It goes without saying that interviews are your chance to put your best foot forward and present a more polished version of yourself. You may have grown up thinking that all interviews warranted a three-piece suit, or you may have thought that only some interviews required a little dressing up while a t-shirt and jeans could suffice for others. In any case, neither of those things are true.
While it’s true that you should dress somewhat nicer than you normally would for an in-person or video interview, the rules aren’t going to be the same every time. The way you should dress for an interview correlates to the type of job you’re going for, both in field of work and level of position.
Business casual is usually the bare minimum in any situation, so a nice pair of pants with a nice top or blouse will often suffice. Typically, that means a collared/button-up shirt and avoiding jeans, opting for something a little dressier. If the position you are interviewing for is entry-level or in a field where you’ll be wearing a uniform, business casual is a safe bet. Since “business casual” can be hard to define or mean slightly different things to each person, here’s a general list as to what is considered acceptable business casual:
· Collared/button-up tops
· Tops/blouses made of a nicer material, like chiffon
· Khakis
· Dress pants
· Knee-length skirts
· Knee-length dresses
This is definitely not an exhaustive list, but just a few things to give you an idea of what might be good to wear for an interview. Chances are, you own some combination of the above items, and if not, they can be found in virtually any clothing store.
If you’re up for a promotion or senior position, it might be a good idea to wear that suit. Since in the majority of jobs you won’t be donning formal business wear on a daily basis, it’s often not necessary to get decked out for an interview unless it reflects the dress code of the job you’re interviewing for. Some senior management jobs or fields of work do require the employee to wear a suit, and in those cases that’s when it would be a good idea to go a step up from business casual.
No matter the job, an interview warrants a look that is clean and professional.