Women, Here is What You Should Wear to an Interview
Before an interview, plan the perfect outfit to make sure your competency and accomplishments shine during your interview.
You have done your homework: scoured listings, updated your resume, completed several applications, and received an interview with a company or our professional job placement agency in Little Rock/Central Arkansas. Now you must prepare for your interview. While it is important to research the company and job for which you will be interviewing and to practice potential questions you might be asked, planning what you will wear is equally important. The following tips will help you achieve the perfect look for your interview.
Interview Clothing Dos and Do Nots
- Clothing: Keep your look simple. While men basically have slacks and suits to choose from, the choices in women’s professional attire abound. This can make selecting an interview outfit tricky.
Interview Outfits: What to Wear and What to Leave in the Closet:
- Overall: Stick with clean, well-fitting, professional silhouettes in neutral colors, and leave your more dazzling pieces for after you secure the position.
- Personality: If you want to show a little personality, select one accessory such as a great pair of earrings, a statement necklace, or a printed blouse beneath a blazer. You want to be the focus at your interview, not your outfit.
- Research: Choose the right level of dressed. Do some research before going in for your interview to find out what dress code is in place at your potential place of work and learn how to decode it. Aim to dress one level above the code in place. If your new place of work has a casual dress code, arrive in business casual attire.
- Perfume: Smell like yourself and nothing else. During an interview, you will likely be in an office with the door closed. You do not want your signature fragrance to overwhelm the meeting or irritate anyone who might be sensitive to different perfumes. Research has shown that scent is a strong trigger of emotional memory—so it’s best to steer clear of perfume for an interview. Even though you might love smelling like flowers, you cannot predict how an interviewer will react (even subconsciously) to a scent.
- Hair and Makeup: When it comes to hair, makeup, and nails, once again, keep it neat and simple. Makeup will ensure you appear awake and alert, but too much can send the wrong message. Same with hair – neat and simple. Go for a clean nail look such as a muted color tone or a French manicure.
If you’re looking for a new job, check out our Job Openings page + to see what’s available. Apex Staffing specializes in connecting talented job seekers with high-quality, local employers. Our service is completely free for job seekers and we are always accepting applications.