Don’t Dress for your Personality

There is plenty of information out there about what to wear to an interview, what colours and styles best suite your body. But what about the clothes that best suits your personality?

You need to dress opposite to your personality, to balance things out. Generally, when you are nervous, your dominant personality traits are heightened. This means that if you are naturally bubbly and vibrant, you may be a little louder than ideal. Or if you are an introverted accountant, you may be extra reserved and quiet and come off as “flat” or disinterested.

The shy person- mousey; the confident person-pushy!

A flamboyant person should wear neutral colours and clean lines without too many accessories or bold makeup, to counterbalance their personality. Try putting on a coloured shirt, softening your hair and makeup and accessorising; if you feel you come off too serious. If you are shy, dress boldly; if you are very confident- maybe tone it down with softer colours.

When you walk in the door of the interview, you make an impression. The rest of the interview will be spent confirming this first impression.

What sort of impression are you trying to make?

It’s ok- you don’t need to know what job you want.

The relief I see on people’s faces, when I say this in an interview!
I have been in recruitment for 25 years, and I still don’t know all the jobs out there, possibly because there are new employee requirements each day, and each company calls them by different job titles, depending on the focus of the position.
When someone asks you what job are you looking for, they are not necessarily asking you for a job title. If you know specifically what you are wanting- great! Perhaps you are looking for a job as a “Chartered Accountant”, or “Graphic Designer specializing in digital marketing”. But you can also answer this question with the qualities and general duties you are looking for.
Make a list of all the qualities about your previous jobs that you liked/ disliked. Answer the question by saying, “I don’t know that title of the position that I am wanting, but I am looking for something where I work with people, am constantly multitasking, but can also put my strong administration skills to use. I am not a numbers- person, but rather more creative. I love Digital Marketing and would love to study and grow more in this position. Any role where I can put these qualities to use would be awesome!”
The answer above shows that you know yourself and have given this some thought. An answer like “I don’t know!”, or worse- “I’ll do anything!” does nothing to promote you for potential vacancies.

Interview nerves!

Believe it or not, interview nerves are not all that bad!

Nerves often come when our sympathetic nervous system is activated- that fight or flight response that was designed to keep us safe from danger.  In an interview, if our sympathetic nervous system is activated, your responses are heightened to help you perform better and deal with the stress.  If you have that nervous/ adrenalin rush too early, you can find by the time the interview starts, you are dull and your answers are flat.  Just being aware of this, can help you to consciously “dial up the energy”.  The opposite is also true- when your sympathetic nervous system is over stimulated by nerves, and you are unable to settle and focus.

 

Whether you are feeling flat or overly anxious, I find the best solution on the way to the interview, is to sing and dance.  Turn up the music and sing along at the top of your lungs (or just imagine you are 😊).  Dance a little in your car seat.  Burn off some of that nervous energy (or build up a little energy- whichever you need).  I promise you will feel better!

 

Remember, those nerves- they are going to make you perform at your best!  Embrace them, don’t view them as an obstacle.