While your experience and attitude are key elements in obtaining the right position, the interview is also one of the most important factors for prospective employers looking to fill the open positions within their company. Whether the work environment is conservative professional, business casual or wear what you like as long as you get the job done, how you present yourself in an interview can determine whether or not you get the job.

The key is to be as professional as possible while exuding that air of confidence that goes along with the person who is comfortable with who they are and the skills they can bring to the company with whom they are interviewing. It has been my experience in the past, both from interviewing candidates and being interviewed as a potential candidate, that there are key factors that apply for any interview for any position from Receptionist to VP. Following are some tips that can get you on the right track and assure that your appearance will not be something that you will have to wonder about.

I have broken down the apparel suggestions into a list for male and female applicants respectively. There is then a list of suggestions for interviewing that are beneficial to any applicant. Take the time to read them over. While every suggestion will not pertain to you, there will be a few that do, and a few that may even surprise you because you never realized that people would even notice certain things you may take for granted.

It is my sincere hope that you find these suggestions both informative and helpful. They are by no means a criticism to anyone and as a job placement specialist, I want you to share with you the knowledge I have garnered with my experiences in the job market.

Good Luck!!

Women's Interview Attire & Make-up Suggestions

1. Always wear a suit. A suit is an appropriate choice for any interview. The suit should be a low-key, single color such as navy or black (prints can be very distracting). When interviewing in the hot summer months, a beige or gray suit is also appropriate. If your suit is one that requires a blouse be worn under the jacket, the blouse should always be white, cream or black in color. Stockings should be nude, beige or black in color. Patent leather, extremely high heels or sandals are not an appropriate choice for an interview.

2. Never wear perfume to an interview. While you may never leave the house without your favorite scent for most occasions, your potential employer may be allergic to fragrance or simply not like it. Some perfumes are strong and obvious no matter how small an amount you apply and while you want your interview to be one the potential employer will remember, you don't want it to be because he smells your perfume in his office for the rest of the day.

3. You will want to take special care with your make-up. The colors should be light, earth tone colors and should enhance your features, not cover your face up. Lipstick should be light to medium in color and should not be glossy. Liner should not be darker than lip color. Eyes should not be darkly or heavily lined and mascara should be minimal. Blusher should be applied lightly, if at all, to give just a hint of color. Try to stay away from blusher that is shimmery or iridescent. Eye shadow should not be dark or elaborate. Stick with one simple color and use it just to add a bit of enhancement to your eye.

4. Hair should not be done in an elaborate style or overly sprayed or ratted. Keep it clean and simple and most importantly, out of your eyes and face. This can be very distracting to you and the interviewer, especially if you keep reaching up to brush your hair out of your eyes. If you have very long hair, you might want to pull it away from your face in a very simple style. Avoid up-do's that have hair sticking up and out in every direction.

5. Jewelry should be kept to a minimum. Avoid large earrings or styles that dangle down from the ear. Small studs are your best bet. Avoid wearing very large or multiple bracelets, multiple necklaces or multiple rings. If you choose to wear a pin on the lapel of your suit, you will want to avoid a necklace altogether.

Men's Interview Attire Suggestions

1. Always wear a suit. A suit is always appropriate for an interview. Colors should be low-key, blue, black or gray. Shirts should not be a print and should be a muted color. Ties should not be a loud print. Solid ties are your best bet, but a tie with a very small print is also acceptable. Avoid ties that make you a walking commercial, i.e. a Looney Tunes or Mickey Mouse tie. Shoes should be dress in nature.

2. Never wear cologne to an interview, see reasons in #2 above.

3. Avoid wearing your hair overly sprayed, gelled or spiky, this is very distracting to the interviewer.

4. Jewelry should be kept to a minimum. If you normally wear an earring, do not wear it to the interview. Large chunky rings, bracelets or necklaces should also be avoided.
   
   Interview Suggestions that Apply to Everyone

Clothes should be clean and pressed and shoes shined or polished.

You should always take a copy of your resume with you to the interview.

Prepare yourself for the interview by standing in front of a mirror and answering questions you ask yourself.

When you meet your interviewer, always give him/her a nice firm handshake.

Do not avoid eye contact during the interview. Although this is just a nervous gesture for some, it can be misconstrued by the person who interviews you. On the flip-side of this, do not keep a constant eye to eye gaze with your interviewer either.

Be concise and speak clearly when asking and answering questions. Avoid saying the dreaded um and ah after being asked a question. (see suggestion #3 to help yourself avoid this).

Never, under any circumstances, bad -mouth former employers or co-workers. Whereas you may not have left your former job under the best circumstances, trying to make them out to be the bad guy only reflects poorly on you. Answer any questions about your former employer honestly, if the circumstances were not the best, you can convey this in a civil manner.

Always arrive a few minutes early for the interview. Also, do not schedule another appointment close to the interview time. Being late or appearing hurried is not the impression you want to make.

When the interview is complete, always thank the interviewer for their time.

If the interview went very well and you know this is the job you want, keep your name on the mind of the prospective employer by sending him/her a thank-you card, again thanking them for taking the time to see you and reiterating your interest in the company. The thank you card should be very simple, no cartoons or sentiments.

While all of these things are not going to assure you get the job you are interviewing for, these are time honored suggestions that should be followed by everyone. If you have any other questions, we will be happy to do our best to answer them in any way we can. Also, we will do our best to prepare you for any interview beforehand by giving you information on the company we are sending you to. We screen all applicants and resumes so that we can try to eliminate the chance of sending you on interviews for positions that do not interest you or fit your qualifications.