The Lion’s Pride: Interviewing - Dress the Part

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The Lion’s Pride: Interviewing

Dress the Part

We drove separately but approached the counter of the trucking firm together. I wore jeans and a polo shirt, while he had a crisp wool suit and tie.

Neither of us left with the job.

The difference, though, was he wanted the shipping and receiving job. I wanted to move a house full of belongings.

I spoke to the manager several times during the course of the project and she made reference to the well-dressed applicant. The manager said he looked more like a customer and I had looked more like an applicant.

Her words rang true with most employers: dress the part. Some will even advise to dress one level higher than the position you're interviewing for.

Just as you wouldn't wear ripped cut-offs and a t-shirt with a funny slogan to interview for a CEO post, so too should you avoid overdressing like the applicant at the trucking firm.

Here are a few additional things to avoid (but, unfortunately, are all too common):

Under dressing. You may have a beautiful body, but showing it off with a skimpy outfit won't help your job prospects. This may sound like common sense to most of us, but I've witnessed this error many, many times.

Flamboyances. We all have our own styles and tastes. When interviewing, however, avoid outlandish ties (e.g. fish ties, wooden ties, etc.), bold colors (e.g. bright orange shirts, two-tone shoes, etc.), and prints (e.g. palm trees, Elvis, etc.). You can show off your style slowly - after you've been on the job for a few weeks - but don't vie to be called "goofball."

Dressing for someone else’s body type. Wear clothes that fit. If you're a person of size, don't wear clothes that used to fit; avoid clothes that overstress buttons and stretch fabrics. Similarly, if you're a thin person, avoid baggy clothes. Tall? Short? Wear pants, suits and shirts appropriate to the length of your legs, arms and torso.

IN THE CARAVAN: Conservatively dress for the position you're interviewing for.

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Negotiating Pay / The Questions You Hate to Answer / Nerves? Schmerves! / Pre-Interview Prep / Dress the Part / How to Show Your Portfolio / Speaking Of Pay... / All Shapes and Sizes / Interview Practice / What To - And NOT To Reveal / Andre's Answers and Roger's Requests / Practice Like The Karate Kid / Building Rapport 101 / Be a S.T.A.R. / Worst...Interview...Answers...Ever. / The Five Most Important Questions for You to Ask / Reflecting for Rapport / 18 Questions You're Bound to Hear / The Phone Interview / Negotiating With Mr. Smith, Part I / Negotiating With Mr. Smith, Part II: My Pete Rose for Your Reggie Jackson and Matchbox / Negotiating With Mr. Smith, Part III: Smith vs. Jones vs. Greene / Remove Thy Foot from Thy Mouth / Body Language 101 / Interviewing Disasters / Hire Your Boss / Keeping Your Cool Under Pressure / Returning the Question / The Dinner Interview / What You Want? Baby, You Know I Got It! / Know Your Industry / You Don’t Need to be a Psychic / Training / The Hippo Technique / Dropping Names / Marking Your Territory / The Walk-On Role / Body Language: The 15 Signals Hiring Managers Send and How to Read Them / You Have GOT to be KIDDING Me! / Taking a Drop: Re-Interviewing After the Fact / Proposing Your Own Job / Answering Self-Employment Questions: The Self-Employment Paradox