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What to wear at job interviews

• Hair: a good, well-cut, flattering hair cut takes years off. A good hairdresser or barber is worth their weight in gold. Avoid bad home colours or untouched roots. Better grey than the odd ginger hue that poorly applied dyes can create in artificial light. Clean, healthy looking hair with no dandruff, not too much gel or styling product is the best solution. No extreme styles either if the work environment doesn’t warrant it.
• Eyebrows frame the face: for women they must be naturally shaped, for men - trimmed and tidy.
• Hands: clean, well-trimmed nails, no vivid polish for women, keep artificial nails natural looking and not so long that you can’t do your job. Avoid nicotine stains on fingers.
  
• Makeup: less is more for most women. We read somewhere way back that women who wear well-applied, subtle make-up earn more. Who knows? However, the 'nightclub look' definitely doesn’t do for women who aspire to be taken seriously. Many beauty salons offer make up lessons that are well worth the money and you can get a free makeover at most of the top department store beauty counters.
• Fragrance: light colognes on either sex are fine, overpowering, cheap ones can seriously offend. Wear fragrance-free anti-perspirant or deodorant – it’s better for your clothes anyway. Avoid reeking of alcohol or cigarette smoke.
  

 Dressing for success

• For women: moderation in all things, not too much cleavage or leg or anything else for that matter on show. The more skin you show, the less professional you appear.
• For men: no workman’s butt cleavage or beer gut on show or peeping through a shirt. A good, classic, well-cut suit in a serviceable fabric really makes a man look the part at work or at an interview. Better to have a few well-cut suits in basic navy and charcoal and ring the changes with shirts and ties than lots of cheap items. Keep suits well pressed and once the trousers are shiny, discard them. Better still, you could buy one jacket with two pairs of trousers. If formal suits aren’t part of the dress culture of the firm you work for or aspire to work for a jacketed outfit may be suitable. Make sure the weights of the fabrics and colours tone properly. No character ties or socks if you want to be taken seriously. No fancy coloured socks, stick to black and navy. Black shoes, classic styles, well polished.
  
• Be appropriate: if you have or want an edgy or cool job in a fashion store, hairdressing salon or an advertising agency by all means wear what your employer considers appropriate. Just make sure it doesn’t scare the customers.
• Be confident: women don’t have to wear butch, mannish suits to carry off an air of confidence or authority at work, wear something smart that makes you feel and look confident.
  
• Buy quality: good quality fabric, well-cut items that flatter, good shoes and bags are available in most high street stores these days. Buy the best quality items you can afford and look after them properly.
• De-clutter your wardrobe regularly. If you haven’t worn something for three years or more give it to a charity shop. If something can clearly be identified as a 1980s power suit complete with shoulder pads, save it for fancy dress!
• Stay well groomed: keep buttons sewn on properly, zips repaired, hems up, shoes polished and heeled, sweaters de-bobbled and suits free of lint and pet hair.
• Colours: black can appear very austere so unless you’re applying for a job in a funeral home or it’s the company uniform men should stick to dark classics like navy and charcoal. Women can wear these colours and other dark shades such as plum, teal and dark brown.   

Get a professional makeover

 Consider having a full colour, wardrobe and style consultation with an image consultant. Prices start from around £150 and most people who have had this done report that it was well worth the time and the money. It made them feel and look more confident and saved them a lot of money in the long run because they stopped buying styles and colours that didn’t do anything for them. The two companies listed below are the most well known and have many large corporations as clients as well as private individuals. They have local consultants all over the UK. Many large department stores offer personal shopping services so once you have your rules they can make it even easier for you to keep up to date with each season. It’s excellent for busy people, or those who don’t really like shopping.

Is it just how you look that creates a positive first impression?

Personal impact is about other things apart from your looks of course. Improving your posture, knowing how to shake hands properly, having good manners, not fidgeting and controlling your nerves in meetings, looking friendly and confident, are all equally important to that vital first impression if you are applying for a new job or a loan to start your new business. Try out this simple test to guage your personal impact here.

You'll find a more detailed section on image and personal impact in our best selling book 'Rebuilding your life after redundancy' .


Essential Resources

Colour me Beautiful Colour Me Beautiful - find out about training to become an image consultant or booking a consultant to help improve your personal image.

Dress for Success Dressforsuccess.org is an international charity providing appropriate clothing for low income women returners. Dress for Success London will gratefully accept your  donations from Monday to...

Get the 2009 edition of "Rebuilding your life after redundancy" by Janet Davies - only £10.99 ORDER your copy at amazon.co.uk here ! ...

House of Colour House of Colour offer image and colour consultancy to both men and women.

The Federation of Image Consultants The Federation of Image Consultants - information about becoming an image consultant, training courses, Federation membership, choosing and finding an image consultant.