It has often been said that more than 50% of what we believe about others is based on what we observe and the message we believe is trying to be conveyed.  It goes without saying, the adages are true, "Seeing is believing," and "The first impression is a lasting impression."  Busy recruiters/interviewers/human resources staff are thoroughly trained to look for reasons to eliminate potential candidates. Those reasons can be based on visual impact and/or what was perceived to be communicated.  Inappropriate attire is one of the major reasons candidates are eliminated.  Every outfit you put on sends a message.  What message do you want to send?

Here are a few quick and simple tips to get you on the road to overall success.
"Two of the first major things you should consider are the region of the country and the culture of the company," says Lisa Scherrer, vice president of Training and Development for The Professional Image Inc. of Atlanta, GA.  Scherrer's firm is one of the top corporate image consulting firms in the nation. For example, a tasseled loafer may be appropriate for a professional interview in Atlanta.  If the same interview, however, were taking place in New York City, a wing tip shoe would be more appropriate.  The heavier shoe is more appropriate in a cooler region.  Likewise, a linen dress suit may be appropriate for a September interview in New Orleans, but not at all appropriate for the same time of year in Boston.

Corporate culture is very important and one must understand that culture in order to communicate effectively.  A typical case in point is when the setting is corporate; a conservative, dark suit is most appropriate.  This gives the appearance of competence, responsibility, and level-headedness.  There are also specific rules regarding business fashion etiquette for both young women and men.

WOMEN

Scherrer recommends that in planning a winning wardrobe that a young woman "cover all bases" with a matching skirt, jacket, and pants that can be dressed up or down with a white shirt or silk blouse. Try to break up your suits so that they can be combined to create several outfits.  The outfit that seems to be the most popular amongst recruiters is the traditionally cut, medium-range wool suit (black, dark navy, or dark gray), white silk blouse, and skin-toned panty hose.  It is also appropriate to pair a dress with a matching jacket. The shoes should be the classic stocky-heeled, closed-toe pumps preferably in conservative colors such as black, navy, deep brown or gray.  The heel on the shoe should be about 1 1/2 to two inches high. "There is still a lot of heated discussion around the pants suit for women, commented Scherrer. "It is perfectly acceptable attire, but the thought still prevails that a skirt and jacket combination comes across as more authoritative." If you must wear a pantsuit, wear one with a jacket that falls below the waist in a conservative color such as black, navy, or gray.  "A more 'safe' general guideline is that the jacket cover the hip area. Short jackets with pants sometimes accentuate the figure or figure flaws too much," said Scherrer.  Although some women look fine in short jackets, Scherrer suggests that as a general rule of thumb, "safe" is sometimes the best way to go, "at least in the initial stages of one's career."

MEN

Scherrer's advice is, "The business suit is still the standard in most places, but one still has to consider the industry." Although suits in the basic colors (dark navy, dark gray, and black) are the most appropriate, herringbone and/or tweed are also acceptable.  "Investing in one good suit on a student's budget is sufficient, until you actually land a job and can afford more. One suit paired with three or four different ties (silk) and shirts can yield a variety of different looks.  When shopping, buy the best quality items you can afford."  The traditional white shirt is always acceptable, however, light blue and pinstripes can be a pleasant addition. With an abundance of discount retail outlets to choose from such as T.J. Maxx and Marshall's, one should never have to pay full retail price. "A careful shopper can grab a nice men's business suit for about $250.  Silk ties can be picked up for as little as $15 to $20 each," said Scherrer.  Typically, women's clothing tends to be less costly and can also be purchased quite reasonably through the discount chains as well as stores such as Macy's and Lord & Taylor.

Advice for both young men and women is to stay away from faddish attire when preparing for your interviews.  This type of clothing is not very flexible in that it can not be paired well with other pieces. You simply don't get the wear for your money if your clothing has a short wear life, as most fad clothing does. 

Although the Career Planning and Placement Office is known mostly for assisting with resume preparation and interview training, office professionals are also prepared to counsel on proper dress.  Al Barron, director of Career Planning and Placement Services at Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA, prepares his students with a "Dress For Success" seminar. "We are basically 'old school' in that we advise the students that they must wear a jacket and tie no matter how the interviewers may be dressed.  Young ladies are asked to be conservative as well. We advise against their wearing pantsuits if at all possible."

Barron stated that the issue of accessories and hair also is a point of discussion during the seminars.  He advises against young men wearing earrings to an interview and will not allow them to be worn in the Planning and Placement office.  "They will not receive service in our office if they are wearing an earring," he said.  A story that Barron likes to tell is that of a young lady. "About five years ago, I had a young lady who was an awesome individual. She had about a 3.89 grade point average and was a great student.  She happened to wear her hair in braids.  During the interview process, she did quite well, but received no callbacks and no offers for plant visits.  She could not understand what was wrong. I suggested to her that we do a little experiment. I asked her to buy a nice wig to cover her braids and let's see if there is any difference.  The results were amazing!  She suddenly began getting callbacks and invitations for plant visits!  Is it right? No. Is it corporate America? Yes. And we try to teach them that they need to dress like the people who interview them." 

The conservative approach is what Barron teaches and has his students subscribe to.  "They need to wear the uniform of the team they want to be a part of.  You never see a football player wearing a basketball player's uniform.  In order to be a part of the team, you have to don the uniform of the team. Once you get in and prove yourself, you tend to have more flexibility. Initially people are more comfortable with people who look like they do in their dress." Scherrer also offered the same advice adding "the marketplace is so competitive, it is to one's advantage to make people as comfortable with you as possible. As we progress professionally within an organization, our competencies and experiences become as visible as our business image.  But until we have a chance to prove ourselves and our work, we must realize that companies will make hiring and promotion decisions based on their first visual clues.  The marketplace is competitive. Companies can afford to be picky."

As part of the Dress for Success seminar, Barron has local vendors who come in to talk with the students about appropriate dress and building the right wardrobe.  The emphasis he places on the students' attire is that they begin building the correct wardrobe now.  "Since they already are spending a lot of money on clothes, they should begin building a wardrobe now so that they won't have to spend $1,500 all at one time.  We advise them to invest in one good quality outfit.  We may see them in that outfit more than one time, but the initial recruiter is only going to see them once. "

It is highly recommended that you get as much information about the prospective companies as possible before your interview. This includes information on the corporate culture and how people dress.  A few good suggestions on how to gain cultural insight are to talk with someone you may know personally who is already part of the culture, touch base with the human resources department to get more information on dress code, if any, at the company, and/or camp out a day before the interview and get a feel for the dress code at the company where you'll be interviewing.

If you are interested in more information on corporate dressing, Susan Bixler, president of The Professional Image, Inc., has authored two books on corporate dress, THE PROFESSIONAL IMAGE and most recently, THE NEW PROFESSIONAL IMAGE. 

Proper presentation takes preparation and knowing the rules of the game.  Be sure you not only know the rules, but have the right "uniform" as well.  Make sure the message you send is a message of success.  Good luck.