Amanda Rose: what to wear and what not to wear to a job interview

In today’s competitive employment market, jobseekers must take every opportunity to give themselves an edge – right down to choosing an effective interview outfit.

The most important thing to wear to a job interview is a good attitude.

Regardless of what you physically wear, your attitude will make or break that.

But in terms of attire, you have got to dress how you want to be addressed.

If you want to be respected and seen as a professional in that world, look at the type of clothing people wear at that organisation so you are dressing in relation to how they dress.

Careers expert Amanda Rose says the right outfit shows effort. Picture: Supplied

You can still have your personality, though, with a particular tie or piece of jewellery that lets you express what you are like so you are not boring.

You just don’t want things detracting from you or what you are selling – no rustling noises or noisy bangles.

You want the attention on what you are saying not the noise you are making.

There are no particular colours to avoid.

Don’t feel you have to dress like someone else.

Just don’t dress for the beach if you are going for a job interview.

Colour is OK! Just don’t let it be distracting. Picture: Supplied

Many people don’t realise that for a job interview, you actually have got to dress like you are the boss.

It’s not necessarily what you will be wearing every day on the job.

Maybe on the job you can get away with smart jeans and shirt, but in the interview you have to dress like you are going for an interview.

It’s not the same.

Its about showing you are willing to put in the effort and it’s a great opportunity for a competitive advantage.

It’s also about attention to detail.

Brush your hair, be fresh, don’t have a big night out the night before.

Iron your clothes – yes, buy an iron.

If you are going for a job on a construction site, you might be wearing tradie clothing but iron them.

For ladies, keep makeup subtle. For guys, trim your beard.

Be groomed. It’s a respect thing. If people feel you don’t respect yourself they won’t respect you.

Got an interview? Trim your beard! Picture: Supplied

I think people are becoming complacent.

When you haven’t had a job for a while, it’s hard to get the motivation to do that, but if you dress well it will mentally put you in the right position for the interview.

Put that effort into yourself and you will feel good for the interview.

The same rules apply for a Zoom interview, but with Zoom you can get away with the bottom half – unless they ask you to stand up.

Amanda Rose is a business consultant, workplace trainer, LinkedIn influencer and founder of six organisations – and now she is tackling your career questions for SMART Daily every Monday.

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Originally published as Amanda Rose: what to wear and what not to wear to a job interview