{"id":4079,"date":"2012-09-28T08:33:11","date_gmt":"2012-09-28T15:33:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/?p=4079"},"modified":"2012-10-01T06:19:24","modified_gmt":"2012-10-01T13:19:24","slug":"how-to-dress-to-impress-at-a-job-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/2012\/09\/28\/how-to-dress-to-impress-at-a-job-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"How to dress to impress at a job interview"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dressing for a job interview can be incredibly challenging. One of the biggest problems students face entering the workforce is being underdressed. What is the difference between business, business casual, and just plain old casual? How do you fit into a business\u2019s dress code without completely losing your personality in a sea of black business suits?<\/p>\n

Before your interview, do some homework.<\/p>\n

\u201cStart by looking at the website of the company; often what they have up there will reflect who they are,\u201d says Irene Wallace, Camosun College\u2019s student and alumni employment services facilitator. \u201cYou\u2019ll be able to pick up the cultural feel of the business by the way the website is written and the pictures they choose to show.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Illustrated by Libby Hopkinson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you\u2019re still worried you don\u2019t have a feel for the business, Wallace recommends a stakeout.<\/p>\n

\u201cSit outside and watch people come out,\u201d she says. \u201cIt sounds like being an undercover detective, but it\u2019s all part of people preparing for where they want to work.\u201d<\/p>\n

So you\u2019ve perused the company\u2019s website with a fine-tooth fashion comb and managed not to get arrested for stalking at the company headquarters. What\u2019s next?<\/p>\n

Wallace advises students to steer clear of exposing tattoos and wearing strong fragrances or colognes. If you\u2019re a woman, wear makeup, but keep it neutral. Also, put your bangles and dangling earrings back because too much clanging and banging can be distracting. Men, keep your facial hair well groomed; shave off that Movember creeper \u2019stache before your interview. It may seem obvious, but have a shower and wear clean clothes.<\/p>\n

Both men and women should invest in staple pieces like a well-cut, tailored suit. Choose a darker colour and stay away from anything flashy, especially for an interview.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t want to dress well, you want to dress really well,\u201d says Wallace. \u201cYou want to dress as if you already have the job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Defining details<\/p>\n

Strictly business<\/strong><\/p>\n

Men: A dark suit in charcoal, navy, or black with a refined tie and conservative shoes.<\/p>\n

Women: A dark skirt or pantsuit in charcoal, navy, or black with a blouse in a darker colour. Pair the suit with minimal jewelry and a classy, comfortable heel. When wearing a skirt, always make sure it\u2019s to the knee and that you wear tights or nylons.<\/p>\n

Business casual<\/strong><\/p>\n

Men: The colour of suit can vary more, but still stick with neutral shades. Men have the option of omitting the tie, but nice shoes are still a must.<\/p>\n

Women: A simple cardigan can replace a stuffy suit jacket, but stick with neutral colours. Still keep jewelry to a minimum.<\/p>\n

Casual<\/strong><\/p>\n

Men and women: Anything but shorts, flip-flops, Ed Hardy tees, and wrinkled clothing.<\/p>\n

How NOT to dress for a job interview<\/strong><\/p>\n

Irene Wallace, Camosun College student and alumni employment services facilitator, has a horror story about dressing for a job interview that we could all learn from.<\/p>\n

\u201cA young woman applying for a government position wore a top that practically went down to her navel, and it was see-through. She had on a jacket that came over half her body, but overall it was very distasteful and distracting. She was wearing long, dangling earrings, very high heels, and too short of a skirt when she was sitting down. Honestly, I don\u2019t know where she would wear that outfit, period.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dressing for a job interview can be incredibly challenging. One of the biggest problems students face entering the workforce is being underdressed. What is the difference between business, business casual, and just plain old casual? How do you fit into a business\u2019s dress code without completely losing your personality in a sea of black business […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4080,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,11,80],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4079","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life","category-issue","category-september-19-2012"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4079","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4079"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4079\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4242,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4079\/revisions\/4242"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4080"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4079"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4079"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4079"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}