Having spent the past 6 months preparing and attending numerous interviews, banks’ “superdays”, I reckon its about time to write an article about dressing etiquette for interviews, Singapore styled. Although the web does provide an extensive amount of quality information, certain explicit details are always missing, and description on the web can sometimes be rather grey.
Starting off with the basics, a long sleeve simple shirt is a must. Most websites recommend a white shirt, but I personally feel any light colored shirt is fine, even simple strips are fine as well. Just remember to avoid the loud pinks, purples and etc. Nothing from the likes of Domanchi or P.O.A or basically nothing that you will wear for your junior college prom night.
Match the shirt off with a silk tie, and make sure the color of the shirt and tie are not too contrasting. For slimmer guys, get a 3 inch tie instead of the typical 3 and half inch tie. If you are wearing a blue shirt, wear a tie which is blue based. For French cuffed shirts, make sure u wear a cuff link. Never ever fold up your shirt.
For the bottoms, black is always the no. 1 choice, though there is absolutely nothing wrong with dark colors such as dark charcoal or navy. Avoid the strips for the bottoms. Always wear a belt! Keep the chunky rectangular buckles for Saturdays. Ensure your shirt and pants are well ironed.
Shoes should be dark brown or black lace ups or slip ons with round toes. Avoid the pointed toes! Never ever wear white socks with work shoes, unless you are performing a moon walk.. Dark plain socks match your work attire the best. Make sure you brush shine your shoes the night before the interview.
Short hair always score more points during an interview. Avoid excessive hair products. You are not Chow Yun Fatt in “God of Gamblers” nor are you part of a Gatsby commercial. Shave off all the facial hair the morning before the interview and avoid using after-shave or scents. Make sure your nails are short and buffed. Avoid accessories at all cost, except for the wedding ring.
Wear a metal or leather strapped watch with a face no larger than 30mm. No G-shocks™ please! If you do not have a suitable watch, do not wear one. If possible, carry a portfolio or briefcase instead of a haversack or a Crumpler™.
Robinsons at Centrepoint is an excellent place to shop for your interview attire. For those not graduating soon, the great Singapore sale is a good time to purchase a set of interview wear.
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Dear Ji Qing,
ReplyDeleteIt was a pleasure reading your post. (:
The dressing etiquette tips for interview were very useful. I have attended the workshop on interviews conducted by NUS Career Centre. The presenter mentioned that it would be best if both females and males wore blazer for their interviews. What do you think?
Finally, it would be very nice of you if you could also do the same for females going for interviews. (:
Cheers,
Beatrice
Hi Ji Qing,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your experience on dress etiquette for men. It is rather interesting to read this post, widen my insights about the way guys should dress for the interview.
From your experience, is there any comments or remarks from the interviewer on the way you dressed?
hello!
ReplyDeleteyour post is an interesting read! I think guys in NUS should totally stick to your dressing etiquette rules for interviews. If i were an interviewer, i would definately give bonus points to people who bother to dress well for it. haha. Given that both everyone should take care in dressing for interviews, what do you think about the dressing for guys in NUS? Oh and i have another question. Do you think NUS should implement a image consultating course or workshop for students who are insecure with their image or are interested in knowing how to dress for the right occassion? =D
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ReplyDeleteHi Ji Qing,
ReplyDeleteYour post was very witty and informative at the same time. I especially liked the paragraph about chow yun fat and gatsby hair. HAHA. I think your post was very relevant as it is very important to dress well at interviews. Even before we get to open our mouths to speak or extend our hands to shake, we have already been inspected visually.
Beatrice mentioned wearing blazers for interview but I personally feel it depends on the company that is interviewing you. I have experience that the interviewer is actually very casually dressed. I think its not appropriate to look more professional than the person interviewing you. I think blazers are not needed if the inteview is not at a big MNC.