Dressing for an Interview

It sure is a spectacular view.

When I was younger I worked across the street from the Short Hills Mall, an exclusive mall in New Jersey.  On countless lunch breaks my co-workers and I would run over there and pretend that we could afford the high priced goods at these very high end stores. Since there was no such thing as a “business casual” dress code back then, we were dressed in our suits, heels and pearls. We looked like we fit in and the sales help would flock to us with dollar signs in their eyes.  I remember going over to the same mall on a Saturday when I was dressed in jeans and sneakers. No sales person attacked me; no one even bothered to come over. It opened my eyes to how people make snap decisions based upon our looks and clothing.

Let’s flash forward to February 16, 2013.  My husband and I took a trip to a local IKEA to look at some kitchen displays and storage cabinets for our destroyed Hurricane Sandy home.  Dressed in a sweatshirt, leggings and sneakers I was ready to haul heavy boxes if need be.  While we were there I suggested that we take a look at a wedding reception venue that was in the same area.  Our daughter was recently engaged and was interested in the pricing of some of the local, northern NJ venues. I realize that we should have called first but when we asked for a brochure in one of the exclusive restaurants, we were shown to the door with a yellow sticky note containing an email address. Again, first impressions are lasting and this restaurant host must have thought that we were two homeless souls looking to get out of the cold.

What does this have to do with the job search? Since first impressions continue to be what people remember, you must dress properly for your interview. Too many hiring managers have automatically discounted someone who doesn’t make an effort to dress in a clean, pressed manner.  It helps to find out what the dress code is in an organization and dress above it.  By dressing professionally, you have crossed the first hurdle and will be remembered for the contributions that you might make to the company rather than the joker who showed up in the wrinkled, stained or inappropriate clothing.