Appropriate attire for an interview at Start -ups and Corporates

 

You receive interview calls from start-ups and also larger corporations. In larger corporations, cubicles, fluorescent lights, and HR departments dictate the office atmosphere. Start-ups -especially tech start-ups- have become known for their anti-corporate attitudes.

Showing up for an interview, depending on whether it’s a start up or a corporate office would have a big impact on how everyone in the interview panel will perceive you.

Companies – no two are alike. They all have different cultures, people, and atmospheres. When you go into the interview, you have to complement their culture, not stand against it. That is why your interview attire is very important. You must remember that, you need to show you are a professional who is taking the opportunity seriously, but also that you will fit in with the company culture.

To know the culture of the company that you are appearing for interview, visit the company’s website and see if they have some pictures of their current employees posted on the website. If that is unavailable, see if you can tap into your network, or even reach out to a current employee of the company and discuss to learn about the company, what their culture is like and how people show up on a day-to-day basis. Definitely, this will give you a good prompt as to how you should show up for an interview.

Your subject knowledge confidence and amiability are essential. But making a good first impression by your appearance is very crucial in dictating the final outcome of the job interview. Most of the interviewers take just two seconds to judge whether you a potential candidate or not. Before you say a single word to the interviewer, you have already made an impression based on how you’re dressed.

Knowing what to wear to a job interview is an age-old enigma. Do not experiment in this. There are some hard and fast set of rules to be followed.

So here is a guide to make sure you choose an appropriate attire to excel that job interview you are applying for.

How to Dress for an Interview at a Start-up:

For an Interview at a start-up, if you showing up too casually, they may perceive that you are not taking the opportunity seriously. And if you overdress, they may think you are rigid with corporate attitude. 

·      For Women, It’s always safe to go the traditional, pairing a dress with a stylish but casual blazer. If the company where you are interviewing appears to be more “low key”, you can get away with pairing the blazer with jeans and heels. In fact, you can use the casual blazer as a constant and vary the rest of your outfit around the culture of the company. 

·      For Men, Hot pastel shirts, ripped jeans, an overdose of cologne and a pair of shades might impress your crush in the class. But when it comes to job interviews, the two piece or three piece might look too formal. Rather, you can wear a sport coat to show professionalism without being stuffy. Slacks and a button-down shirt will serve you well.

How to Dress for an Interview at a Corporate:

Recall the old adage, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” That’s always the case when meeting a person for the first time, but especially when it comes to a job interview at corporates. 

·      Women can leave a lasting impression on the interviewer if they decide to go Indian as well. Wearing kurtis, suits or sarees to a job interview is also a trend that cannot be neglected. The elegance of Indian can get you the much-needed advantage. Wear a plain cotton saree or a salwar-kameez with a dupatta. Put on a blazer above it and you have made a great combination. Just make sure you avoid a lot of patterns and details. The simple, the better. Also wearing sleeveless is a strict “no”. 

·      Men can wear neatly pressed cotton or gabardine pants with cotton collard long sleeved button down white coloured shirts. Tie is optional. Remember your shoes speaks louder than words, wear well-polished, clean, decent shoes.

·      For both women and men, footwear should be fairly low heeled. High heels are difficult to walk-in. You never should grab attention while walking in uncomfortable noisy footwear.

 

All the best!!! Go ahead, use these simple tips and ace that next big interview with Confidence!

 

Author: D N Roopa, Assistant Professor, JSS Academy of Technical Education, Bengaluru.