INTERVIEWS
Dressing appropriately for an interview
The way an interviewer dresses for an interview definitely matters.
During every research interview conducted by Wicklander-Zulawski, the subject mentions the clothing of the interviewer. One suspect recalled an incident where he was interviewed after he stole from his company. During his interview, he remembered that three interviewers showed up in suits, while he was in a t-shirt and jeans. The conclusion in the subject’s mind was, “They don’t care about me. Why should I help them get rid of me?”
Imagine interviewing a bank president, he’s going to be wearing a suit. If you were in a simple coat with no tie, you’d be underdressed. It would make sense to put a suit on. If you are talking to an employee in the back room, you may want to wear trousers with a dress shirt. Some offices keep an extra set of clothes so that when someone shows up to the interview, the front office associates will inform the interviewers how the person is dressed. The general rule we follow is the interviewer should be dressed “one level above” the interviewee’s choice of clothing.
There are numerous examples of subjects commenting on the interviewer’s manner of dress. Another subject commented, “It felt very casual. The interviewers were sitting around in blue jeans and nice shirts, and it felt like two friends having a conversation. I didn’t realise the trouble I was getting in by talking to them.”
When conducting an interview, be sure to consider what you are wearing. Dress appropriately, take the time to prepare and don’t overlook the little things.
