Job Interviews: Plan Your Appearance to Make a Great First Impression
Your personal appearance is a critical component of that all-important first impression when you walk into the room for your interview. So plan ahead! Some people don't think about what they're going to wear until the morning of the interview. Then they scramble to find something that's appropriate, clean, and doesn't look like it's been slept in. Imagine putting on that rarely used suit an hour before your interview and discovering that it no longer fits! Plan your outfit in advance, try it on to make sure it fits well, and get it cleaned and pressed if necessary. When deciding what to wear, think "conservative business attire." Even if you are interviewing for a field job in which you'll wear jeans and steel-toed boots, those clothes are not appropriate for the interview. It's always better to dress "up" than to dress "down." The key is to look professional. Here are some preparation tips: ? Think about your hair in advance and make sure it's as ready for the interview as your clothes. Do you need a haircut or touch-up on the color? This goes for mustaches and beards, too. ? How are your teeth? If they're not pearly white, consider using one of the many teeth-whitening products on the market today. Dingy teeth really can make a negative impression, so don't ignore this. ? Freshen your breath, especially if it's been a while (or if you've eaten or smoked) since brushing your teeth. Don't go into the interview chewing gum. ? Do not plan to wear perfume or cologne. Having no noticeable scent is better than turning your interviewer off by wearing too much perfume/cologne (or wearing a scent that unpleasantly reminds an interviewer of an ex-spouse). And many people are allergic to ingredients in perfumes and colognes. It's safest to wear no scent at all. ? Women, if you decide on a dress or skirt, make sure it's not too sh ort. Be conservative. By the way, pantsuits are perfectly acceptable these days if they meet all the other criteria. ? Don't forget to consider your shoes. Chose a pair that is stylish, but conservative and comfortable. (Spike heels are not a good idea.) Make sure they're clean and/or shined. Remember, your goal is to look professional and conservative. This applies to makeup, nail polish, jewelry, body piercings, tattoos, etc. If there's any chance that the interviewer might not like it, no matter how "cool" it is, don't let it show! Dress to impress! Bonnie Lowe is author of the popular Job Interview Success System and free information-packed ezine, "Career-Life Times." Find those and other powerful career-building resources and tips at her website: http://www.best-interview-strategies.com.
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Job Interview Mistakes To Avoid
By avoiding these 8 simple mistakes, you can improve your chances of
having a successful interview and landing the job of your dreams.
Do You Need Help Writing A Winning Cover Letter?
Your cover letter is critical to your success. It sets the tone. It is read before your resume and includes vital information about you that every potential employer needs. If you don't have a cover letter, or if you have one that is poorly written, you're setting yourself up for failure. Knowing the crucial elements of a cover letter is imperative to getting in doors and moving your candidacy forward.
Building Your Army of Supporters: How to Build Strategic Relationships in the Work Place!
Once you have accomplished your task of getting in the door and getting the job the real job of career advancement begins!
Surviving Office Politics
It's your first month in a new position and it's rougher going than you'd anticipated.
You feel like an outsider and you're miserable.
Five Powerful Tips for Interns
Interning is about more than earning money during summer break. It's a wonderful way to gain work experience and lay the foundation for your future career. But to get the most out of it, you have to do more than just land the job, show up for work and collect your paycheck. Here are some tips that will help you get the full benefits of interning:
Resumes OR CV : Get That Job
Your resume is your sales document. It tells the world of your achievements, capabilities and roles you have enjoyed. It should standalone and represents you well. To impress your potential employers there are a few guidelines that will help you create an amazing resume.
Why Human Resources Are The Real Key To Success In This Information Age
The rapid changes that have mainly been brought about by the information age are numerous and irreversible. They have affected our way of life on virtually every front and have left many old companies in ruins while causing other new ones to swiftly emerge and grow to great unprecedented profitability, literally overnight.
Why One Word Answers are Bad News at Job Interviews
It takes a lot of time and effort to get invited to a job interview. Don't blow your chances by being misunderstood by the interviewer. Not many people are aware that giving one word answers to questions, substantially increases your chances of conveying the wrong impression.
Don?t Be Too Passionate About Your Work
Of course, she then offered me a six-month process, costing thousands of dollars to get me back on track. However, I must say she was ethical in her approach and suggested I get a medical check up to rule out any physical or mental-health issues.
Surviving in Corporate Amercia: Part 1 - Email
There is a saying that goes, "The best offense is a great defense". Nowhere is that applied better in the corporate world than in the intelligent use of email. In this age of technology, E-mail is a multi-purpose tool that can be adapted into each user's organizational patterns. Firstly, we will get the basic do's and don'ts out of the way.
How To Find Your Dream Job
Here's the bottom line: many people work in jobs that aren't what they want or are less than they deserve.
Petite Modeling: is There a Career for You?
PEtite modeling is a tough industry to break into. Especially since most modeling agencies won't represent models unless they're 5 feet and 9 inches tall or taller. Have you had people tell you're cute? Do you hear all the time "you should be a model"? But you just don't qualify for the strict standards that most modeling angencies have?
Great Salary Negotiation Tips
11 Commandments For Smart Negotiating
Reinvent Yourself in a New Career
Some people reserve the word "vocation" for religious calling. Contemporary career guides encourage us to think of a "life purpose" that guides and gives meaning to a life, regardless of career. See, for example, Mark Albion's book, Making a Life, Making a Living.
3 Resume Secrets the Pros Use
You don't write a resume every day. Not even every month or year, most likely. So you can't be expected to do it flawlessly every time, right? After all, you're not a professional.
Resumes That Work: 3 Steps to More and Better Interviews
All of us involved with helping you get a new job, whether as third party recruiters or as representatives of a company, are evaluating you for employment are all receiving hundreds of emailed resumes a day. Having done professional search work for more than thirty years, I have seen both resumes change and how they are delivered change. The change in delivery means that how you think of your resume being seen needs to change too.
7 Steps to Interviews that Win the Job
These days, interviews don't come easily. When you get The Call, make the most of your time -- and go for it!
20 Powerful Tips For Advancing Your Career
You don't want to stay in your current position forever... you want to move up! Here are 20 ways to boost your chances of getting that nice promotion:
Writing Powerful Resumes ? 10 Golden Rules
Your resume is your sales letter. It may not get you the job. But it must get you an interview. The resume should be written to arouse the interest of the employer so that you get your appointment for an interview. This is the primary purpose of a resume. Here are ten golden rules to follow in creating a very powerful resume.
Resume Writing - Get That Job
Looking for a new job, whether it is with a new company or a promotion within your own organisation, requires time and effort. To make your job search more effective you need to take five fundamental steps on the road to success:
|