Guide To Interview Attire

One of the questions I get the most is how to dress when you are going for an interview. Basic life skills, guys- you have to know it. Obviously everyone knows you want to look your best, but what is considered professional? Whats business casual? Should you always interview in a suit? As someone that has been both interviewed and done the interviewing, there are keys to being successful. I'm here to feed you, baby birds.

When you land an interview- research the company. Always. You should never not know what you're walking into. Look for the office culture, see if there are professional pictures of the staff and pick up a few basic facts about the company to impress the interviewer with if they ask if you checked them out. The first two items I mentioned are what we need right now, the third was just a friendly life tip because I care about you.

Professional pictures will tell you what you should interview in for the most part. You know the ones, everyone has to put on their suit and shove into uncomfortable spaces next to the coworkers they only like because they have to and then smile at the cheesy photographer when he says, "say 'load paper!" You can just see the pain in their eyes, but that picture is also telling you what their ideal image is for the company. Be that image. It may not be what you will have to wear every day, but you should always dress one level "up" from their daily attire. Lets hit those next:

Business Professional

Business professional:
What you could wear: Suits, heels and well tailored separates.
What I would interview in: A black or neutral colored suit. Skirt that hits below the knee, blouse tucked in with a blazer, heels under 4". Minimal jewelry, minimal visible name brand logos.
Environment examples: firms, corporate offices, government/politics

Business Casual

Business casual:
What you could wear: Dresses and skirts that hit at or below the knee, Separates including slacks and untucked but well maintained tops.
What I would interview in: A suit. Skirt that hits below the knee, blouse tucked in with a blazer, heels under 4". Remember that you want to interview in attire one step above the daily dress code.
Environment examples: smaller firms, some corporate offices, banking, mortgage

Casual

Casual:
What you could wear daily: jeans and khakis with a casual top or tee.
What I would interview in: A button down or nice top with slacks or well tailored pants. No distress in jeans, if jeans are allowed.
Environment examples: service industry, small business, industrial work

Uniformed:
What you could wear daily: Uniform provided by company or clothes within company guidelines.
What I would interview in: Business Casual; same as above.
Environment examples: large chain service industry; automotive; city/county employment

Exceptions: If you are in a niche market, or in a new and cool tech job (i.e. Buzzfeed, Google, a hip start up in the fashion industry etc) know the culture. I cant stress it enough. Some companies dont want stuffy- they want to see personality and they want to know that youre going to get along with Greg the burrito eating champion and genius graphic designer of floor 3. Dress to fit the culture, but still slightly better than what you would wear daily.

To shop these looks, check out my Polyvore.