INTERVIEW ATTIRE

A simple fact of life is that we form immediate opinions about people we meet based on our first impression. Interviewers are no different and on many occasions they make immediate judgment based on the way a candidate has presented himself or herself for interview.

Do yourself a favour and give yourself every opportunity to make a good first impression. In order to promote yourself as a serious candidate you must present yourself at interview in a professional manner.

Turning up for interview looking unprofessional and untidy will be a serious impediment to your aspirations for your job search. Clearly it is a sign to the interviewer that you are not taking the interview seriously, which in itself is disrespectful. Secondly it is apparent that you don’t take yourself too seriously and this too makes it difficult for the interviewer to respect you.

Choose your attire accordingly and present yourself impeccably groomed, looking neat and professional. It will enhance your image before an interviewer and give you additional confidence as you prepare to answer some tough interview questions.

When we look good we feel good and indeed appropriate dress will heighten your sense of self-esteem as you prepare to enter your interview.

While your clothes will not guarantee you get the job they can guarantee that you don’t. Personal hygiene is an important point. Interviews can lead to emotional sweats and it is extremely important that you project a pristine image.

Pay particular attention to your fingernails, breath and hair. One of the most terrible scenarios for an interview is to attempt to conduct an interview made even more difficult due to poor personal hygiene.

Remember that it is not just a cliché. First impressions really do count and there isn’t the time at interview to redeem yourself if you have created a negative impression initially.