Girls, look fresh and polished

It’s important that when you go for a job interview, you should look the part. Your looks can make a good first impression on the interviewer and help you grab the job offer letter

Sophia Lorena Benjamin

When you go into a professional job interview, you have to look the part. Of course, your skill set and your educational and vocational background is important, but if you don't make a good first impression on your interviewer, you aren't going to get the job. It is important that you can strike a balance between attractiveness and professionalism. In a perfect world, your looks wouldn't factor into your attractiveness to a potential employer, but we don't live in a perfect world. We live in the real world, and in the real world, there is no such thing as true objectivity.

Working women have a unique challenge in the professional world. They are expected to be fashionable while at the same time looking businesslike and "serious." Some women take the serious side too far. You are a woman, and you should look like a woman, not a man. Nowadays, women are vital to the workforce, and there is no reason to understate that fact with your wardrobe.

When you are interviewing for a highly desirable professional position, you need to make sure that you leave a lasting impression with your interviewer or interviewers. One of the easiest ways to stand out in a crowd is by adding a splash of colour to your wardrobe. Don't go overboard - by a "splash" of colour, it means that you should have one article of clothing that is bright, not an entire bright red outfit. If you wear any overtly colourful outfit your clothing will actually be distracting, and it could hinder you success at the interview. Consider this: A navy-coloured tweed skirt with matching sport coat, topped off with a crimson scarf. Navy is a great job interview color because it symbolises loyalty and trustworthiness, and the splash of color will give you a memorable accent. Also, on a subconscious level, the bright crimson scarf against the deep navy blue will make you look bold, assertive and outgoing.

Many women worry that they are expected to wear a dress or skirt to a job interview. If you are a pants-only kind of lady, you don't need to change your style just to get a job. In fact, women who never wear skirts or dresses often feel uncomfortable - and more importantly look uncomfortable - when they have to put on a dress or skirt. You want to feel confident and self-assured, and wearing something that you do not feel "yourself" in is only going to make you feel flustered at the interview. Wear a dressy pair of pants. Obviously, you aren't going to show up in jeans or your favorite worn-out khakis. However, a pair of straight-legged or pleated black, gray, tan or navy pants can be part of your professional look. Remember, just because you are wearing pants, that doesn't mean you should ditch the heels.

Most importantly, you want to look fresh and polished. Your clothes should be pressed. Wrinkles are a sign of laziness, and that is the last attribute you want to have associated with you at a job interview. Make sure that your hair is as shiny as can be! Your make-up should be more on the natural side than the glamorous side, with the exception of either a bright lipstick or bold eye color (not both at once). Also, matching jewelry will make you look very organised and meticulous, so try to wear matching bracelet, earrings, and necklace.

(The writer is an image consultant & corporate trainer. sophieschoolofconfidence@gmail.com)