As witty as it is, the quote “You never get a second chance to make a first impression”, is also true for almost all encounters of life — especially the professional ones. You might make huge mistakes with friends and family and still get away but with professional relationships, the smallest of slips might cost you your career. And first meeting is usually the occasion where such slips tend to happen the most. If you are a teenager entering an interview room for the first time then you must be doubly alert. Remember that the employer has seen several candidates of your age and qualification. And even before you utter the first word, he will make a mental note of your appearance. So yes, it is what you have always believed — appearances do matter! But that doesn’t mean that you have to deck up in an evening gown for the interview — that will just be clownish! You just need to sport a clean and formal look for the meeting at hand. This will make the employer take you more seriously. The key is to preserve your unique style of dressing as well as adorning office approved attire. Having said all this, it is not a matching suit that will matter if you don’t have the personality to go with it. This article particularly deals with the dos and don’ts of teenager attire for an interview. Read on to find out more!
Interview Attire For Teenagers
Let us give you a head-to-toe description of the dos and don’ts of teenage interview dressing.
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A cropped haircut for guys and a compact and neat hairstyle for girls is the way to go. Use gel to set your hair down neatly so that it doesn’t fall on you face during the course of conversation. Men must have a clean shaven look but if you must have facial hair then it is advised to get them trimmed neatly. For example, the younger generation loves to experiment with beard lengths – keep this at bay, if unnecessary. Also, don’t hide your head under a cap even if it is a bad hair day!
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Tattoos might be great, but not at a job interview! There is not much that you can do if you have got your face or neck inked except covering the tattoos up with pieces of clothes. For girls, a scarf around the neck and for guys a high neck shirt with a tie would be fair. If you haven’t already tattooed yourself then double check if you really want it! The same applies to piercings. Take them all out and simply wear a watch as an accessory. Bangles, necklaces, extra ear piercings and anklets must be taken out before entering the interview room.
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Makeup must be kept minimal. Painting your face too much may earn you an immature and unprofessional image. Also, if you wear too many cosmetics, it might run when the temperatures are high. A fresh face is always better than a superficially decorated one!
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Clothes create first impressions so men must wear comfortable suits in sober colours like grey, black, brown, navy blue etc in cooler temperatures while for hotter times, full sleeves shirts in solid colours can be teamed up with formal trousers. The attire must be ironed and unstained at all costs. Women can wear anything from formal to semi-formal while torn jeans, transparent clothing, short skirts and skimpy tops are a strict no-no.
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As for footwear, men must wear close-toed shoes of the same colour as the belt. Girls can wear heels less than two inches in height and preferably close-toed. Fancy footwear and flip flops can be kept away from.
Teenagers live a casual life in their rugged jeans and cool tops. So when going for an interview, they must realise that they are stepping into the grown-ups’ world and act accordingly with the required degree of maturity.
