I had the wonderful opportunity on Monday to attend a seminar at the Career Center in Bangor, presented by Ruth Dodge, Market Human Resource Manager for Walmart. The seminar was titled “Dress For Your Success” but I have to say, the seminar gave job seekers so many tips beyond how to dress for success!
Some of the tips she shared on how to dress for an interview included:
* Neat, clean and simple: think of how customers would like to see you dressed. You do not need to worry about wearing a suit if that is not what you would need to wear on the job if hired.
* Get your clothes ready the night before. That philosophy stems from Ruth’s upbringing (as well as mine!); and by following it, there are no worries about what to wear an hour before the interview! Also, dust of your shoes…take a wet paper towel and wipe of the grime from outside. Something as simple as that allows you to leave a great first impression.
* Iron your clothes. If you don’t have an iron and ironing board, check out your local thrift store and use a towel for the ironing board.
* Do not wear any strong or excessive perfume. Some people are allergic and what if that person is your interviewer?
Dressing for Success does not equal expensive:
* A $5 suit can get you the job! Ruth shared the story of her first corporate interview in Boston, where she wore a $5 suit from a thrift shop and she got the job. Years later the boss who hired her for her that position commented on how wonderful the suit was that she wore to the interview! Some local thrift shops to consider in looking for your $5 suit include Hands of Hope and The Attic.
* Use a beauty school for an inexpensive haircut and grab a box of color from your local Walmart.
Things to think about when heading into the interview:
* Visualize your success and leave your baggage behind. As stressful as things can be when job hunting, leave that stress at the door and show the interviewers all that you have to offer them. There is a five minute rule in HR: within five minutes they have assessed whether or not to send you on to the next step
* Smile and stand up straight. Remember that you are on stage before the interview, walking out the door, even shopping in the store at a later time. Swearing or getting into an argument on your cell phone is not going to give the best impression.,
* If you can dream it, it will happen. Everyone has had a starting point in their career. It all starts with the dream!
After the interview:
* Update your outgoing message on your phone. It’s not the time to have a silly message for your friends. Leave a professional sounding message, with your name, so that if the HR department calls you for another interview or to hire you, they know they have reached the right person!
* Stand out from the rest. Make sure you have a copy of your resume to leave at the interview; and write a thank you note to send immediately after. If you don’t get the position you interview for, you may be someone that they keep in mind for another position down the road.
* It is important to network and volunteer so that people can be references to your work ethic and reliability, even if you haven’t had a job in a little while.
Ruth brought a wealth of information for job seekers at the Career Center! If you are looking for a job, check out the positions she has posted on jobmatchme.com or go directly to Walmart.com.
There is one important thing most job seekers fail to consider when they’re about to face the moment of truth during an interview, which is just like you say; it happens upon first glance as the interviewer and other staff members size you up.
And that one thing is; put yourself in their shoes. Ask yourself, what is it about you that will impress them? Is it your warm, friendly smile and firm yet not overbearing handshake? Is it the understated, simple clothes you are wearing and the fact that you don’t have ten earring across the top of your earlobes?
Place yourself in their shoes and you’ll always make a great first impression, which by the way, is all you usually have when you’re trying to get hired. Make them remember a positive, friendly, put-together person who is not only qualified for the job, but one who appears to be able to get along with co-workers!
Justin, thank you for your comments! Everything that you point out is very true. People need to realize that their “interview” starts from the moment a person enters the business, whether or not it’s for the interview or the services of the company. In the day of employers having piles of applications for each position, it is important that anyone interested in working for a company does all they can to make their first impression the absolute best one!
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Thank you so much for your kind words Sarah. I’m glad you have found the information I have shared in this blog useful; and I promise, there is more to come!
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