Part advice column, part career resource, we are here to answer your questions about job searching, hiring, culture concerns, recruiting, and business in general. If you have a question you want us to answer, submit it HERE. Be sure to tune in every Monday as we answer the questions that YOU want to know the answers to.
Q: How should I dress for a job interview? And what if the job interview is over Skype?
It’s always extremely important to dress well for a job interview, even if that interview is happening over video conference. This isn’t because you will necessarily be wearing a suit or dress to work every day (although with some industries and companies that is actually 100% the case), but rather because it makes you seem professional, qualified, and like you are taking the opportunity very seriously. So do not show up in a tuxedo, but do make sure you invest in several good pieces of clothing you can use for interviews. For people who dress in a more masculine fashion, that means button-down shirts, nice pants (NEVER jeans or any kind of workout material), and probably a tie or a suit jacket. For people who dress in a more feminine fashion, that means a nice pantsuit, dress slacks, blouses, cardigans, pencil skirts, or a dress of similar long length.
Ultimately you want to look clean, responsible, and professional. As with many things, it’s important to not go too far in either direction, meaning that you don’t want to dress down OR overdress. But in general, it’s better to err on the side of being overdressed rather than under-dressed. If you don’t have the funds to buy very expensive interview clothes, that is okay! There are plenty of other options out there, like borrowing from a friend, or checking out a thrift store (which usually have very affordable finds that work perfectly for job interviews).
If you are doing a virtual interview, the same rules apply. You might feel silly wearing a tie in your living room while you talk to your computer screen, but it can definitely help your chances and make a good first impression on the interviewer, who will notice that you made a concerted effort to prepare for this conversation.
