Before starting up with this blog, I would like to ask you a few simple questions. Firstly, Will you ever eat a dish in any restaurant that looks really dirty? secondly, Will, You Attend A Office Job With Unclean Surroundings and Workplace? thirdly, Will You ever go for a movie displayed on a stained curtain? The answers to all these questions would probably be a big NO. Primarily because it just does not feel right and you will be most uncomfortable if you avail such services. Also, it just does not look good and lacks the appropriate presentation along with being toxic in nature.
The same principles and theories apply to you when you go for an interview session in a cool, funky, stained, dirty, or unprofessional dress. An interviewer upon seeing you is simply uncomfortable, as you were while eating food in a dirty restaurant. This lack of presentation would not only frame a negative opinion in your regard but also limit your chances of selection, no matter how excellent your academic records are or how valuable your work experience is. Hence, make it a point and always remember to dress in the best professional dress available for your big day.
Accepted Professional Attire While Going For An Interview Session
Professional attire and dresses vary for both males and females, however, they are both required to wear blazers over their top portion. Dressing for both genders, is explained in detail hereunder:
Dressing For Male Candidates
The most professional and impressive interview dressing finds its place in a proper business suit for the male candidates. This business suit has been divided and segregated into several portions for the sake of explanation, which are:
- The Top Portion: The top portion of a candidate covers the chest, torso, and hands. This portion must be covered with professional and formal shirts, specifically either of blue color or white color. While choosing shirts, make sure that these have barrel cuffs attached to them, which must be tied at all times. The neck button of the shirt must be tied and covered with a matching tie (with or without strips) of either dark blue color or black color. This would give a contrasting shade to your top body making you look smart and confident.
- The Lower Portion: Despite the rising trends of ripped jeans and printed pants, this portion must be covered by wearing neat pair of trousers or pants, preferably of black color. The trousers used must be properly ironed and must not contain any stains. Black color pants tend to fade away too soon, hence make sure you are not picking up any faded trousers. Further, never forget to tuck in your shirt and tie it up with a professional leather belt preferably of black or dark brown color. The buckle of the belt should be simple and must not contain any design, pattern, or character. Do not confuse the design with the brand name, which is engraved on the belts, as it is totally acceptable.
- The Foot Portion: To triumph this portion, always make sure to wear a pair of full length cotton socks, preferably without any design, though simple and traditional designs are completely accepted. Wearing sports shoes, even if they are of black color, is a big no-no. Always try to wear leather shoes, with or without laces, preferably of natural brown or black color. The shoes must be polished and the laces must be neatly tied, without making a mess.
- Accessories: For male candidates, wrist watch is the only thing in the accessories section. The wrist watch used must be professional, containing a proper round dial and shape. Save your funky watches for some other days, and try to wear a round dial watch with either metallic or leather strip.
Dressing For Women Candidates
Dressing for women is undoubtedly more complex as well as confusing, given the several dresses to choose from. However, this post aims to soothe your tensions and remove most of your confusion by giving you a definite dressing plan.
- The Top Portion: This portion is more or less similar to those of males, except with any compulsion of wearing a tie. You are also expected to wear a proper white or blue unstained formal shirt, which is handcuffed and is properly ironed. Wearing a tie is strictly optional, and mostly women candidates avoid this requirement. Further, it is necessary for candidates to be extremely comfortable in their dressing while attendign an interview. Hence, prefer wearing a camisole over your inners for maximum coverage.
- The Lower Portion: Women candidates have two choices for this portion, either they can wear a knee length skirt or wear a pair of trousers. Whatever it is, make sure that the cloth is completely ironed and not at all stained.
- The Foot Portion: This portion is crucial and differs comletely from the male section. Women are recommended not to wear laced shoes while attending an intevriew session, rather prefer to wear basic and professional foot wear bellies, of black or blue color. Some women candidates are simply not comfortable in heels, which is also not a compulsion. If you are wearing skirt, prefer wearing an ankle length pair of socks, and in case of trousers you can opt either of ankle length or full length pair of socks..
- Accessories: In this section, you can adopt and wear three types of items, which are:
- A glittering, non-rusted, non-faded chain in your neck (avoid if your prefer to wear a tie)
- A pair of small earrings and
- A wrist watch, which is traditional, professional and not at all funky.
Type of Fabric To be Used
The best fabric which can be used for shirts is linen or cotton and for lowers, it is cotton with lycra. Lycra would enable you to sit comfortably during an interview session due to its proven stretchable properties.
Dress As Per The Weather
While cotton or linen shirts and trousers are best for almost all types of weather. Wearing a silk or nylon dress is not at all recommended for an interview session, as no matter summers or winters, you will really feel uncomfortable in these fabrics under your blazer. Further, in cases of winters, wearing a non-funky and non-printed sweater, preferably of black/blue color under your blazer is totally accepted.
Benefits Of Appropriate Dressing In An Interview Session
The proper business dressing is extremely important for an interview session, as it has the following benefits and advantages:
1. Displays Your Appetite To Adhere and Value Rules
By dressing in a proper business suit, you not only show professionalism but also puts on display your desire as well as an appetite to follow the established rules, guidelines, and procedures. This helps an interviewer to perceive you as a candidate, who is excellent in following up instructions and taking orders.
2. Better Self Confidence
When you dress appropriately, you develop a sense of self-confidence and dignity, which helps you immensely in delivering crisp, relevant, and to-the-point answers to the interview questions asked by your interviewer. This betters your overall selection prospects and even gives you an edge over other candidates. Further, a proper dress displays that you do not maintain a low opinion of yourself, rather are optimistic in life who loves to concentrate on the bright side.
3. Shows Seriousness
The better and more appropriate dressing, the higher would be your perceived seriousness, commitment, and loyalty towards the job opening. By getting yourself dressed in the desired professional attire, you show that you do have a profound understanding of corporate ethics and the culture followed, along with showing that you are a perfect match for this vacancy, instead of being a misfit.
References
- https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=7A4VEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=How+to+Dress+Up+for+Getting+Your+Next+Job+-+Learn+How+to+Make+Impression+in+2021+–+1500+words&ots=Kn35AdnGGP&sig=WpPhJDOwIX6QwFhks5vhSVexK8s
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010028507000096
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Sandeep Bhandari is the founder of PrepMyCareer.com website.
I am a full-time professional blogger, a digital marketer, and a trainer. I love anything related to the Web, and I try to learn new technologies every day.
All the team management, content creation, and monetization tasks are handled by me. Together with the team at PrepMyCareer, the aim is to provide useful and engaging content to our readers.