The Importance Of Dress For A Job Interview Part 1 “The Neck Tie”

The following five part series was posted on my first men’s blog almost a year ago. But because no one ever got to see them, I wanted to bring them back for a wider audience. And also because I spent quite a bit on time on this subject which is as relevant today as it was a year ago. Enjoy

Being in the men’s fashion industry gives me a unique perspective on the way men dress and how it directly affects the perception by a perspective employer. In today’s job market, competition is at an all time high with very few opportunities to land an interview, let alone being hired. The following 5 blog entries will deal with the essentials for that all important interview.

It is said that Will Rogers once remarked, ‘You never get a second chance to make a first impression’. The importance of your first encounter with an organization that you are applying for employment should always be a professional one. People make a judgment about you and how they will interact based on your clothes … A person will size you up in a matter of 15 seconds as you walk into the room. … Recruiters form a first impression within the first 30 seconds that being said. You will impress upon them what kind of person you are by how you are dressed.

Employers want to see that job candidates have made the effort to dress appropriately for the work environment, said Katherine Spencer Lee, executive director of Robert Half Technology. While a suit isn’t the best choice for every interview, it’s better to err on the side of overdressing versus appearing too casual.

In a recent study the Ivo Pilar Institute of Social Sciences stated:

The greatest part of the research on the influence of clothes on impression formation and management was conducted in business situations and is related to conventional or classic clothing style. These studies have shown that the applicant’s clothing at interview has an influence on whether he or she will get a job, and that classically or conventionally dressed people are more positively evaluated. Classic or conventional clothing includes a suit for both men and women and a tie for men. It has been proven that this style of clothing is associated with competence and authority in both men and women, not only in business situations.

The tie:

Become smarter by wearing a tie! While this sounds crazy at face value the same research attributed the following by simply adding a tie to your outfit:

‘It’s established that men with high educational level significantly more frequently wore a tie than men with medium and lower education at usual work days, business meetings, cultural events, travel by plane, and travel by other means of transportation. Besides that, at weddings, funerals, festive, and family gatherings, men with high educational level significantly more frequently wore a tie than men with lower educational level. Men with medium educational level on average wore a tie significantly more often than men with lower education level.’

Who would have thought that silk would improve your perceived IQ?

Not to mention the added benefit to a man’s image to the opposite sex.

Women significantly more than men attributed successfulness, capability, physical attractiveness, and romantic characteristics to men who frequently wear a tie.

Finally the tie is the article of clothing that gets noticed first. Therefore the importance of choosing the right tie is critical. The tie projects your personality. But for a professional interview keeping subtle and conservative will bode well for success. Leave your Bart Simpson or Flintstone tie at home. A simple two color stripe will do fine, try to match either the background or one of the stripes to the color of your suit.

If you can introduce red into the tie, good, it is attributed as a Power Tie. (Exactly what is a Power Tie is open for discussion, that being said if you do a Google search for Power Tie you will come across merely 14 million answers) Stay away from a solid color (Donald Trump), stripes or a simple pattern will give the interviewer a sample of your personality. Stay way from extremes in width and make sure your knot as the appropriate dimple. Depending on the width of the collar on your shirt the knot should correspond accordingly. If you are wearing a spread collar a full Windsor is the best knot. A button down collar stay with a half Windsor or four-in-hand. To learn how to tie your knot, click on here to go to links for You Tube videos and PRACTICE. One last piece of advice, make sure you wear either a new or well cared for tie, visible dirt and snags will bring unwanted attention.

An absolute MUST video for all men to watch, and ladies too, to help your man DRESS in a suit. It’s quick and packed with solid great information.

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Posted by Eric on Oct 20 2009 Filed under FASHION, SELF HELP. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry