To ace a job interview, you need to look the part.
Your appearance is often the first thing your interviewer will notice about you — and your outfit can say a lot about your professionalism and attention to detail.
Picking out a solid ensemble is the one step that Erin McGoff, a New York-based career educator, reminds people not to neglect when preparing for a job interview. McGroff frequently shares career advice on her TikTok account, where she boasts more than 2.7 million followers.
“It sounds weird, but looking your best is really important in a job interview,” McGoff, 28, said during CNBC Make It’s “Make It: Your Money” event on Oct. 17.
Dressing up can help you perform better in a job interview for a few reasons, the chief of them being “human bias,” said McGoff.
“There’s something called the ‘halo effect,’ where we tend to assign positive traits that we find in one person’s appearance to the rest of their characteristics,” she explained. “So if you look put together, it actually communicates to the interviewer subconsciously that you are a put-together person.”
Plus, it can be a confidence boost. “We feel how we look, so if you feel clean and put together, you’re going to subconsciously act more confident,” McGoff added.
A good rule of thumb is to dress one step above whatever the typical work entire is for the position you’re interviewing for, McGoff said in a recent TikTok.
Here’s McGoff’s quick guide:
- If employees wear uniforms at the job, wear smart casual (jeans, blazers, blouses, or neutral t-shirts)
- If employees wear smart casual, wear business casual (trousers, dresses, button-down shirts, sweaters)
- If employees wear business casual, wear business professional (suits and ties, pantsuits, long skirts, heels, or loafers)
McGoff’s final piece of advice? “Always err on the side of overdressed.”