How to Avoid A Fashion Faux Pas at Your Next Job Interview

You’re in the final stages of prepping for your upcoming job interview. There’s just one thing you haven’t quite nailed down: the outfit. Fashion isn’t exactly your strong suit anyway (pun intended!), especially when it comes to dressing for job interviews. From what you’ve read and been told, making a fashion faux pas could be disastrous to your chances of landing the job.

We know how tricky it can be to get interview fashion right, therefore we’ve compiled a set of simple but practical dressing guidelines to help steer you through the process.

But before we delve into the details, let’s go over the basics. If we look at interview fashion as a spectrum, we will find formal business attire on one end (your traditional suit and tie) and relaxed casual on the other (jeans and shirt). But where on the spectrum should you be?

General Rule of Thumb: Comfort First

Whatever you’re wearing needs to be comfortable. Your comfort (or lack thereof) will directly affect your poise and body language. If you’re feeling hot and ill at ease, chances are you won’t be as relaxed and confident as you would be otherwise.

With this in mind, remember to also consider the weather in your dressing choices. If it’s hot and humid, you don’t want to don a heavy suit jacket or multiple layers. Turning up sweaty and stinky will not leave a favourable impression on your interviewer. Opt for light and cool fabrics in tropical climates.

Are you applying for an entry level, junior, middle management or upper management position? Your seniority makes a big difference. If you’re applying for a purely administrative role such as a Finance Clerk, turning up in a formal suit would be overkill. Likewise, if you’re interviewing for a Head of Department position in a corporate work environment, turning up in colourful attire will undermine your authority (unless you’re in a creative sector).

Client-facing or Desk-based

Jobs that involve daily face-to-face interactions with the public (e.g. office or hotel receptionist) will naturally require the individual to be well groomed and presentable. This typically calls for more conservative and businesslike attire, depending on the nature of the company’s business.

Creative or Corporate

A graphic designer wouldn’t strike you as particularly creative if they turned up in a somber black and white suit. Likewise, if you’re interviewing for the position of a Legal Advisor where you need to exude authority and confidence, you wouldn’t dream of turning up in ripped jeans and a t-shirt.

Getting down to specifics, here are a few simple tips to get interview fashion right by industry:

Creative

Example: Graphic design, illustration, copywriting, animation, video, photography, visual merchandising

• Image: Fun, energetic and fresh
• Vibe: Colourful yet professional
• Rules to remember: Showing personality is important but don’t overdo it. Keep it simple. The focus is on your abilities, not your clothes and accessories. Inject lively colours into your ensemble, but nothing too loud.

Corporate

Example: Finance, law, consulting, retail, hospitality

• Image: Trustworthy, smart and efficient
• Vibe: Professional and competent
• Rules to remember: Go for a chic suit that says you’re relevant, intelligent and confident. Once again, keep it simple. Use deodorant if necessary but go easy on the perfume or cologne. It’s important to strike the right balance between smelling fresh and overpowering.

Tech

Example: Programmers, developers, software engineers

• Image: Diligent, focused and intelligent
• Vibe: Creative and resourceful
• Rules to remember: There are no rules for techies in general. It would look weird if you attended your interview in a suit, but anything in the relaxed casual range would work just fine. Obviously it should still be work appropriate, meaning nothing too revealing for women (no plunging necklines or hot pants!) and no sandals and beach attire for the men (not at the interview anyway).

Sales/Retail/Customer Service

• Image: Friendly, warm and helpful
• Vibe: Likeable and sincere
• Rules to remember: Working in a client or public-facing role, your primary focus is to quickly gain the other person’s trust and respect. If they don’t warm up to you, you won’t get very far with your sales pitch or effort to solve their problem. That said, your choice of interview outfit should be smart and businesslike while exuding warm and friendly vibes.

It’s all about striking the right balance. When in doubt, just remember to keep it simple and comfortable. If you find wearing high heeled shoes too painful, go for comfortable flats instead. Keep the focus on your likeable personality and professionalism. Happy interviewing!

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