Trying to get a new role can be stressful enough, you shouldn’t have to worry about what to wear to the job interview itself. While a “minimum wage job” can cover a lot of ground, we want to calm those nerves as best as we can.
Don’t be mistaken. Just because you may not be earning a seven-figure salary in a state-of-the-art, high-rise office doesn’t mean you shouldn’t look like you belong in one. While not every role will require or expect you to rock a full suit and tie, it’s better to overdress than under prepare.
Below, you can find five different tips – some universal – that you should be able to apply to most low-salary roles.
Research it beforehand
You may be overthinking this all. Sometimes, businesses will share the dress code expectations in the email or phone interview confirming the interview. If it’s not there, check their website for some guidelines.
No luck with either of them? See if you can find any images of their team working. You want to make sure that you’re not the least professional-looking person in the room, so look at what they’re wearing and go one step beyond.
Consider comfort
If an undershirt is a size too small and you feel uncomfortable in it, it won’t take long for you to broadcast that to everyone in the office. Body language can say everything in a job interview and any restriction or limitation like that could cause the kind of distraction you want to do without.
A comfortable applicant in an 8/10 suit will always come off better than an uncomfortable applicant in a 10/10 suit. What’s an easy trick to make sure your comfort is maximised on the day? I’m glad you asked…
The best accessory is free – a smile!
It isn’t all about what’s on your CV or who you’re wearing. At the end of the day, most people would rather work with a selfless saint that looks a little scruffy over someone that looks spotless each day but is a troublemaker.
By smiling and being positive, you can get across that you’re a welcoming person that any team would be lucky to take on. Now, don’t try to force it. Ham it up too much and it could quickly come across as unsettling. Just don’t be afraid to flash some teeth!
Try your outfit two days before
If anything is too tight, you’ll realise with plenty of time to spare. If your white shirt has a stain on that you forgot about, don’t fret – you’ve got days to find a replacement!
Just like how people will recommend driving the route to the interview beforehand to make sure you’re comfortable with the route, the same logic applies to your wardrobe. What you don’t want on the big day is a surprise. Planning trumps surprise every time.
Don’t just look good, smell good
According to Jennifer Dublino, C.O.O of the Scent Marketing Institute:
“Scent is the only one of our five senses that goes directly into the limbic system of our brain. That’s where our emotions are housed and that’s where our associative learning and memory is housed.”
– Jennifer Dublino
That mention of memory is important because if you’re one of many applicants they see for the job interview, you want to be memorable. No one will give you a role because you smell great, but if it’s one of many things that you do right on the day, you’re giving yourself your best shot at success.
Feel confident
It can be a tricky line to tread, but confidence is key in a job interview. Too much and you could come off as cocky and arrogant. Too little? You might convince the person running the job interview that you’re not qualified enough.
The best combination is found in feeling confident in your body but humble in your ability. If you find an outfit that you’re basically strutting about it, then you’re on the right path. If you keep a lid on that and stop it from bubbling over, there are few things more appealing in a job interview than a confident man or woman.
If you’re reading this, then you’re already a step ahead of many others that are applying for minimum-wage jobs. Even for high-paying roles, many will underestimate the value of being dressed appropriately for the interview.
Take that confidence with the tips you’ve learned today and you’ll be a force to be reckoned with.