In an ideal world, getting your dream job would depend solely on your capabilities and prior work experience. In the real world, though, snagging that opportunity is often just as much about the impression you make on your interviewer.
In this three-part series, Coins2Day talks to experts about how women can use their personal and speaking style, body language, and online presence to land that job offer.
For our second installment, we talk to Stacy Gatto, a stylist at online personal styling company Keaton Row.
“Your look or outfit for a job interview may not be the area where you spend a lot of time, but I really encourage you to do that,” says Gatto. “How you look and how you present yourself could be the thing that helps you stand apart from the whole other pool of applicants and help you be the one that gets that job.”
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Here are Gatto’s top tips for dressing for the job you want:
1. Do your homework.
“Research. Find out what the company culture and environment is like and see how other people dress. And then put your own spin on that,” Gatto says. “You want to make sure, most importantly, that you’re comfortable and that you’re confident.”
2. Be office-appropriate.
Comfort aside, there are some basic rules for dressing in an office environment. “If you’re wearing a dress or a skirt, make sure it’s an appropriate length,” Gatto says. Moreover, pay attention to the quality of the garment. “I’m not saying it has to be very expensive, but it has to be in good condition, with no rips, tears or stains.”
3. Make sure nothing is ill-fitting.
“If anything doesn’t fit right, it’s distracting,” Gatto says.
4. Wear heels.
Even if you live in a city where you have to commute and wear walking shoes, make sure you change before entering the interview room. “Put on that heel, put on that shoe that you love that gives you confidence.”
Read the first installment of ‘Get the Job,’ where communications coach Mary Civiello shares her interview tips, here.
