Interview Attire - What NOT to Wear

I am not conservative. Not even a little. I recently stopped to jealously admire a young lady who was wearing a sequined mini dress with knee high Converse tennis shoes to a school dance. I love stilettos, short skirts, bright colors, odd accessories, and huge earrings. I am super creative and my idea of dressing to impress includes wearing something unusual like a scarf that looks like it was attacked by a dog or earrings that were made by a 6 year old. (Seriously, I actually recently bought some ribbon rose and feather earrings that were made by a 10 year old and I LOVE them!)

As much as I would like to think that getting “noticed” at a job interview is a good thing, being noticed for the WRONG thing is worse than not being noticed for everything you've done right.

Tip of The Day

A job interview is NOT the time to dress creatively or provocatively.

Before I start to talk about the style do's and don'ts for a job interview let me address the men, or, the men in your lives. Men have it easy. There are basically only four options they/you need to consider.

1. Loafers or dress shoes (NO tennis shoes!)
2. Ironed Docker style pants or slacks (NO jeans!)
3. Button down shirt with a tie, or without one (NO tee shirts!)
4. Sport coat, suit jacket, or none (NO leather, jean jackets, or logos!)

There you go. Interview wardrobe rules for men. Too easy. Really now.... Even if men forget to match their belt with their purse, um, I mean shoes...it's not that hard to look really great. (I am assuming, of course, that basic grooming which includes shaving is on the pre-interview list of things to do)

Now, ladies, we don't have it so easy, but there are a few basic rules that we can apply to our interview wardrobe that does not include thigh high lace stockings and bling. (Yes,there are exceptions to these rules but they are so exceptional that if you're considering a job where you can throw out these rules, you already know it.)

So, in the best interest of brevity, I'll leave the hair and makeup styling to you and your stylist's blog, magazine, or local TV station for inspiration so we can move on to the ladies check list for a rockin' interview outfit:

1. Ironed flat front slacks, dress or skirt (NO jeans or dress / skirt hems above the knee)
2. Flats, mules, or low heels (NO stilettos, sandals, loafers, or...do I have to say it...NO tennis shoes!)
3. Sleeved blouse, shell, or sweater (NO low cut necklines, sleeveless, or faded cotton anything!)
4. Minimal and simple accessories (NO oversized rings, earrings, or bracelets.)
5. Simple solid colored or minimally patterned jacket when appropriate.

I'll now avoid the overused “You never get a second chance to make a good first impression” cliché' and the “You feel great when you look great” advice. I won't remind you that bosses are looking for people who exude confidence and not designer labels. I'll just close with a brief personal story.

Last week I broke my own rules. I went to an interview in a sleeveless dark red sheath dress with bright white stilettos that perfectly matched my pearl accessories. I was interviewing with a panel of 4 professionals and two of them were women. Don't get me wrong, I looked absolutely fabulous. But the minute I walked into the room both women took one look at my slightly-over-the-top interview outfit and glared at me. I didn't get the job. Maybe my outfit was just distracting enough to be the reason, maybe not. I'll never know.

But had I not worn it, I wouldn't have to wonder.