Where To Wear What When

You’ve landed the interview, researched the company and interviewer and you’ve prepared for all possible questions, now it’s time to figure out what to wear. We’ve all had the problem of not knowing what to wear for an interview.

Your outfit isn’t going to ultimately land you your job, but it helps. A great outfit can help you exude the confidence you need to ace the interview. You don’t necessarily have to wear a suit and tie or black pencil skirt, but you have to look professional. This means looking clean cut and coordinating you color scheme. A well-tailored outfit suggests that you’re conscientious and detail-oriented in other areas.

A splash of color or print never hurt anyone, as long as they’re worn in moderation. You don’t have to go for the all black look, but be mindful that the colors you wear have more of an effect than you might expect. For example, the color of your tie or pattern of your dress can have an effect on your interviewer. There is a little more leeway here when looking into creative roles. For a breakdown of what colors represent on an interview and how to wear them, click here.

It comes down to understanding the job and industry you are interviewing in. If you would be meeting with many clients in the potential role or in sales or finance, a suit is usually your safest bet. For more behind the scenes roles, business casual is usually acceptable. As for shoes and accessories, a watch is always a good call; ladies try to avoid flashy jewelry or loud bangles. Going with the basic shoe colors (black or brown) is the way to go when unsure.

Be sure to take the sit-down test, some outfits look good when you’re standing up, but when you sit down your outfit might bunch or worse, leave little to the imagination. At the end of the day it all comes down to 2 professional options: smart suit or smart casual and when it doubt, suit up.