Dress for the Job- For women

We dress to make a statement. During an interview, the statement to be made is: “I will be taken seriously”. In the world of professionals, this often means to dress on the conservative side. Flashy clothing, skin-showing, accessory dangling will only deter the employer from looking at the talents and skills at hand. So before unknowingly making a mistake by poor clothing choice, educate yourself to what is acceptable and what isn’t:

Head:

• Hair: The key is to look groomed and professional. Tame unruly hair into a bun or ponytail. Wear a headband. Try to keep hair out of the face to prevent fidgeting hands that will later swipe loose hairs mid-interview.
• Face: Wear minimal make-up: use ‘soft’ colors and stay away from glitter. Red lipstick is acceptable since red is a power-color, and it will draw attention to your mouth, where your important ideas will be verbalized.
• Ears: Earrings are acceptable as long as they are kept simple and small.
• Neck: Necklaces are acceptable as long as they are thin and unnoticeable.

Upper Body:

• Nails: To be safe, remove all nail polish unless nails appear ‘natural’- Acrylics (short to mid length) and clear top-coat/nude colors are acceptable.
• Hand & Arms: Minimize jewelry. Wear only what is needed.
• Blouse/Dress-shirt: Wear either a blouse or dress-shirt in the colors of cream or white. Simplicity and modesty is key, so stay away from frills, low-cuts, sheer fabric, and/or lace. Make sure it is fitted but not too tight, ironed so there will be no creases evident!
• Sweater/Blazer/Jacket/Coat: On the top of the conservative scale is the suit blazer/coat and on the bottom is the sweater. Dress according to weather and professionalism needed.

Lower Body:

• Skirt: Skirts are a tricky topic in regards to the length and style. Pencil skirts that pull to 2 inches above knee when sitting, is the perfect length. Nude or opaque hosiery is required.
• Dress Pants: Black dress pants are interview clothing staple. Make sure it is tailored so that it fits just right, and iron to appear crease-free.
• Khakis/Slacks: are second-best to a pair of a clean black dress pants. Slacks should maintain a crease lining down and neither should be stretch-style.

Feet:

• Shoes: Open-toed shoes are unacceptable. Heels higher than 1 ½ inch are unacceptable. Classic black pumps or women-oxfords with small or no heel are acceptable.

Color Talk:

• Black is a timeless and stylish color. It demands authority and symbolizes power. It can be overwhelming or “too strong” so soften by accenting with white or pastel colors. 
• Grey or Navy is an excellent color for more conservative factions.
• Blue is a favored color by male-interviewers. Fashion consultants recommend wearing blue to job interviews because it symbolizes loyalty.
• White, cream, light grey or blue are great neutral colors for blouse or shirt. These are colors that appear ‘clean’ and ‘light’.
• Yellow is a hard color to pull off, but does give the impression of a creative and productive person. It also draws attention.
• Red is a powerful color for small accents. It helps to draw attention.
• Orange known to encourage conversation, use as accent.

These are some general rules in regards to dressing for interviews. But different companies have different dress-codes so it may be a smart idea to check with Human Resource (prior to interview) on how strict the company is on professional appearance. Always remember the bigger picture, the employer should be engaged in what you can offer to the company, not distracted by your clothing-choice.