Clothes may impact job
candidacy
By Jenny Jones
Features Editor
As students prepare for job interviews, many
are questioning what they should wear, according to Elizabeth Dexter-Wilson,
Liberal Arts career services specialist.
"The first impression that an employer is going
to get from you is how you look," Dexter-Wilson said.
Considering this, Dexter-Wilson recommends that
students dress conservatively and traditionally for any interview
that they attend.
"(Dressing conservatively) shows that you are
really interested in the job," said Matt Lietz, a senior in the School
of Technology.
According to Dexter-Wilson men should wear black,
navy blue, brown or olive green suits with matching ties. If a man
has long hair, he should tie it back, and if a man has a tattoo, he
should wear clothing that covers it.
Just as men should wear suits, Dexter-Wilson
recommends that women do the same. But instead of wearing pants suits,
women should wear knee-length skirt suits because skirts this length
are usually considered traditional for women, she said.
Dexter-Wilson said men and women should carry
out this conservative appearance by limiting the amount of jewelry
they wear. But jewelry is not the only thing that interviewees need
to stay away from, men and women also need to go light on perfumes
and colognes, she said.
"You never know who's allergic to what," Dexter-Wilson
said.
Even though students should remember to dress
conservatively and traditionally for interviews, Dexter-Wilson said
they should try to be themselves as much as possible.
And Lietz agrees students should dress conservatively
but comfortably.
"(When I got my suit) I liked the color; I liked
how it look on me, so I figured I'd get it," Lietz said.
Although appearance and comfort are important,
Dexter-Wilson said projecting one's skills is still the most meaningful
part of an interview.
"(Companies are) still really more interested
in what you're going to bring to the job," Dexter-Wilson said.
• For more information about interviewing
attire, students may visit the Center for Career Opportunities, located
in Room 194 of Stewart Center.
