Happy Wednesday!
I know I haven't posted here in the W3 section of the blog in a few weeks, but that's because both Christmas and New Years fell on Wednesdays, and I of course was spending time with family, as I'm sure many of you were as well! But now, I'm back with what I believe is a great post for the New Year. As we all know, New Year's sparks a lot of changes among us, some permanent and some temporary. One of your "new year's resolutions" may have been to start a new job. I wanted to create a post that would explain what you should and should not do, in terms of dressing, to potentially land your dream job, so let's get started!
We all may have struggles, some more than others, with remaining focused on an issue at hand or just remaining attentive in a conversation. Chances are your interviewer may experience that as well. We for sure do not want him or her to become uninterested or disconnected from you during the interview! So how can you dress in a way that will captivate your interviewer's attention longer? Here's how:
1. Avoid wearing black and white. The days of wearing dark and dreary colors to an interview are over. But of course you don't want to over do it with extreme brights, such as neon! Wear a solid colored top that's in a color that compliments your skin-tone. This will make your skin appear more luminescent and give a nice glow to your face, where you want the attention to be placed, since you'll be speaking. Watch my video on determining your skin-tone here, to learn which colors would look best on you!
2. Wear a buttoned up collared shirt. Button up shirts are more professional and they give a more well put together vibe to your look, which is what you want. However, I don't suggest you button your collar all the way up to the last button, since it can make you appear cut off and stuffy. You want to show a part of your neck. A button up collared shirt brings more attention to your face, mainly because of the collar. Tops that have wider necklines typically draw attention away from the face. I do want to also mention that you should not have the top buttoned down to the point where any cleavage is visible. It can give the wrong impression.
3. Focus on brightening up your upper body, not your lower. This may seem a bit confusing coming from me, if you are an apple shape, especially. The reason I'm suggesting you don't in this particular situation is because you want more focus to be placed on your face, again, since you'll be speaking and you want the interviewer to pay attention to what your saying. That being said, of course, don't wear a top that's too snug. Pair the top with a slightly wider pant leg to balance the attention being placed on your upper body to avoid appearing top heavy.
4. Tuck your top into your pants. Tops that are not tucked in can appear sloppy and may make the interviewer think that you don't care about your presentation.
5. Wear a shoe with a heel. I know many of you out there don't like wearing heels and prefer flats, but an interview is not the place for them. You don't have to wear a dramatic heel and I don't suggest you do. The last thing you want is to trip and fall because your shoes are too uncomfortable! Wear a descent sized heel that'll give a little height. This is something I strongly suggest to all my petites. Unfortunately, there are stereotypes and an interviewer may have some of his or her own, which we are all guilty of at some point. Some we can control and others we can't. However, when it comes to height, we don't want the interviewer to view you as looking childish, especially if you look younger than your age.
6. If at all possible, wear stud earrings that are within the same color palette as the top you are wearing. This will maintain the primary focus on your face, where we want it.
7. Lastly, you want to keep the accessories to a minimum. You don't want to wear so much jewelry that you sound like jingle bells walking down the hall way or look like Mr. T, especially if you tend to use your hands from time to time when you speak, which I'd suggest to try not to do.
I hope these tips made you feel more confident in selecting the best outfit for your interview. Depending on the job position you are looking to obtain, you may want to consider adding a blazer, tailored for your body shape on top. You want your clothing to appear well tailored to your body and shape, not too lose and not too tight! Remember to approach the situation with confidence in yourself and your capabilities.
I wish you the best in this new chapter in your life!
XO,
