{"id":4130,"date":"2019-03-02T21:07:25","date_gmt":"2019-03-02T21:07:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/connect.chemsearchfe.com\/public\/?p=4130"},"modified":"2019-04-01T21:15:57","modified_gmt":"2019-04-01T21:15:57","slug":"suiting-up-for-a-job-interview-presents-the-challenge-of-fitting-in-while-standing-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/connect.chemsearchfe.com\/public\/index.php\/suiting-up-for-a-job-interview-presents-the-challenge-of-fitting-in-while-standing-out\/","title":{"rendered":"Nailing Your Career Part 3: Suit Yourself"},"content":{"rendered":"

Suiting up for a job interview presents the challenge of fitting in while standing out. Ideally, you\u2019ve pegged the company culture using our checklist from parts\u00a01 and 2 of our 7 part series of Nailing Your Career: The World (Wide\u00a0Web)\u00a0Is\u00a0Your Oyster<\/a>\u00a0and Perfect Practice\u00a0Makes Perfect<\/a>. Interview outfits are one way to show your fit into the company\u2019s culture; however, you also want to solidify your memorability in the minds of the selection team. Balance is key, and the following uses the \u201cGoldilocks Principle\u201d of too much, too little and just right to guide your interview outfit decision making.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

Formality<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The culture of the company you are applying to might be casual in nature; however, you aren\u2019t showing up for a day of work there, you are showing up for an interview.<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Too Formal:\u00a0Overdressing for the organization\u2019s culture. For example, showing up in a full Armani finance getup for a business casual environment.<\/li>\n
  • Too Casual:\u00a0Looking like you stumbled into a job interview on the way to your family\u2019s summer get together. For instance, wearing open-toed shoes, athletic wear, strapless tops,\u00a0T-shirts or otherwise revealing clothes.<\/li>\n
  • Just Right:\u00a0Dress in business professional attire. Unless specifically told otherwise, aim for one notch more formal than your potential future co-workers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    \"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

    Comfort<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    Comfort is critical. It\u2019s important that the clothes you choose allow you to stand, sit and move around freely. However, taking comfort to the extreme can be perceived as a lack of care or indifference.<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Too Comfortable:\u00a0Wearing garments that are too big, too long or wrinkled.\u00a0Things like skipping out on a well-fitting suit, pulling a belt through empty pant loops, tailoring, hemming and ironing your final outfit selection.<\/li>\n
    • Too Uncomfortable:\u00a0Putting on apparel that distracts you from the interview due to being ill-fitting. Wearing items such as toe-pinching shoes, tops that ride up or down constantly, or slack-less slacks that force an awkward seated position.<\/li>\n
    • Just Right:\u00a0Dress in attire that makes you feel confident walking in the door, portrays your attention to detail and effort, and that doesn\u2019t distract you once the interview begins.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      \"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

      Style<\/strong><\/h4>\n

      A mutual fit is an essential decision making factor in bringing on a new hire; however,\u00a0it\u2019s much better to express your personality through conversation rather than your outfit.<\/p>\n

        \n
      • Too Much Style:\u00a0Gracing the company with the newest runway look. This is not the time to make a fashion statement. Choosing loud statement pieces or colors that keep the attention and assumptions on your outfit instead of your interview answers. For instance, wearing mostly red can be perceived as aggressive,\u00a0and\u00a0light pastels\u00a0can be viewed\u00a0as timid.<\/li>\n
      • Too Little Style:\u00a0Feeling restricted and sticking to the archaic suit and tie combo. Don\u2019t hesitate to add\u00a0some\u00a0edge such as a skinny tie, tasteful patterned shirt, a brooch or pocket square.<\/li>\n
      • Just Right:\u00a0Black, gray and navy are good\u00a0neutral\u00a0colors. Start with these basics and add in accent colors. Adding in a branded color of the company as your accent piece might even send subliminal signals to the interviewer.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        \"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

        Accessories<\/strong><\/h4>\n

        Accessorizing has the ability to polish and add the finishing touches\u00a0to\u00a0your chosen outfit.<\/p>\n

          \n
        • Too Many Accessories:\u00a0Throwing on every piece of jewelry in your collection or filling in every piercing you\u2019ve acquired over the years. Choosing bracelets, rings, watches or necklaces that make noise with movement or that you will excessively use as fidget tools.<\/li>\n
        • Too Few Accessories:\u00a0Showing up naked of all jewelry. This can be perceived as indifference and lack of care in gearing up for the interview.<\/li>\n
        • Just Right:\u00a0Choose conservative, inconspicuous and well-coordinated pieces of jewelry that won\u2019t distract you or an interviewer from your interview discussions. One accessory you should most certainly have is a pen and portfolio to take notes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          \"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

          Grooming<\/strong><\/h4>\n

          Grooming can make or break the sharp appearance of your final wardrobe selection.<\/p>\n

            \n
          • Too Much:\u00a0Letting everyone know you have arrived well before they see you due to your scent and flare reaching a room before you do. It\u2019s unlikely that you\u2019ve pegged each interviewer\u2019s fragrance partialities and\/or their sensitivity to certain smells, so don\u2019t add in extra cologne or jewelry spritzes (in\u00a0some cases it\u2019s better to avoid\u00a0it\u00a0altogether).<\/li>\n
          • Too Little:\u00a0Letting your unkempt hair unravel all of your work in preparing your interview outfit. Forgetting to return your hair, beards and mustaches, and hands to a well-manicured state.<\/li>\n
          • Just Right:\u00a0Remember less is more;\u00a0keep hair styles, makeup, nails and fragrance to a conservative maximum.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            \"\"<\/p>\n

            First impressions are lasting, and you want yours to last you into a career with the company interviewing you. When preparing for an interview, make sure you take time to organize your notes, plan your answers and practice with a willing volunteer. The same goes for your interview wardrobe. Plan your outfit, and ask for a second opinion. There you have it! You are all set to go to your interview with confidence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            Suiting up for a job interview presents the challenge of fitting in while standing out. Ideally, you\u2019ve pegged the company culture using our checklist from parts\u00a01 and 2 of our 7 part series of Nailing Your Career: The World (Wide\u00a0Web)\u00a0Is\u00a0Your Oyster\u00a0and Perfect Practice\u00a0Makes Perfect. Interview outfits are one way to show your fit into the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":4133,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sfsi_plus_gutenberg_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_show_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_type":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_alignemt":"","sfsi_plus_gutenburg_max_per_row":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[312],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-careers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/connect.chemsearchfe.com\/public\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4130","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/connect.chemsearchfe.com\/public\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/connect.chemsearchfe.com\/public\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/connect.chemsearchfe.com\/public\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/46"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/connect.chemsearchfe.com\/public\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4130"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/connect.chemsearchfe.com\/public\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4130\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4155,"href":"https:\/\/connect.chemsearchfe.com\/public\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4130\/revisions\/4155"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/connect.chemsearchfe.com\/public\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4133"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/connect.chemsearchfe.com\/public\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4130"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/connect.chemsearchfe.com\/public\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4130"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/connect.chemsearchfe.com\/public\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}