Different companies and industries have different norms in regard to business dress. For example, a financial analyst at an investment firm may not wear the same work attire as a computer engineer at a small start-up internet company. Likewise, a journalist's work clothing may be far different from that of an agricultural sales representative. The majority of organizations in all industries, however, have very similar expectations when it comes to interview attire. The standard protocol is professional dress, which means a conservative, well-tailored suit. Although a business suit is not always the everyday work attire for an organization, recruiters expect candidates to look their most professional during a job interview.
In an interview, you want to impress a recruiter with your skills, accomplishments and potential. First impressions are lasting impressions. If you are not "dressed" for the interview, you may never have the opportunity to prove yourself capable of the job. Instead, you will be working throughout the interview to counteract the negative impression made by your attire.
It is always best to err on the side of conservative dress. Your clothing and accessories should not draw so much attention as to distract from the true purpose of the interview. You do not want the recruiter to remember you for the fact that you wore white socks or too much perfume.
As mentioned above, clothing standards differ by company. It is, therefore, difficult to prescribe the "perfect" interview attire to match all occasions. You should always research a company and its culture to learn more about its dress code. Following are standardized tips, for men and women, which should be considered as you prepare for your interview.