'Interview suit'

looksee

I've been asked to help shopping for an 'interview suit'! First professional job, female, level 9 science graduate. Not much interested in formal clothes but aware of need for smart appearance. Skirt or trousers.

My feeling is that the 'black suit' might just tend to be yet another black suit in front of the interview panel, am wrong about this? Better to be safe? Can you go smart and professional in something other than black? Heels and trousers? Any thoughts, please?

leeroybrown

For an interview I'd always suggest a dark coloured (not necessarily black) suit with a good quality white blouse and simple jewellery. Skirt or trousers is personal preference. If it's done right a well cut classic business suit looks great on most women and absolutely no one can have an issue with it. It'll also not go out of fashion so it'll still be good for it's purpose in five years time. I know it's probably not quite what she wants herself but getting a job is about what the interviewers want. There's nothing wrong with yet another black suit if it looks good.

kizzykat

The most important thing is to be comfortable in what you're wearing. By that, I don't mean wear your pj's, but a dressy version of what you might wear on an average day. If you'd never dream of wearing a skirt normally, wearing one in an interview will put you on edge. Formal suit jackets can also be awkward for women to wear if you're not used to shoulder pads.

I personally am a big fan of a nice dress and fitted blazer over a suit any day. Both Zara and Mango have some dressy, comfortable and reasonably priced options in the sale, which should set you apart from the interview clones.

Best of luck!

Kiz

Sugar Free

Coming from a male perspective, I wouldn't dream of attending an interview for a professional position in anything other than a suit. Even more so if this is a graduate or first career job. I don't think that should change just because this person is female.

Personally I think black is a bit too powerful and would opt for a medium/dark grey or navy suit instead.

Irish_Elect_Eng

I agree, for men the only option is a suit for most office positions. But there is a huge range of scope with the image you can project by selecting the right shirt and tie to go with the suit. One thing that is often overlooked is the belt-shoes combination, brown is a better option than black, more individual while still being conservative.

A good rule of thumb is to dress one step more formally than the environment in which you will be working. i.e. if the office environment is casual then dress smart casual, if the office environment is smart casual then formal....

The key to dressing for an interview:

• Look Professional (Depends on the job).
• Avoid Extremes, Color, Cut or Style.
• Very Simple or No Jewelry (Watch and wedding rings only for guys)
• Simple Un-Fussy Hair Styles.
• No Perfume / Aftershave.
• Perfectly polished shoes (Guys you know who you are :-) )

Your outfit should not distract from you, either by being under dressed or over-dressed, it should complement your presentation.

UMMMM

Irish_Elect_Eng wrote: »

I agree, for men the only option is a suit for most office positions. But there is a huge range of scope with the image you can project by selecting the right shirt and tie to go with the suit. One thing that is often overlooked is the belt-shoes combination, brown is a better option than black, more individual while still being conservative.

A good rule of thumb is to dress one step more formally than the environment in which you will be working. i.e. if the office environment is casual then dress smart casual, if the office environment is smart casual then formal....

The key to dressing for an interview:

• Look Professional (Depends on the job).
• Avoid Extremes, Color, Cut or Style.
• Very Simple or No Jewelry (Watch and wedding rings only for guys)
• Simple Un-Fussy Hair Styles.
• No Perfume / Aftershave.
• Perfectly polished shoes (Guys you know who you are :-) )

Your outfit should not distract from you, either by being under dressed or over-dressed, it should complement your presentation.

Personally I would go for formal dress as suits are very hot ! Also tend to drown most smaller ladies.everyone else has said muted tones I agree but don't be afraid to add a splash of colour if this suits the girls personality.

Mrs OBumble

It depends on whether the woman in question would ever consider wearing a frock in the office: I wouldn't, and therefore wouldn't wear one at interview.

Do colour and looking feminine with the shirt and maybe scarf (if she's that kind of woman). Bland suit. Modest jewellery and makeup. Basically she wants to look presentable / professional - but let her interview answers be what is remembered, not her clothes.

IMHO.

looksee

Thank you for all the replies. While she wears skirts sometimes she says she would go with trousers for a suit, with small heels. She has a good figure and is tallish, so trousers look good on her. I think we are agreed on a darkish suit and a shirt with a bit of colour. She doesn't tend to wear jewellery. Next thing is to get a professional cut on her mane of hair!