What is the proper attire for a business interview?

What is the proper way to dress for a business interview? Largely that depends on the company you may be applying for. Companies will often have a relaxed internal dress code once your apart of the company, but other company's like Apple Computer or Google may be more relaxed on their standards from the start. Usually for the most part your not going to want to buck the trend and follow the conservative standard.



This conservative standard can be best summed up in this:


Men and Women

• two-piece business suit with dark blue or grey being the best colors to go with

• conservative long-sleeved shirt/blouse with white being the best option

• minimal cologne or perfume

• no tinkling things in pockets, remove coins and bulging objects

• no gum, candy or cigarettes

• well-groomed hairstyle

• clean, polished conservative shoes. Long and pointy is not conservative

• no visible body art or body piercings

• it's wise to bring a light briefcase or portfolio case to hang onto or manage your paperwork in a professional manner

There are a few suggestions for both sexes. Men should wear a silk tie with conservative patterns, have a fresh shave, no more than one ring per hand, no earrings, socks need to match suit and shoes, and have a fresh haircut. Women should wear a suit with a jacket in a skirt or slacks and wear shoes with a conservative heel on them. Use a clear nail polish or a conservative color and keep makeup simple and natural. Women should also have no more than one ring per hand and wear only one set of earrings.


Luckily if your still confused there is no shortage of input that one can get from the internet for assitance in looking your best for an interview.

Is job-hunting success more about who you know or what you know?

This seems to be a constant point of interest and stress while one is in school and preparing to one day soon move into the professional workforce. What is more important? How much you know or who you know? Sure we go to school for years to learn all that we can in order to make ourselves more marketable to employers of the markets of our choice. The more education, training, and experience you can bring to an interview the better. Clearly degrees, education, and work experience are important and can be a major point of selling yourself in a highly competitive market, but ultimately your major does not even have to correspond to your career.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 70% of all jobs are actually located through networking (i.e. getting out and meeting people in the industry). By marketing yourself through networking events, career fairs, information sessions, touring a company or any thing else that may put you in contact with professionals of your choosen field. There are a number of ways to put yourself on the market and the more you can use the greater your odds are of  obtaining the job your looking for. An individual could hunt for jobs online, refer to jobboards and joblistings etc and look for ways to build off those leads and create opportunities for face-to-face interaction. One great example of connecting with professionals is a social media program called LinkedIn. This is a fantastic tool to begin networking and putting your name on the market through a network of professionals. And ultimately a great way to establish face-to-face interactions with professionals.

In my own experience 100% of all jobs I have had in 26 years have been through who I have known and had actually very little to do with how much I knew. The most recent example here in logan I was networked through a friend into a new industry on which I had very little knowledge. I created a resume that I thought would cater a little more specifically to the particular employer and scheduled an appointment. When I brought in my resume the interviewer simply glanced over it quickly and asked a few simple questions. An hour later I was contacted and informed that I had been hired. That simple face to face interaction is what really sold the employer on me. And it all came through networking and being first informed of the potential opening.