by Janet Pieterse

Created on: November 06, 2009   Last Updated: May 23, 2012

In a job interview, what you wear is as important as the skills you have to offer. In about one tenth of a second, your interviewer will decide how attractive, likeable, trustworthy, competent, and aggressive you are. And, as Janine Willis and Alexander Todorov at Princeton University showed in 2005, the decision will not change much in the following minutes. More time tends to reinforce opinions. With one tenth of a second to make a good impression, appearances count. That's all the interviewer has to go on.  

Unless you're in a suitless society (such as The Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Scandinavia or the southern states of America), wear a smart suit to a white-collar job interview.

John T. Molloy, in his book "New Dress for Success" notes that physically large men can be very intimidating. He recommends they avoid high-authority suits in navy or pinstripes. Choose instead a single-breasted suit in a medium or soft grey. Wear it with a medium blue shirt and a grey and blue tie. Small men, on the other hand, can be easily overlooked. Here, he recommends high-authority clothing. Choose a single or double-breasted suit, depending on the job and your weight, in navy or smart pinstripes. Wear it with a white shirt and an expensive tie. If your physical size is not an issue, he recommends you wear a solid blue suit with a white shirt and a conservative tie to the first job interview. 

Choose a more formal, authoritative style or colour for a management job interview. Likewise, choose more conservative clothing for industries such as banking. 

Also take care with shirts. When last did you measure your collar size? Many men buy shirts out of habit. If you feel as though your shirt is strangling you, it probably is! At a job interview, you want to feel comfortable, not constricted, so take care to wear a well-fitting shirt. If you can fit one finger inside the buttoned collar, you have the size right. 

Colour is important too. White signals authority and integrity, a good choice for a job interview. Pastels are professional if they look almost white.

For a job interview, keep the colour and pattern of your tie conservative. The width should balance with the lapels of your suit, the pattern with your size. Large men can wear bolder ties, while small men need more discreet patterns.

Women, by nature of the fashion industry as well a tradition of discrimination in the workplace, come under greater scrutiny. In a formal business environment, "the

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