Jean's Blog

Guest Post: Affordable Tips for Interview Success

Posted by Jean

Lizandra Vega’s new book, The Image of Success: Make a Great Impression and Land the Job You Want, is a great resource for today’s job-seeker, so I was excited when she agreed to write a guest post for my blog and share some effective and low-cost interview tips. I hope you enjoy — and get that job!

As if the pressure of looking for a job when you’re on a tight budget or unemployed isn’t enough; with bills piling up and other financial responsibilities waiting to be met, you have to worry about looking your best? It’s difficult to justify making any wardrobe purchases during a time when money is better spent on practical life and death matters. Still, appearance stands for the “A” in the ABCs of finding a job and unquestionably the first of many components by which you are evaluated during a job interview.

During these tough economic times, pulling your interview look together can be a financial hardship. However, with so much riding on your candidacy you simply can’t afford to be passed on for any reason at all…especially how you look.. Fortunately, there are ways of looking your best without breaking the bank or going into unnecessary debt to do so.

Price-Per-Wear Formula
If you are a recent college graduate, re-entering the work force or leaving an industry where suits are non-existent as part of the dress code, you’ll need to invest in one suit to hit the ground running. A classic, standard quality, ready-to-wear suit’s price point may average around $400. Consider the price-per-wear formula whenever making this investment purchase:

Example: $400 (suit) ÷ 10 (# of interviews) = $40 (cost-per-wear)
OR
$400 (suit) ÷ 40 (# of interviews) = $10 (cost-per-wear)

While the price of a suit is bound to increase based on fabric quality and workmanship, this can be justified, and even encouraged, given the endurance factor. Each wear decreases your cost-per-wear numbers and increases the value of your investment; paying dividends for many interviews to come and beyond once you are hired.

Tips for a Low-Cost Wardrobe Spruce-Up
Whether your interview apparel and accessories are brand new or gently worn, the condition and maintenance of how you present them speaks loads about your work ethic and how your will represent the company once you are hired. Try these cost effective inspirations:

• Invest in a hand-held steamer (about $40) which can save you hundreds of dollars in dry cleaning bills by enabling you to wear a garment 3 to 5 times longer.
• Try a simple at-home shoe shine for the cost of the shoe polish (approximately $1.80) with an old t-shirt used as your shining cloth.
• Restore shabby heel tips for about $5 per pair.
• Replace old shoe laces with new ones for $2-$4.
• Splurge by having your shoes resoled and made to look like new for about $30.
• Transform the look of an interview suit by altering the fit ($90-$120) or, even more economical, changing its buttons ($1-$10 per button depending on size and quality).
• Add panache to an existing shirt by personalizing it with a monogram ($10-$12) on the edge of a shirt cuff.

Cost-free Bonus Tips

• Choose hues that harmonize with your hair, eyes and skin color instead of those that compete with your natural characteristics.
• Select patterns that balance your proportions: pinstripes will elongate shortness and glen plaids will minimize tallness.
• Add textured fabrics to create interesting visual contrast throughout your wardrobe.

Lizandra Vega is the author of The Image of Success: Make a Great Impression and Land The Job You Want, (AMACOM Books, May 2010). Cofounder and Managing Partner of Manhattan-based boutique staffing firm Perennial Resources International (PRI); she is also a Certified Image Coach. She lives in Westchester County, New York with her husband and two children. LizandraVega.com