Dress to Impress — The Virtual Interview

If you’re currently job seeking then chances are your interview will take place virtually rather than in-person so you need to be prepared to shine online. If you’ve never interviewed online before then you may be wondering what you should wear, so I’m sharing with you my virtual interview style tips to help you dress to impress from the comfort of your own home.

Dress from head to toe — Now you may think that just because the interviewer will only see the top part of you that that is all you need to dress and that sweatpants and fluffy slippers will work with a blouse and blazer. If it were a virtual meeting you were participating in then it might be an ok option, and it’s definitely something we’ve all done. But for an interview, you want to project confidence and professionalism to someone who is a complete stranger and the way to feel and act professionally is to dress professionally from head to toe.

Choose the right color — Color plays such an important role when it comes to sending the right message and it’s even more important when you’re on-screen. It’s much more challenging to be engaging through a computer screen, so a lot of non-verbal cues can be missed by the interviewer. Choose colors that send clear messages to the interviewer. Blue is the color of integrity and reliability so it’s always a good option. If the job you’re applying for is in a creative field then orange can show creativity and energy. Even if you just add a pop of color to your outfit with accessories it can work to keep the attention of your audience.

Don’t compete with your background — When we interview in person we don’t think about the surroundings we will be in, but more often than not it will be in a professional space with minimal decoration. But when we interview from home we are surrounded by wall coverings and personal objects that can be distracting. Try to set up your computer so that the background will be a plain wall so the focus will be on you and you alone. If you don’t have any plain walls and your background has printed wallpaper or is a bright color, then you’ll need to make sure that your outfit doesn’t create a sensory overload for the interviewer. Choose a color that works with the background and avoid wearing prints.

Keep make-up natural — Many people seem to be under the impression that you need to wear more make-up when on camera. And while this is true for television productions and movies, it’s not the case for virtual interviews. Your face will be close to the camera so there is a natural definition without the need for heavy make-up. Keep your make-up natural and avoid too much highlighter and shimmer as this can add too much shine.

Don’t over-accessorize — It’s important to remember that the interviewer has a close-up view of you in a virtual interview compared to if you were sitting across a table during an in-person interview. Accessories become emphasized in this situation so be sure to keep them small and minimal to avoid them from being a distraction. It’s you that needs to shine in the interview, not your earrings.

So now you have the style scoop for your virtual interview all that’s left to do is click connect and go get that new job!