your outfit to compliment your personality, not distract your interviewer. Keep your look simple and elegant.

3. Pay Attention to the Details

After choosing your outfit, you want to focus your attention on the details.

• Visible tattoos. While common, depending on the company policy, you may want to cover them up.
• Wrinkled clothing. Don’t walk into your interview wearing a blouse so wrinkled, it looks like you slept in it! Instead, make the time to iron it prior to your meeting.
• Lint. If you have pets especially, don’t forget to use a lint roller.
• Strong aromas. Wearing perfume is okay; just avoid pungent aromas. Most times soap and water is enough.
• Dirty glasses. Take some time to clean your glasses. This small detail goes a long way.
• Subtle makeup. Don’t overdo it! After all, it’s what’s on the inside that truly counts. Stick to a natural look.
• Simple hairstyle. As of your hair, it should be styled neatly — you can’t go wrong with a sleek ponytail!
• Clean shoes. Shoes will be something the eyes look at, so polish or just make sure they’re clean.

4. Choose Your Outfit With Time

Your outfit will say a lot about you. Give yourself time to put your outfit together. Don’t wait until the day of your interview! Things may not always go as planned and if you wait till the day of, you will more likely hit some sort of inconvenience.

Find your outfit a day or two before your interview. If you choose one ahead of time you can always go back to it to make sure it’s still what you want to wear. If it’s not, you still have time to adjust.

Put Your Outfit Together!

An interview can be stressful, which can make you stress out more than you should about your outfit. Keep it professional, neutral, and simple. Putting your outfit together with time will take that stress off and give you more time to prepare for other things the day of.

Take your time while getting ready on the day of your interview and don’t forget to pay attention to the details!