Even before you shake hands with an interviewer, he or she is observing how you look and on some level--conscious or subconscious--will have found you either acceptable or wanting. If you were found wanting, it's hard to regain lost ground during the interview.
The Right Stuff
It's important to look like an achiever. And the good news is that most executives do. According to Al Duarte, most executives are quite savvy about their images: "I see very few executives who are overweight, poorly groomed, or who don't know how to dress. Most executives have an 'executive look' about them; that's part of how they got to be executives in the first place."
Here, then, is a brief refresher course, to be sure you're up-to-date on what's in and out in corporate dress. There are a few variations based on industry, a few more based on geography, but in a word, the way to dress for an interview is conservative.
The Choices If You're a Man
If you're a man, your choices are few. A good suit, a white shirt, black shoes, black socks, a dark, patterned or striped tie. The only real choice is what color suit, and that's not much of a choice. The acceptable--and more important, the safe-colors in suits for an executive are blues, dark pin-stripes, and gray. Gray is best worn during the spring and summer months.
And of these three suits, the very best one--the power choice--is the dark blue suit. Look in the closets of men who make the best-dressed lists; watch the power tycoons who surface in the television news; observe the suits of lawyers who handle the big cases; check out, in fact, any powerful, rich, well-dressed man and more often than not, he will be wearing a dark blue suit. It spells power.
It also spells flattery. It's a color that flatters every skin tone and body build. It makes paunchy men look trim, and trim men look positively sleek.
The suit should be three-piece. The white (or maybe light blue) shirt should be long-sleeved, with a crisp, un-frayed collar, either button-down or standard. Wear tie shoes, with plain toes or wingtips, if your business is very conservative, although in many businesses today, you can get away with less conservative shoes, even a good loafer. Your socks should be long. You can wear cufflinks, but they should be in good taste, certainly nothing unusual or flashy.
Your hair should be freshly cut, but for a haircut to look good, it should be about one week old. If you have a heavy beard, and the interview is late in the day, shave again.
If you wear a coat, it should be a basic camel, navy, or black overcoat or a good trench coat.
The Choices If You're a Woman
A few years ago, John Malloy, author of the best-seller Dress for Success, set the world of business dress on its rear. Large numbers of women had just begun to reach the executive ranks and they weren't sure what to wear. Malloy solved their problem by giving them a uniform: the dress-for-success suit. The dress-for-success suit is a female (but not very feminine) version of the man's conservative business suit. It is two-piece, with a blazer and a flared skirt, tastefully hemmed to a length right below the knee. It is tailored of men's suiting fabric. With it is often worn a tie scarf-the one soft touch in the whole outfit. Shoes are black, navy, or a similarly neutral color. Basic pumps are the acceptable style. One lawyer said the uniform was so rigid in her profession that she couldn't wear shoes with straps; only basic pumps would do.
Many women, however, have chosen not to adopt the dress-for-success suit. It's a favorite with younger women in their twenties and thirties, and women in male-dominated professions such as certain old-line corporations and law firms, and in banking, but older women, particularly those who made it to the executive ranks before the dress-for-success suit came along, and women in more relaxed professions, primarily advertising and arts-related fields, often choose to wear a softer look. It consists primarily of Chanel-style or other softer-cut suits and silk dresses. The dresses are topped with a blazer or jacket of some kind.
Image experts have become increasingly disdainful of the dress-for-success uniform, arguing quite correctly that it isn't very creative. The small amount of research that has been done on the way executive women dress shows that women have far more leeway in their dress than they think they do. No one says the dress-for-success look doesn't work, but many women are finding out they don't have to wear it.
An interesting issue arose regarding Geraldine Ferraro's dress when she was campaigning for vice-president. Almost immediately the critics began carping that her style of dress wasn't businesslike, that she didn't wear the power uniform for women. One wise image consultant, though, pointed out that Geraldine Ferraro was naturally very powerful, and that her instinct to dress in a softer, more feminine way was right for her. She was using her dress to soften her highly assertive, powerful image.
The dress-for-success suit has served its purpose. It was invaluable for conveying a message about women's desire to be taken seriously at the time when women needed a way to send that message. But now that the message has been sent and received, professional women can safely branch out into other kinds of business dress, and some women can take a lesson from Ferraro.
Regardless of which look you choose, here are a few guidelines to help you dress for interviews.
Choose neutral colors, preferably beige, navy, camel, burgundy, gray, or brown. Some women can get away with red, but it's probably too flamboyant for most, and other hot colors such as orange, bright green, pink, and turquoise are not appropriate for a job interview.
If you wear a dress, add a jacket. A woman should wear an outfit whether or not she chooses to wear a dress-for-success suit.
A woman's purse and shoes should match or be complementary colors. Her briefcase, if she carries one, should not clash with the shoes and purse she wears.
Your shoes no longer need to be the basic pump, but they should be conservative. Boots are not appropriate for the executive suite, unless a blizzard strikes on the day of the interview. Even then, it's better to wear boots and change into shoe before the interview. Flats are sometimes acceptable; spike heels are not; a medium-height heel is always best. Sandals and sling back pumps are not considered very businesslike. Wear neutral colored hose.
Makeup is a special problem for women since so many women use it to express their individuality. Although no one expects a woman to wear no makeup, most employers say they would eliminate a woman as a serious job candidate if she showed up wearing too much or the wrong kind of makeup. Unfortunately, what is considered too much or the wrong kind of makeup depends largely on individual taste. Women bosses are as likely to be put off by too much makeup as men are.
Blue or green eye-shadow headed most employers' unacceptable lists, followed by a too-heavy dose of blush. Excessive eyeliner also frequently met with disapproval.
There is no reason for a woman who wants to wear makeup and who thinks she looks better in it to avoid it, but makeup should be applied subtly. If a woman has any doubts about how she wears makeup, an image consultant who specializes in businesswomen should be consulted.
A woman should wear only a subtle or sporty perfume if she wears any at all during an interview. Even if your perfume is lovely, you won't want it to be a subject of discussion when you're trying to sell your qualifications and experience. And let's face it, throughout history perfume has been considered seductive. It's probably okay in the office-and it's probably too risky on an interview.
Keep jewelry to a minimum-a watch, gold or silver earrings, perhaps a pin or necklace. Avoid anything that jangles or glitters.
See the following articles for more information:
- How to Start on the Right Foot in Your New Job
- What Are the Sources to Find the Information You Need
- The Background of Application Process
- How to Network and Take an Information Interview
