Before an interview, it’s often important to make your research about the corporate culture of the company, if possible watch employees going in and out of the company, just to get an idea of what’s acceptable in the company.
An interview is neither the place nor time to show your edgy self with much elegance, puffed up. To impress an interview panel, you need to show qualities like honesty, confidence, competence, intelligence, integrity etc
You have to wear a suit! A crisp and well tailored suit.
When choosing a suit for an interview, it’s very important to pick the right colours. Navy suits and grey suits are perfect for an impressive appearance. Stay away from black, except you are being interviewed by a law firm, in which case a grey suit is also acceptable. Black is a little more formal; the idea is for you to look warm and approachable. At REALS, we recommend a grey suit as it is classy, stylish, and gives the impression of humility, while a navy blue suit gives the look of an average stylish well groomed young man with a clear sense of purpose and foresight beyond the credentials he’s holding.
After picking the perfect suit, next is the shirt. This appears irrelevant, but it’s actually very important, as it transcends your personality beyond the jacket. Two options are most appropriate; a white shirt and a sky-blue shirt. The reason is both fit perfectly with the suits above. Sky-blue gives the impression of an honest, neat gentleman; white gives the calm, clean and transparent look. The reason why the shirt colour is so important is this: Every interview panel looks forward to employing a very smart individual who is up to the task. They want to see beyond the credentials and figure out the sort of person you are. Your appearance helps them develop an idea before you even start speaking. The first element of your look that meets their eyes is your shirt. It reflects the inner person, so not just any colour should be picked. Again, please do not wear a black shirt: it’s not appropriate.
With the perfect suit and tie in place, the next vital piece is the TIE! Remember when going for an interview, you are not looking to be seen as flashy or bossy. Thus the tie and shirt colour and pattern must be carefully considered. When picking the perfect tie, think red, yellow, grey and blue. Stay away from the bold colours like green purple, lime, pink… For patterns go with a solid, striped pattern, avoid polka-dots, paisley, or checkered ties. Also you should avoid any tie with much design like trees, figures and all… you don’t want to come off as a drama queen. We would recommend stripped ties, grey, blue or red. Striped grey and blue neck-tie… perfect! Grey reflects honesty and class, while blue reflects sincerity and purity… great qualities! And also the ties would fit into the grey or navy blue suit perfectly. When you knot the tie, make sure it is symmetrical on the larger side, and if your knot it dimpled, it should not be too big a dimple, preferably on the left side. You want to give a business look as not to appear too casual.
For accessories, if wearing a shirt that requires you use a set of cufflinks, its advisable that you go with a set of neutral cufflinks, one without much designs and colours, a plain gold or silver pair of cufflinks would be ok.
To give a complete sartorial look, a brown pair of shoes would look absolutely fantastic with the grey or navy suit, but you are going for an interview, a black pair of shoes would be perfect: simple and conservative. Be sure to wear a belt, one that matches your shoes, both in colour and texture. The buckle should be simple, the leather should be clean and it should go round you waist neatly.
Think simple and you can’t go wrong
Always wear a pocket square on your suit; it speaks volumes of your person, expresses you style. The pocket square should match your shirt or tie, totally up to you. It should be folded neatly; you do not want to create a distraction.
Looking perfect for that interview is not complete without a nice haircut. Get a haircut a day or two before the interview, that way it would still be neat. Its advisable to shave your facial hair, a clean cut will do.
· Also do not go into that interview with any form of jewelry such as earrings, rings except your wedding ring, if you are married.
· Wear a watch, not a flashy watch or something dangling, preferably a leather watch, one with a watch-face that is not too big. It sets the tone for the interview, gives the impression that you are responsible and you keep to time.
· Be punctual, and punctual here means at least 15mins to the interview time.
· When you walk into the interview, if you wearing a two button suit, only the top button should be buttoned.
When you walk in shake hands, and smile. Before you sit down, make sure you unbutton your jacket. Do not take off your jacket.
· Also do not wear a cologne that day, because you do not know if someone there might be sensitive or might not like you particular brand.
· Do not go there empty handed, carry some type of case, like a simple file holder for your credentials/files. Please not a bag pack or a computer bag.
Once again, smile! It tells them that you’re confident and relaxed. Be yourself!
Aided by these important sartorial tips, that dream job would be yours.
Styling tips twitter:@realsfashion realsfashion@yahoo.com
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