Interview Help?

[sfulton]

Hi, can someone please advise if it is essential for a female to wear a suit to interview for office work? Or would smart dressy trousers with a nice top suffice?

Thank for any advice

[Androcles]

You should look carefully at the details of the job for which you are applying and dress accordingly. For example, if it was the head office of an accountants, you would probably need to dress differently than if it was the head office of a chain of fashion boutiques, where they migfht ant something more trendy.

Is the job facing the public or backroom? is it a young company or something well established. The expectations at a hip hi-tech software company might expect something a bit more individual.....

if necessary go along and have a look at what the staff are wearing when they arrive in the office in the morning. Just needs a bit of homework!

[buildersmate]

Totally agree with the above.
In the event that it is impossible to check it out beforehand, wear a suit. You won't be marked-down for overdressing, you might be for underdressing for the occasion.

[mollykins]

my mum says always dress one step up from what you would wear for the job. So if you are applying to be a builder, where you would wear jeans and a old t-shirt, wear black trousers and a quite smart shirt. If you are in an office, where you would wear perhaps a skirt and a nice blouse, probably best to wear a suit.

[vulcan]

The idiosyncrasies of the employer needs to be checked as well. My Son applied for a job with an IT company where the everyday wear was casual, tee shirt and jeans. However they expected future employees to attend the interviews in a suit, white shirt and tie.