Help! I haven't been in an interview in at least 6 years. I'm in a professional/technical field, and I usually dress in business casual, with emphasis on comfort and convenience. What do people wear these days for interviews?

Style consultant Sara Canaday speaks about research that has been done on the psychological effect of color. If you want to sell something, wear blue. After I heard Sara speak a couple of years ago, I wore a black pantsuit and blue blouse for an important interview. I got the work.

Pantyhose, yes.

Wear something you feel confident and competent in.

Wear something that is equal to or one notch above the quality of what the interviewer will be wearing.

I've asked my colleague Sara Canaday, style consultant, to chime in on this conversation, as well.

Nancy Oelklaus
www.HeadtoHeart.com

I think comfort and convenience are fine once you have a job, always looking professional of course.

I think Nancy’s suggestions are excellent and I would just add that an interview is a special opportunity to put your best foot forward. Perhaps better to err on the side of dressing ‘up’ a few notches rather than how you might dress on a day in, day out basis if you had the job in the bag.

And clothes that fit you well send the right message and help you feel confident. Interview situations are demanding enough without feeling underdressed or worried that one’s blouse is gapping in the front, or one’s pants are too tight.

Post edited by: WomenBloom, at: 2008/06/06 15:36

Oh so true. If we are afraid to admit to ourselves that there is a problem, then there is no chance of ‘fixing’ the situation. It can be hard to admit that WE may be part of the problem, but if we don’t explore that possibility, we’re stuck making the same choices.

Nancy, would you agree: Same choice/behavior = same outcome. Different choice/behavior = different outcome.

And, Nancy, I love your strategy there for acknowledging yourself. I tried something similar myself in the form of a success journal. I came to see that once I believed certain ‘stories’ about myself such as “I’m not a very capable person” or “I’m not successful” my unconscious filters began letting me see only the ways I wasn’t capable, or focus only on situations where I fell short. I only saw evidence that backed up my story.

I began looking for evidence that contradicted my stories and documenting them. It shocked me to see what I had missed seeing. It really helped me re-program some of those goofy beliefs.

So, in the case of our mid 50s woman who by all appearances should be able to get a job—good work experience, good network etc—and who has gotten pretty far along in the interview process a few times but is still, in the end, not chosen…clearly there is some process at work.

Nancy what would you suggest given what we’ve been talking about?

If you look good and have a good resume, yet you're still not getting hired, then you do the hiring. Hire a coach to tell you what you truly need to hear and then work with you to change.

The paradox is that this approach, which many people think is the "slow" way is actually the quickest path to success.

Don't rely on friends or family to be able to tell you the truth or say it in a way that you can hear it. Call on a professional.

In the words of Pearl Baily, "You never find yourself until you face the truth."

And it's never too late.

I see what you mean. I hadn't thought of that before but a friend or family member, because they know (and love you!), may have a bias and inability to see you as a stranger might.

I guess a coach is more likely to see you through the eyes of a potential hiring manager. And, in my experience,it is easier to hear feedback from a neutral third party.

Not to mention that a coach is more likely to help you work through those issues successfully.