How to dress for interviews and get the job!

1. NIKKI KARABINIS
CAREER DEVELOPMENT
SHAWNEE STATE UNIVERSITY
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Dress for Success

2. For the Interview
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 Present yourself as a professional
 People will form perceptions of you based solely on your appearance.
 Your professionalism
 Level of sophistications
 Level of intelligence
 Your credibility
 Dress for the interview, not a party
 Don’t distract the interviewer with your outfit—the interviewer should be
concentrating on what you have to say, not your appearance
 Arrive early and go to the bathroom to check out your appearance
 If you’re not sure when you’re shopping, ask the sales associate for help
 Invest in the best clothes that you can afford
 Shop smart! Buy during sales, ask for professional clothes for Christmas
and your birthday and don’t forget to look at consignment shops and thrift
stores.

3. How should you dress for an interview?
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4. Appearance & Personal Hygiene
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• Hairstyle
• Well-groomed
• Men…don’t over style with too much gel or pomade
• Facial Hair
• Neatly trimmed
• Fingernails
• Cleaned and trimmed
• Ladies….clear polish and only ¼ inch past your finger tips
• Teeth
• Well-brushed and fresh breath
• Don’t eat foods that will leave an odor or drink alcohol before the
interview
• Body Odor
• Wear deodorant

5. Women
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 Suit
 Conservative dark black, navy, dark gray, brown or tan skirted wool blend suit.
Job experts and employers seem split on the notion of pants suits, so a skirted suit
is usually a safer choice.
 Skirt length should be a little below the knee and never shorter than above the
knee
 Business dress with matching jacket is okay, but no party, cocktail or sun dresses
• Blouse
• Tank-top style or tailored shirt—should be cotton or silk and should be white, or
some other light color.
• Make-up
• Minimal—go for the “natural look”
• Pantyhose?
• Always—it should be the color of your skin and flawless
 Purse or briefcase?
 Opt for a briefcase—it should be the same color as your shoes
 Shoes
 Low heels, 2 inches or less—no spike heels
 Leather should match the exact color of your skirt or pants.
 Make sure your shoes are polished

6. Examples
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7. Men
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 Suit
 Conservative black, navy or dark gray two-piece business suit
 Single breasted, 100% light-weight wool
 Jackets should have two or three buttons—only button the top two or the middle button, never all
three
 Shirt
 White or light blue long-sleeved button-down dress shirt
 100% easy-care cotton or cotton/polyester blend
 Wear a short-sleeve, plain white shirt under your shirt
 Tie
 Learn how to tie it correctly
 Ideally, it should touch the top of your belt
 Conservative silk tie (that matches the colors in your suit)—keep clear of gaudy ties unless you’re
absolutely sure the interviewer will appreciate your individuality
 Red is a power color
 Belt
 Should match the color of your shoes
 Approximately 1 inch wide
 No large buckles
 Socks
 Should be a continuation of your pants and should match your pant color
 Shoes
 Polished dress shoes. The leather should match the color of your pants.

8. Examples
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9. Small but Important Details
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• Suit
• Remove all extra buttons, tags,
• Cologne/Perfume
• Minimal or no cologne/perfume
• Jewelry
• minimal
• Piercings and Tattoos
• No visible body piercing and tattoos with the exception of
conservative ear piercing for women
• Candy or gum?
• NO!

10. Business Casual
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Varies from one organization to the next
Find out how your organization defines “business
casual”
Stick with classic rather than trendy clothing
You should look appropriate to meet with a CEO,
supervisor or an administrator
NO cocktail, party or picnic attire
It’s always better to be overdressed rather than
underdressed
Your clothes should be clean, ironed and not show
wear.

11. Questions?
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12. Resources
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 This presentation was adapted from Kenneth Abel, Work Experience Coordinators'
Association of New York State
 Elements of this presentation were taken from Clarion University of Pennsylvania