Interview Attire: Different companies have different dress codes. Nonetheless, each company has attire that is standard in their workplace. Moreover, making a point to understand the hiring company’s dress codes will help you feel more comfortable when you walk in the door for a successful interview.

Dress at or Above the Company Dress Standards

Sometimes, the way that hiring managers respond to attire appears capricious and unfair. Here are two examples.

In one case, the applicant wore a colored dress shirt and tie. In another case, an applicant wore business casual to an interview at a weekend company meeting. The employees attending the meeting were wearing business casual as well.  In both cases, the hiring manager passed on the job applicant for not wearing attire that matched the company’s business dress code.

Business Professional Interview Attire

In business professional interviews, avoid brightly colored shirts and ties. Professional attire for women is a dress, pants suit. An open-collared white button shirt or blouse is appropriate. Professional attire for men includes a navy blue or charcoal grey suit, a white shirt, and tie.

A level below this attire is for women or men to wear slacks and a jacket.

Footwear for women is typically close-toed black heels or flats.  For men, laced-up or tasseled dress shoes are common.

Business Casual Interview Attire

Many companies have a business casual dress code. Women wear skirt or slacks, and open-collar shirts or blouses.  Similarly, men wear khakis or slacks and cotton or knit, open-collared shirts.

Footwear for business casual includes running or walking shoes. loafers, boat shoes, Oxfords, or lace-up leather shoes.

Salaried or Hourly Employee Interview Attire

So far, I have been discussing office attire. Depending on the type of job, hourly employees or skilled workers may need to dress ready to go to work. Whether the purpose of the job is to make surfboards or to build bridges, knowing what to wear to work may be based on what you will be doing. Again, if you are uncertain, you might call ahead to get some insight into what people wear to work at the hiring company. In other cases, you may go by the workplace to see what other workers are wearing.