The first opportunity you and your wardrobe have to impress an employer is during the interview stage. Unfortunately, this initial meeting is the one where you have the least amount of information with which to prepare. At this stage, you probably haven't been to the company before and don't know the specifics of the dress code and office culture.
How should you prepare? Better to overdress a little than under-dress, says Marianne Hancock, account supervisor for public relations firm Golin Harris. "Our office is pretty casual and is a creative setting, but an interviewee wouldn't know that coming in," Hancock says. "I expect business attire, preferably a suit. I want the interviewee to look like they mean business and are mature enough to handle a fast-paced workplace." Hancock's skepticism comes from seeing her share of inappropriate fashions walk into interview rooms.
"If they don't wear their best business attire to an interview, it makes me wonder if they really want the job," she says. "It is hard to take someone seriously wearing flip-flops, a butterfly sweater set and a white puffy skirt."
