Job Interview Dress

Often when you need to learn how to tie a tie it is because you have to show up for a job interview in the near future. To help you along and get the most out of your tie knot I put together this page.

At a formal job interview, one of the things you want to project is confidence. This is best accomplished if you use the thick, wide and triangular Windsor Knot to tie your tie.

However, while the tie knot is a very important aspect of your job interview attire, your overall appearance counts as well. Hence, it is important to understand what makes up your entire conservative job interview dress that is still the standard in most corporations.

The following list should give you a good idea of how to dress for a job interview:

• Suit: A conservative, two-piece dark grey or a dark blue business suit would be the ideal suit to wear on the day of your job interview.
• Shirt: A white, long-sleeved dress shirt that is neatly pressed and has a good fit is recommendable.
• Tie: Go for a plain colored, non-distracting, conservative dark blue or dark red necktie made of 100% pure silk.
• Tie accessories: A classic silver tie bar ensures that your tie is held in place during the interview. Without one, you often end up adjusting your tie several times during the interview, which will make you look nervous.
• Shoes: Clean and polished conservative dress shoes, black lace-ups if possible, would be your best choice.
• Socks: Dark socks, black if possible, would be ideally suited.
• Belt: The belt should match the color of your shoes, so go with a black one if possible
• Hair: Make sure that you get a well-groomed hairstyle before the interview. Be aware that short always fares best in interviews.
• Beard: A beard needs to be shaved off.
• Mustache: Mustaches are a possible negative, but if you must, then at least make sure it is neat and trimmed.
• Fingernails: Ensure that they are clean and trimmed.
• Rings: Wedding or college rings are generally acceptable but other rings are not.
• Earrings & piercings: Both earrings and visible body piercings should be taken out on the day of the interview.
• Body odor & fresh breath: Make sure that you do not smell badly and chew some gum before the interview, yet never during the interview.
• Perfume & cologne: Keep perfume and cologne to a minimum.
• Briefcase: Take along a briefcase with a notepad and a pen for any notes you may have to take during or after the interview.

Realizing that this list is quite exhaustive, I still think that you should try to make effort to ensure your job interview attire resembles the one above. Remember, it is almost always better to be higher than the standard than lower. In the end, you are interviewing for your future so every additional effort that sets you apart from your competitors will benefit you eventually.

Consider putting all your clothes on the day before the interview to get an idea of the "big picture", especially if you are not used to wearing formal clothes. In that case, it is better to feel a bit awkward the day before the interview than on the day itself.