What Colour Should You Dress In For Your Interview?

It all depends on the impression you want to emit. 

Muovo sees a handful of candidates every day, and have come up with some tips on which colour leaves off the best impression. Of course, this goes hand in hand with your personality and perhaps, the mood of the day.

In a previous post, Muovo published an article called 'Dressing for Success'. In this article, and as I'm sure you already know, you have read that you should dress conservatively for the job interview, with suits and ties for the men, and formal wear for the women.

However, have you ever thought about what the best colour to wear for the interview would be? Probably, yes...but from what we see candidates wearing at times...for some of us, not that much!

Different colours can evoke different impressions in people, which is why you should consider the subtle message you are sending when you choose the colour of your clothes for your job interview.

The most popular colours are of course neutrals, like black, brown, beige, grey or navy. If you choose to wear black, however, be careful because it can represent power, authority and drama, not qualities you probably want to convey to someone who is thinking about hiring you. Consider using black only as an accent color.

Brown is a better choice because it signifies qualities like credibility and stability. Like brown, beige and tan tend to be calming, nonassertive colors that reduce stress and invite communication.

Grey is another good choice because it signifies sophistication, if you want to appear confident but not overpowering, wear gray.

The best-selling color worldwide is blue. Blue denotes loyalty, honesty, trust, calmness and authority and is a great choice for a job interview. As a result, a navy blue suit could make a very good impression.

Shirts/Blouses
Many people will choose white shirts or blouses to go under their suit jackets. Since white symbolizes order, cleanliness and purity, it is a good choice. A white shirt usually goes with everything and is a year round outfit

Accessories
Your accessories will allow you to add a splash of color to your fairly neutral job interviewing wardrobe. Accessories include things like ties, scarves, shoes and jewelry. Make sure you choose accessories that go with what you are wearing and keep it simple.

Accessories should be used to accent and highlight your face. Keep religious artifacts and accessories at home during an interview. Also, keep dangling bracelets to a minimum because they can be noisy and distracting. When you interview, you want the interviewer to remember your face, not the noise you produced.

Green is a good accessory color. It symbolizes nature, wealth, success and security. The color is also a relaxing one that is easy on the eye.

Socks and Shoes
For men, the best bet is to wear socks that match the color of your suit or slacks to the best of your ability. If you are wearing a tan suit, wear slightly darker socks but a shade lighter than your shoes. Dark brown or black are the best color shoe choices for men.

Woman should match the color of the suit to their shoes and keep everything neutral. You should also choose close-toed shoes without heels that are too high and wear neutral hose with them.

Fashion blogger Lara Boffa commented as follows regarding what she would wear for an interview:

'Usually I like to stick to neutrals, especially black and white, because it's a classic timeless look that works every single time. To play safe but avoid being boring and predictable, one could always add one coloured detail like a scarf or a particular pair of shoes to make your potential employer remember you a little bit more and to add some personality.'



Nikita Pisani at Muovo

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