How to Dress to Impress for Your Next Interview

05 Jul How to Dress to Impress for Your Next Interview

After searching for just the right job opportunity and sending out resumes for what might feel like forever, you’ve landed a big interview for a job that feels like it could be perfect. It’s an exciting time! 

But what do you wear? 

Before you go through your closet or start to worry, here are a few pieces of advice on how to set yourself up to look successful and confident while impressing your interviewer. 

• Do a little research. This might seem an odd suggestion, but consider the impression you want to make and the job you’re looking to land. Type in the job title and “dress code” into your search engine of choice and see what you find. Then look for the position above yours — if you’re looking to go into sales, look at dress codes for a sales manager; if you’re looking at a data entry position, look at dress codes for administrators, etc. Get a sense of what the person in your position and one or two above would be required to wear and dress to that level. This will reflect that you’re serious about the job and are invested in doing well at the interview. 

• Practice. Go through your closet and pick out a few options, if possible, and then do practice interviews with a friend or in front of a mirror. See whether you become uncomfortably warm when speaking in the outfit, if something doesn’t quite fit or look right while seated for a long period of time, etc. It’s better to eliminate options now than pull an outfit together in a hurry the morning of the interview and wind up feeling restricted, shifting your concentration from the words you’re saying to the clothes you’re wearing. 

• Don’t go overboard. While you want to be impressive, you don’t want to look like you’re trying too hard. A high school student who arrived at an interview for an ice cream scooper job wearing a three-piece suit would likely get a friendly smile but probably won’t get the job. Wearing a tuxedo to a job interview is going a little too far. Overdressing can be as damaging as underdressing as it suggests a kind of desperation that could be a turnoff to the hiring manager. 
• Smooth it out. Whatever you decide to wear, make sure it looks neat and tidy before you go. Take the time to wash and iron your outfit before you go (again, preferably the night before so things aren’t rushed) so you’re not showing up in wrinkled or stained clothes. Yes, clothes might get a little wrinkled on the trip over to the interview, but that’s a much different look than something grabbed up off the floor that’s been sitting in a crumpled ball for a week. 

Your interview is your in-person introduction to the company. You want to be comfortable and confident, and the right outfit will help you present your best self to your potential new boss. Good luck! 

If you’re looking for other opportunities just in case, call LeadingEdge Personnel today. We work with great companies looking for skilled candidates just like you and we’d be happy to help put you in touch. Call LeadingEdge today and let’s get you to work!