Dress for Success

I believe that one of the big questions you, reader, have before the interview is "What do I wear?" There are a few basic guidelines to help you know what to choose.

• Dress to fit the job you are interviewing
• Better to overdress
• If uncertain about business casual, you can wear something that can be easily converted. For the women a pair of slacks with a blouse and jacket can easily be toned down by slipping off the jacket.

I will never forget my experience of being told the event I was attending was business casual. I wore a blouse, sweater, and dress pants and felt as though I would be overdressed. When I arrived, I found out I was just right. While twill pants may be casual to some, in a corporate environment business casual is not as casual. Be aware of what would be normal dress and then just back off a little, not all the way down to jeans!

Forbes offers suggestions for what to wear to attain a traditional look at (http://www.forbes.com/business/2006/04/11/office-dress-codes-cx_sr_0411officedress.html).

For men:

Least Appropriate to Most Appropriate

• A button-down shirt
• Polished black shoes
• A blue, black or gray jacket
• Slacks that complement the jacket
• Conservative tie
• Matched socks

For women:

Least Appropriate to Most Appropriate

• A skirt to the knee, slacks and perhaps pantsuits
• Simple jewelry
• Just a hint of makeup
• Go easy on the perfume or skip it altogether
• Polished flats or moderate heels
• Sweaters
• Pantyhose may be the office standard

Click on men and women for reviews from different types of companies from accounting firms to hotel management about the above pictures. It helps give you an idea of what is appropriate for different industries.

As a last suggestion, make sure you "break in" your new clothes, especially shoes. My boss went
to an extended trade show where he was standing on cement for hours in new shoes. He was in extreme pain with each step he took by the end.