Clothes, Colors and the Interview

A job interview is your one initial shot to make an impression and to sell yourself; and first impressions are important. When you go in for an interview, it is not just your skills and experience that is on display and being judged, it is often the whole person that gets taken into account by the end of the interview. You can have someone with all of the perfect skills needed, but they are a train wreck when it comes to other areas, and those other things get them passed by in favor of someone else.

Time and time again, articles giving you tips for your interview will mention always wearing professional dress when interviewing. Beyond just the typical “dress professionally” comment, there are also tips in respect to the types of colors to wear depending on the type of position/environment you are entering into. Most everyone has probably become familiar with some of the more generic color/mood combinations; things like how shades of blue are more calming and reds brings on more aggressive moods. Beyond that, there are some suggested colors that portray different attitudes depending on the type of career.

For those working in a corporate environment, the dress codes tend to be a bit stricter and conservative/business related. Colors in the navy, black, grey and white family are suggested, and may also include shades of purple, blue and brown. Women are encouraged to stick with three-piece ensembles and avoid the appearance of being underdressed. Bright colors such as pink, orange, yellow, etc. tend to convey a less professional, carefree attitude, which may not go over as well in a corporate interview scenario. It is better to keep it more conservative until you find out the official policies.

When it comes to careers that fall into a more creative related field, the corporate code is not the best approach. While the interview is still to be considered a professional and formal experience (meaning leave the mini skirt at home), you can feel freer to bring out the brighter colors and small print designs that may better portray a can-do attitude. It is still suggested that women stick with the three-piece ensembles and avoid being under dressed, but again, lighten things up color wise.

So, aside from all of the prep-work you do with researching the position, the company, practicing the interview questions, and all of the other interview tips everyone here at Nexxt has written about, also keep in mind some of these styles and color recommendations that have been reported as more appropriate to match your career.  Every little ounce you can squeeze from your first impression can be of benefit to you in the long run.