It’s not a common question for recruiters. But when speaking with career counselors, you do learn that many people don’t understand how to dress for an interview.
As someone who has handled a lot of entry level roles as a recruiter, and who also had some involvement with career counseling, I can tell you that it’s a common question for new grads.
And it’s also something that people who aren’t tracked for professional jobs also worry about.
I get it! When you’re launching a career that you don’t have any experience with and you come from a working class background, everything can be challenging. There’s so much stress for the person interviewing!
And so many people focus on the resume. It’s like all you hear is Resume! Resume! Resume!
But, really, it’s more than that. It’s presentation. If you show up to a job interview wearing the right outfit, and you ask the right questions, then it can help you more than having a polished resume that someone else wrote for you!
Sidenote, that’s the reason I think that resume writing services are for the most part so overrated. There’s a ton of good resume templates out there. Just use one and have a friend who works in your industry review your resume. Unless you don’t have anyone to review a resume, I’d just DIY your own.
Back on to the main topic though! Can you wear normal clothes to an interview?
Well, let’s see.
What Do You Mean When You Say “Normal”
First off, what the heck do you mean when you say normal. Are jeans and t-shirts what you consider normal clothing?
Well, if that’s the case, then you certainly don’t want to show up in “normal clothing”. It wouldn’t be appropriate.
The issue with this sort of question is that everyone has a different idea as to what “normal” clothing is.
Normal clothing for someone who wears slacks and dress shirts everyday is certainly appropriate. However, if you’re someone who is more casual and then it’s not a good idea to think that you can just show up in your “normal” clothing.
Your Normal Isn’t Their Normal
It’s important to understand that what you consider to be normal isn’t what they consider to be normal.
Perhaps you think that normal clothing is a sundress and flip flops. Well, that’s not appropriate for a business interview.
Likewise, if you walk around in shorts and boat shoes, well I’d advise not going to an interview dressed in that manner.
A career counselor would tell you to avoid anything you think would “show off your personality” or dress in anyway that’s going to make you stand out.
The best advice would be to dress in line with what most other professionals go with—so that’s a suit or business professional attire—and then proceed from there.
An Interview Is A Special Event
What I’m always surprised about is how people don’t seem to understand that an interview is a special event. It’s not something that you can just show up to and then walk away with a job.
People who treat interviews like they are nothing special simply won’t be hired.
Even in todays marketplace where employers are desperate to find people to work, there is still hesitation on the part of a company to hire someone.
Why? Because there is so much downside in the job market today if you hire the wrong employee. You might spend a lot of time training them and then end up with someone who is a poor employee. You know, someone who doesn’t show up on time, someone who can’t finish tasks, someone who doesn’t listen to directions, etc… The list of reasons employers are hesitant to hire people is endless.
Let’s not even get into the landmine that is the current culture. Bosses are getting sued left and right about just about everything.
So if you show up to an interview and act or dress in any way that’s different from a standard professional, you’re basically guaranteeing yourself that you won’t be hired or called back for a second interview.
This is also important for people seeking an entry level job. It's tough enough to get your resume looked at, you don't want to blow it by showing up in jeans.
Dress Accordingly: Casual Isn’t Appropriate
Here’s my short take on this whole thing. Dress professionally to go to an interview.
If you don’t know what that means, then just look at these photos below. It’s simple. You want to dress in what’s called business professional attire.
For men that means a suit or at least a sports coat and slacks. For women that means a suit or a business dress and blouse.
It’s not a wise choice to show up to a job interview dressed like you were meeting your friends for lunch. If you choose to dress like it’s no big deal, then expect nothing to come of the meeting.
Something else to remember is that if the interview is on Zoom you should treat it as if it were in person. There’s no reason to dress casually just because it’s an online interview.
What To Wear To A Job Interview?
Alright, so what exactly are you supposed to wear to a job interview? Honestly, that’s a subject for a much longer piece.
But what I would say here is that you’re going to want to model yourself on a business professional look.
What does that mean? Well, it means for men that you want a suit or a sports suit or slacks.
For women what I suggest is that you choose something in line with a business suit or a business professional appropriate skirt with blouse. And wear nice shoes, skip sneakers and sandals.
Men’s outfits are pretty simple. Just make sure you have a nice navy suit or a sports coat and slacks and dress shoes.
For women, what I suggest is that you go ahead and make sure that you choose something that’s a good look for the office. You don’t want to dress in an outfit that could be considered office casual or even casual.
Keep it professional and make sure that you choose something that’s going to look like it would be sold as a business style outfit.
Be careful if you use a online site to buy your outfit. Some of them categorize outfits as business style outfits, but they really aren’t. So, if you’re filtering using the online sites filter options, just be aware that some of the outfits that they categorize as professional are really not.
Comments
Post a Comment