EWU staff gives fashion advice on dressing for interviews

By Haley Lewis

staff writer
[email protected]

Students who are graduating and are trying to line up their first job outside of college may have the dreaded question of what to wear to the interview on their mind.

According to Romeal Watson, internship coordinator, what students wear has to do with first impressions.

“You communicate nonverbally long before words come out of your mouth,” said Watson. “Definitely what you wear says a lot about your taste as an individual.”

Lauren Conrad, fashion designer, in a blog post called, “Work It: 9 to 5 style,” wrote wearing inappropriate outfits on the job can lead to not being taken seriously.

“Wearing the wrong threads has the potential to distort your image as a valued employee and may even prevent you from getting ahead,” wrote Conrad.

Watson said, for men, there are different ranges of attire depending on the job. The main colors to wear are navy blue, gray and black.

“If it is fast food, it probably does not hurt to still go slacks and a button-up,” said Watson. “You can lose the tie and jacket, but the higher up you go, the more decked out you want to be. If you are working at a department store, chances are you will still get away with slacks, a button-up shirt [but] maybe add the tie on this one instead. You can probably ditch the jacket if you wanted to. Obviously, if it was a business professional, suit all the way.”

The shirt should be lighter than the suit, while the tie should be darker than the shirt. He said to avoid highly patterned ties, such as ones with little lashes or wild designs.

“You want it to be easy on the eyes. If a tie reaches out and grabs you, chances are you don’t really want that on for the interview,” said Watson.

For shoes, Watson said men should avoid tennis shoes. Students should go for a professional dress shoe mainly in black because brown is harder to match with outfits.

Shannon Turner, career adviser, said men should buff their nice shoes. She said if students are wearing black shoes, they should wear a black belt. If they are wearing brown shoes, they should wear a brown belt.

“[Make sure the] socks match your pants,” said Turner. “You might cross your legs or make some movement in the interview and it is going to draw attention to that part of your clothing. People do look at all of you.”

For women, Turner said, wear skirts below the knee, slacks or dresses, also in blues, black, grays or earth tones. She also said to avoid tops that are too revealing or button-up tops that are so tight that they would gap and pull near the bust, revealing bare skin.

“You want to think about where [the skirt] is going to hit when you are sitting down … to see what that looks like,” said Turner. “Are you going to be too revealing?”

Stockings or panty hose should be worn with skirts or dresses. She said to wear closed-toed heels or flats. Heels should be 1 to 2 inches high. Anything over that becomes distracting and avoid overly flashy jewelry.

Turner said to make sure one’s hair is washed and recently cut. Makeup should be natural looking; nails should be trimmed and clean. Turner and Watson both said to avoid wearing strong perfumes, lotions or colognes.

“The reason being is you don’t know who at that interview will be allergic or sensitive to it,” said Watson.

Turner said body art and piercings should be covered up and removed before the interview.

“All in all, what I would say is, … ‘Avoid anything they could latch onto that would cause them to prematurely judge you,’” said Watson. “Once you have a general feel for the office culture, you can play around with it.”

“More than anything, it is about your confidence,” said Turner. “If you can feel comfortable in your own skin and what you are wearing that day, the better.”

How to get a good interview look for less

-“Starch is your best friend. It can make an old suit from Goodwill or Value Village look brand new,” said Watson.
-On the sixth floor of Macy’s, students will find 75 percent off brand new clothing.
-Try Plato’s Closet or other consignment shops. They sell brand new or gently used merchandised for 20 percent cheaper, said Turner.
-Burlington Coat Factory and Kohl’s also have discounted merchandise too.
-Discount racks at Nordstrom.
-Talk to parents. Turner said investing in a good interview outfit is a great graduation gift.
-Talk to a dress consultant and find someone who will show you different options, said Watson.