DRESS FOR THE JOB

I do think looks are important when going for an interview, and I also think that the type of interview determines the dress sense. I mean it is normal to be on corporate as an ICT personnel seeking a job. A complete corporate is not compulsory in most cases as it is for a banker who needs to be on full corporate which involves a well-knotted tie with a suit. I also think the industry for seeking jobs also determines the dress sense, I mean in the oil and gas industry where most of the jobs are on the field doesn't really require a full corporate dress as the banking industry requires. Engineering generally is one industry that requires you to just look presentable and not as flashy as other industries.

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Apart from these, the kind of job a person is going for determines how they dress. Someone looking to get a Job in the local government in Africa Nigeria to be precised has no business wearing a suit as proper native attire will be preferable. I once heard a story of how someone my friend was close to got a job because he was the only one wearing jeans and a T-shirt. It was an engineering job that required him to work in the field, from his working experience he deduced that that job was an urgent role and thus needed to be filled urgently and thus came not just for an interview, but also ready to resume work with immediate effect. Immediately he worked in, meeting a lot of other applicants, the interviewer came, looked at all of them, and invited him for an interview.

And since he did not disappoint at the interview, and was very ready to start, it was no longer necessary to keep the others waiting. I think that was a man who knew his job and was ready to work. I remember in my interview for my current job, I was asked when I could start, and I said immediately… Although I started the next week, I was ready to work. And if I felt there was a way I needed to dress for the job, I wouldn't hesitate to dress in such a manner because I would like to be addressed the way I dress. I think dressing has a psychology to building confidence, if I dress like a lawyer, it comes with a confidence that I'm really for anything that relates to the job I'm applying for.

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I've had one bad experience with dressing for an interview, it wasn't all that bad, but I felt embarrassed like I should have known better. It was when I was interviewing with a tech company, I was all dressed in corporate and so confident that I would crush the interview only to get there to get my confidence dashed in pieces when I walked in and saw all the staff in casuals. Only the CEO was in corporate casuals which made me feel embarrassed, like I overdressed at a party. I couldn't make a good impression in that interview and thus didn't get the job. But since then I decided to not go fully corporate in my field so that If I met such an opportunity I wouldn't be taken unawares, at least it would be easy to just fly my shirt and feel among…

THIS IS MY RESPONSE TO HIVE LEARNER'S PROMPT FOR WEEK 115 EPISODE 2