Cracking the Code for Interview Outfits

What you wear during your interview communicates a lot about you. Just as employers review candidates through their LinkedIn profiles, interviewers tend to evaluate the interviewee’s attire as one of the parameters for defining his/her candidacy for the required job.

Outfits vary depending upon the purpose of the interview. For example, you would want to wear a formal dress for a company interview but a casual look would serve the purpose for an informal summer internship. An appropriate attire reflects the candidate’s understanding of the roles involved in the job.

Let us look at the various scenarios for interviews and the best-suggested outfits for both, men as well as women.

Professional / Business Interview

It includes interview rounds for college interviews, placement interviews, business deals, or professional meetings. For men, it is recommended to wear a suit jacket and slacks or a formal shirt accompanied with a tie or a sweater and button-down. Special attention should be paid to the choice of colors and anything flashy or vibrant should be strictly avoided to prevent distraction of the hiring managers.

For women, a statement dress or a formal top and skirt is considered as a preferable outfit for interviews in a western setup. However, Indian formals, including a formal saree or kurta (mostly accompanied by a scarf) are also an accepted outfit in traditional work environments.

Non-professional / Business Casual Interview

Job interviews in a more informal work setup welcome candidates in business casuals. These outfits are a little less formal than a suit but are more professional and polished than casual wears like T-shirts, shorts, and sandals. But it is a recommended practice to research the dress code of the company you are applying to and decide the interview outfit accordingly.

Men can consider wearing Polo shirts or button-down with slacks or chinos while women can choose among decent blouses/tops and skirts or paired with appropriate heels or flats as per the office dress code. In a nutshell, business casuals mean no suit, but also no jeans.

Casual Interview

Interviews with start-ups tend to be a little towards the informal side. I remember being a part of an awkward situation wherein I was sitting in a head-to-toe formal attire for an interview with a start-up while the interviewees relaxed in their casuals. It is always recommended to look appropriate and professional, but not extremely formal for an informal work environment.

For men, a relaxed-fit khaki, dark-wash jeans, and a decent shirt will still be considered presentable and befitting instead of a back suit and formal dress. On a similar note, women can opt for something more relaxing such as a decent top and plain-wash jeans for a casual interview.

Impact of Colors on your First Impression

According to a recently published survey, it is recorded that about 2099 hiring managers and human resource professionals believe that blue and black are the most recommended colors to wear for a job interview, while orange is the least preferred. Let us understand the various messages colors send to interviews as per analysis from the aforementioned survey report.

                           

It is important to note that though black is the most preferred choice of today’s youth, it can be oftentimes perceived as intimidating and aggressive and may cause the interviewer to become defensive, thus, putting a barrier between them. To study more about the psychology of colors in an interview set up, click here.

Say a big No-No to

It is equally important to know what you should not wear to an interview, regardless of how formal or informal the workplace is. A good impression is not only secured with the knowledge of what to wear to an interview, but with the understanding of what not to wear. It includes:

• Flip flops or other open-toed sandals
• Athletic shoes
• Tank tops or other shirts with thin straps
• Shorts
• Innerwear that sticks out from your clothing
• Skirts or dresses that are too short (above your knees)
• Shirts that have too low necklines
• Use of strong body perfume

All the best!