Not the most exciting outfit, but I hardly post “work” outfits anymore so thought I’d throw one in just to mix things up. This is a pretty typical outfit for me when I meet with clients. As a consultant and especially when I meet clients for the first time, I’d rather be a bit more boring and traditional than try to be “stylish”. I also feel this way about interviews and I’ve had more than my fair share of interviewees that have come in to interview with me wearing questionable outfits. I understand wanting to put a little bit of your personality into your outfit but don’t go overboard. Stick to nice slacks, blouse (tuck it in!), a blazer if you feel it’s necessary and simple accessories. Also, just because your pants are black doesn’t make them work appropriate. If the fabric and fit are more on the leggings side, I’d say leave them at home. Just saying 😉 I’m all for leggings and skinny jeans just not for an interview. First impressions are important and of course it’s not just your appearance that will get you hired but it’s something that we do notice. I can say that out of everyone that I’ve ever interviewed and hired, I’ve known within the first 10-15 minutes of meeting and talking to them if I would hire them or not. Very few have been able to switch it around in the last few questions of the interview.
I don’t consider myself an expert but I’ve been in HR long enough and have interviewed enough people to notice the common mistakes that people make while being interviewed. My quick advice is to do your homework beforehand – research the company, make a list of questions that you have about the company and the position, prepare yourself for the questions they might ask, make a list of your accomplishments in your previous jobs. This way, you can walk in confident and prepared to answer questions right off the bat. Also, don’t assume that we’ve read your resume so repeat everything on your resume but in much greater detail. Remember that handy accomplishments list that you put together? When you’re talking about your previous positions, bring up those accomplishments and how it contributed to your job, your team, your company. Don’t be afraid to talk about how awesome you are! People only want to hire the best and the only way we can find out if you are the best is if you tell us. Your resume can only say so much.
I could probably way more about this topic but I won’t bore those of you who aren’t interested. If you have any other questions about interviewing leave a comment or email me and I’ll see if I can help! 🙂
One last thing… I’m loving Mary Jane pumps and sharing my Splurge and Save picks over on the smarter blog!
Did you see the Refinery 29 Reserve deal? 
