Dress to Impress While Beating the Heat

Everyone knows that that the most difficult part of walking around Malta during summer, even wearing minimal clothing, is trying not to sweat buckets through every single pore in your body. Let alone doing it in professional interview clothing.

Just how do you show up for a summer interview not looking like it’s been raining under your armpits and down your back? Muovo is here to help you keep your cool, literally and figuratively.

Beating the Heat

It’s said that an employer knows within the first 90 seconds of an interview whether they’ll hire a person or not.

That decision is partially based on what the candidate is wearing and how they act in the first few seconds of walking through the door. So it’s no wonder that looking fresh for an interview is a must. That’s why we’ll be going through some tips for men and women alike on how to keep sweat at bay and nail summer interview apparel.

Men’s Wear

Unfortunately, men don’t have much choice when it comes to interview clothing. Autumn, winter, spring, summer - you have to wear a suit. But there are some useful notes to keep in mind.

• Fabric: When it comes to the material of your shirt and suit, opt for something light like linen or cotton. This also applies for ties; don’t go for satin or wool but stick to silk.
• Sleeve Length: You can go for a short-sleeved shirt to keep you cool, but if you’re uncomfortable with that and prefer the classic long sleeve, try asking the interviewer whether it’s all right to take off your jacket for the interview.
• Colour: Basic physics tells you that black absorbs a lot of heat. So, don’t wear black for a summer interview. Instead, try blue or tan as your summer go-to colours for suits. You’ll still look just as dapper.
• Lining: The purpose of double lining is to capture heat, so wear light lined suit-jackets in order to avoid overheating. Alternatively, if you don’t want to buy a suit just for its lining, keep the jacket off until just outside the door of the interview, put it on for when you walk in, and then ask to take it off.

Women’s Wear

Women have a wider variety of interview clothes to choose from, but even then it’s still limiting. You can choose to go for a blouse, knee-length skirt or trouser, and suit jacket combo, or the knee-length dress and suit jacket combo. Here are a few tips to help you out.

• Fabric: Once again, it’s always a good idea to go with lighter and thinner materials like cotton and linen when you’re going in for a summer interview.
• Jackets: Unlike men, women have the option to buy a mid-length sleeve jacket for an interview. Some of them also come purposefully designed with ridges towards the cuff so they’re easier to push up to your elbow.
• Colour: If you’re going to wear a blouse, the ideal would be to wear white. It’s smart, cool and sweat stains don’t show as much. For skirts, jackets and dresses, beige, tan or even pastel colours convey the right professional message without absorbing a lot of heat.  
• Hair & Makeup: Wear primer if possible, put powder on, and use makeup setting spray. Aside from these basics, don’t put on a ton of makeup. Chances are it’ll melt off before you get to the interview. If you have long hair, tie it up.  And always remember to head over to the restroom to touch up before going in.

Other Tips

There are, of course, other things you can do to keep yourself looking dewy rather than sweaty.

• Drink plenty of water: It’s simple - keep hydrated so your skin looks as glowing as your CV.
• Transport: Your best option would be to make sure you’re in an air-conditioned vehicle. If you’re stuck with the bus, make sure to leave plenty of time to get to and from the bus-stop so you’re not running around.
• Deodorant: Bring a can with you if possible. You’re probably going to need it.
• Be prepared: Our male readership might want to consider packing a fresh shirt with them. To our female readership, if you know that your hair might double in volume due to humidity by the time you get to the interview, have some hairspray or styling gel on you.

Following these few tips, you’re sure to ace that interview for that job you want. After all, once you get there looking relatively put together, it’s all about what you bring to the table. Weather can’t get in the way of that. So don’t sweat the small stuff, and go get that job!

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