Articles From the Team

What to wear to an interview

Those all important first few moments of the meeting go a long way. What you wear and how you present can make or break the interview in the first couple of minutes. To set the meeting off to a good start, you need to make that first impression count. Before you even start any discussions, you need to start things off on the right foot. Give the interviewer reasons to employ you!

It is important that you look the part for an interview for a number of reasons:

Firstly, the interviewers want to make sure that you are going to look smart and presentable when sending you out to meet with clients.

Secondly, I was recently told by one of my clients that your appearance at an interview will be when it is at its peak. It is a given that things get more relaxed once you get the job and you start to get more comfortable around the office. So you need to set the bar high, as if it is as sloppy at the interview, what will you be looking like in month six?

Thirdly, it shows how much you care about the opportunity. Are you serious about this firm? Do you actually want this job? How seriously do you take yourself?

Have you thought about what you are going to wear for your interview? The morning of the interview will be hectic enough. You will be thinking about all of your preparation, who you are meeting, where to go, how you are going to get there. Eliminate one stress and lay your outfit out the night before. What will you be wearing?

Its 2017, you could probably count on one hand the appropriate occasions for a tie. Apart from weddings, the races and black tie events, an interview should come to mind as obvious. Hopefully, you would be surprised to hear that this isn’t an obvious wardrobe choice for some! I had a candidate interview without a tie! This wasn’t the reason why this person didn’t get the job, but it formed an important part of the feedback.

I don’t think that the morning of an interview is the best time to test out that brand new hairstyle that everybody is sporting. Make it simple! If you have long hair, tie it back. Make sure it is neat and tidy. If you notice that you need a trim or a shave, do it the day before. I have also have recently had separate feedback where the candidate’s beard looked quite unkempt. Remember, they will be assessing as to whether they could put you before a client.

Wear something plain with no pattern, something that isn’t too distracting. Try and keep the jewellery to a minimum and wear comfortable shoes. I am not starting a debate over flats v heels, but make sure you can walk confidently in them. If you have new shoes, have you tested them out?

If you eliminate the stress of finding an outfit that you are comfortable in, this will take a lot of unwanted and unnecessary angst from the interview experience. You will be able to get ready for the interview easily because you took some time to plan ahead the night before!

As part of our service at BCL Legal, we will talk you through interview preparation. During this conversation, we can talk about what you are going to wear. This sets us aside from other recruitment companies, as the preparation process is very important to us. We want to help you to get the best possible chance of getting the role.

For more information contact BCL Legal.