Dressed for Success

A question we hear almost daily is “What do I wear to an interview?”

The short answer…

This:

NOT this:

Rule #1: Dress one step more conservatively than employees dress for a typical work day. If employees usually wear t-shirts and jeans (common in some kinds of computer and technical jobs), then you should wear a shirt and slacks or blouse and skirt/slacks to the interview. If they wear sneakers to work, you should wear loafers, flats or low heeled shoes to the interview. However, if employees in that industry usually wear slacks and jackets to work, then you should wear a suit to the interview, and so on.

Rule #2: Err on the side of being too conservative as opposed to too casual. This is your only chance to make a first impression. Don’t blow it by dressing as if you’re going surfing after the interview.

Rule #3: Unless you are a doctor on call or an emergency responder, turn off your cell phone. If you have children, be sure they have an alternate contact number for the time you are interviewing. I’m sorry to be the one to tell you, but you simply aren’t that important that your friends and family members can’t wait an hour or so to talk to you. Taking calls at an interview is akin to chewing gum, bringing your lunch in to eat, putting your feet on the interviewer’s desk, etc. It’s an interview killer.

Grooming

The usual good rules of grooming apply: showered, hair and teeth brushed (bring breath mints to the interview to for a last minute refresh), and for women, light makeup. Jewelry should be kept to a minimum. Perfume and/or after shave should be avoided, as should backpacks. Women – you can bring a small purse and/or briefcase or portfolio (a leather or leather-look folder which opens to hold copies of your résumé on the left and a yellow pad on the right). Men – a brief case or portfolio.

On the edge

Tattoos and piercings should be covered as much has possible. These are not the kiss of death they were ten years ago, but why give your interviewer an excuse to hire someone else? Take the rings and studs out of your nose, eyebrows and any other visible place except your ears. Small earrings in your ears – studs or little hoops – are increasingly OK for men. If your hair is blue or green or magenta – even just some of it – lose the color statement and go with a natural hair color for the occasion. Women – peep toe shoes, short skirts, low or unusually cut blouses and bare midriffs are typically seen as provocative (read: sleazy), and should be avoided. Long hair should be up or at least pulled back in a pony tail.

Language

Pretend you are talking to your grandparent, high school principal or village elder. No swearing and limit your use of student jargon as much as you are able. Address the interviewer as Mr. Smith or Ms. Jones, unless invited to use their first name. “Hey dude” is not an appropriate form of address. Speak in full sentences. “And when I turned in my paper, my professor? She was all like ‘I really liked your work.’ And I was like wow, that’s so cool.” While these may look like sentences, believe me, they don’t count as such in an interview.

Another common question for us is “What does ‘business casual’ mean?”

Some employers note that “business casual” is acceptable for some interview events. It doesn’t mean student attire. For men it means slacks and a shirt, but you can skip the tie, replace the jacket with a sport coat or sweater, and wear Dockers-like shoes instead of dress shoes. In some cases it may even mean a polo shirt, but never a t-shirt. For women it means flats instead of heels, knit instead of woven blouses or shirts, slacks instead of skirts and no need for the suit jacket.

What else do you need to know? Plenty. Attend an interview workshop to learn what questions to expect and how to prepare your answers in advance so you sound like you know what you’re doing. Talk to a career counselor to identify strategies for dealing with your weaknesses. And practice. While you don’t want to sounds rehearsed, you also don’t want to give the impression that this is the first time you have even thought of the answer coming out of your mouth. There is a wealth of resource available to you, free while you’re a student. Make use of them.

Micael Kemp is the director of Career Services at UCSB.