Living in the 21st century is rife with contradictions in almost every area of our lives. From what we wear to the foods we ‘should’ be eating, there is always someone who disagrees. However, when it comes to how you should dress for a job interview, there should be no discussion. You should be well-groomed and dressed in business casual attire. With that said, let’s look at a few examples of what constitutes business casual dress before looking at why it’s important to dress well when appearing for a scheduled job interview.
What Exactly Is Business Casual Attire?
For men, that’s an easy question to answer. Typically, it means wearing a shirt and tie and casual pants, but not jeans. Men can go with or without a jacket, but that tie is extremely important if you are set to impress. We’ll get into that a bit more in a moment.
When it comes to what women should wear on a job interview, she actually has more choices than her male counterpart. Women can wear a pants suit from the collection of designer Max Mara womenswear or they can wear dresses, but knee-length dresses are preferable. You never want to show too much skin so separate pieces that show the midriff should be avoided at all costs. In fact, the Max Mara collection has business casual designer separates that can be mixed and matched quite easily. This way, you will not need to wear the same exact outfit you did for that interview that landed you the job but can wear tops with other bottoms and vice versa.
The Main Reason for Business Casual Attire – Professionalism
It doesn’t matter how high or low on the corporate ladder the position is that you are seeking because it is simply the professional thing to do by arriving in casual business attire. Every job you take on should be approached with a level of professionalism that is often neglected in contemporary society. Sometimes it seems that we’ve become too lax and approach life with a laissez faire attitude. That’s not something a protective employer likes to see in job candidates. It doesn’t matter if you are seeking a job in maintenance or as a company administrator; how you dress speaks volumes on your view of what it means to be professional on the job.
What You Wear Is a Reflection of Who You Are
We have often been told to “never judge a book by its cover,” but this isn’t the case when it comes to recruiting staff. An employer absolutely will run with that almighty first impression when sizing up potential candidates for various positions. It is widely understood that what we wear is a reflection of who we are and if we show up for a job interview in attire that is more suitable for a day on the beach, then a prospective employer will believe that this person thinks more of comfort than they should. Yes, it is important to wear clothes that fit well so that discomfort doesn’t interfere with your work, but that doesn’t mean that you should dress too casually because a boss doesn’t want to hire someone who has an overly casual approach to work. The two simply don’t match!
Showing a Level of Self Respect
Finally, what you wear reflects your level of self-respect. What you wear to a job interview indicates whether or not you believe in yourself. To dress too casually shows that you have no respect for yourself and what you want others to think about you, but the other extreme can be equally damaging. To show up for a job interview with a pair of imported Italian leather shoes that cost more than most people pay for rent in a quarter seems to imply that you might be arrogant, to say the least. You don’t want to flaunt a Rolex, for example, even if it was a gift or an award from a previous employer. If you do wear that watch given as an award for going above and beyond, it may be something you want to mention.
The point is, you need to respect yourself enough to arrive on time, dressed appropriately and well groomed. These are all things that weigh heavily when being considered for employment. If you respect yourself and your employer enough to dress professionally while arriving on time, it shows that you value yourself and the work that you do. You want to dress just well enough to indicate a professional attitude but not so well that you view yourself as a member of the board of directors. Wear something comfortable by all means, but stylish enough to exude a professional persona. What you wear definitely will have an impact on that interview, so take the time to choose your outfit carefully and you will be rewarded for your efforts. That job is as good as yours!
