4 Things To Consider When Buying Your First Interview Suit (2024)

FAQs

What is the best first suit for interview? ›

Ideally, your suit should be either navy blue or charcoal grey. It's often believed that black suits are good for professional situations, but this is something of a misconception. Meanwhile, charcoal or navy give off the air of reliability, credibility and trustworthiness.

The Basic Suit ranges from $300 to $599, though it is easy to spend more. It's considered to be a solid price point for the first suit. This category includes the most common fit types, wool/poly blend materials, and basic color schemes.

Always play it safe by wearing business professional clothing – a suit and tie for gentlemen and a business dress or suit for ladies. It's always better to be overdressed than underdressed. The color of your suit matters as well.

Gray: Like navy, gray is one of the best suit colors for an interview. It is seen as logical and analytical, but also smart and put-together.

Although colors such as Dark Navy, Charcoal Grey and Black generally work well for any corporate job interview, many women feel that Black is the most formal color to wear specially for Finance and Law interviews. There is however, no hard and fast rule and we think Charcoal grey and dark Navy would work just as well.

Dressing in Traditional Interview Suit Colors

Let's say you've decided to wear a navy suit for your interview. It's a good choice: Blue is a flattering color on most people, and navy is a universally accepted and uncontroversial suit color.

In most cases, when you attend an interview, you want to make sure that your attire aligns with or slightly exceeds what people typically wear in that workplace. If you are looking for a position in an industry or profession where wearing more formal clothing is the norm, then putting on a suit might be a necessity.

The expectation will be for you to dress conservatively, so a three-piece suit is a smart move. Don't just dig out your old black one though, you should step it up a little if you want to make a memorable impression with what to wear for an interview.

Experts recommend spending around $500 for a quality suit.

The $500 range will give you everything you need in a basic suit: quality stitching, nice fabric, and neutral, versatile colors. It isn't the cheapest suit you can get, but it's definitely not the most expensive, either.

Is $400 too much for a suit? ›

Expect to spend $400 to $799 on a basic suit. While most basic suits start at $400, you can often find them on sale for as little as $300. Most experts agree that you should buy the best quality suit that you can afford.

A cheap suit is made of Polyester or Rayon and shines in the sunlight. It has a blend of cotton, recycled wool, and synthetic blends. However, an expensive suit is made of 100% virgin wool, well-made details, fine luster, and super wool quality.

The best colors to wear to an interview are ones that are neutral such as black, navy, gray and brown. White is also an appropriate neutral color for a shirt or blouse. Depending on your preference, you can also add a pop of color to an interview outfit to introduce your own personality.

The Right Tie

Now that you've got the suit, you need to choose a tie. It's best to wear a traditional tie, and solid, dark colors work well. A navy blue tie pairs well with a suit and vest. Burgundy is another conservative color to wear when you approach an interview.

Most offices operate in business professional attire, but some startups and companies prefer more relaxed outfits (i.e., business casual or casual). If the company feels corporate, then a suit and tie for men or a suit or smart dress for women is the way to go in case of an interview.

A good suit is never a bad idea, especially if you're heading to a job that also requires you to wear one. But we'd recommend you keep things minimal - a simple black suit is always a win, as is a grey. Navy is a little softer, but equally as sharp as those aforementioned colours. Also, a slim fit will do the job.

Pocket squares are another fashion accessory that you should only wear for certain job interviews. In this case, if you are going to an interview that is formal or where the dress code is business formal or professional, you may want to consider adding a pocket square to your suit jacket.

Lisa Johnson Mandell of AOL Jobs writes: “Studies show that navy blue is the best color for a suit to wear to a job interview because it inspires confidence.” Be wary, though, of choosing navy for more creative job interviews, where you could come off looking too conservative.

Keep tight, revealing, and hole-filled clothing off your list of options. Anything that shows underclothing, cleavage, too much skin, or midriffs is unacceptable. While ripped and tight clothing can make a positive impact and can be trendy, it would be detrimental in a job interview.

In an interview setting, black is a good choice, just don't wear too much of it. Like white, black pairs nicely with most other interview colors. Black says you respect the formality of the interview and the authority of the hiring company. Avoid matching black with brown, charcoal, or dark grey.

What do the colors mean for interview? ›

In general, it's best to wear one of four “neutral” colors to an interview to help interviewers develop a positive perception of you. Blue: shows that you're confident, trustworthy, and a team player. Black: implies leadership, sophistication, and exclusivity. Gray: you're independent, logical, and analytical.

The way you dress for an interview gives potential employers their first impression of how you present yourself professionally. Even if you look great on paper, if you don't dress appropriately for an interview, you give the impression that you lack respect for yourself and those you are meeting with.

The Job Interview

A Navy Blue Suit is a perfect look to make a good first impression at your job interview. Pair your navy blue suit with a classic white dress shirt and a blue or red tie.

Wear smart slacks or dark coloured jeans, tailored jeans are often best for interviews. A knee length or midi skirt can also work. For shoes wear flats or small heels with closed toes. Choose a blouse or shirt that fits well, avoiding low-cut tops.

Showing up completely overdressed suggests that you didn't research the company and have not paid any attention to the company culture. Employers want to ensure that they hire employees who will fit in with the general office vibe, and showing up to an interview overdressed can be a major red flag.

Dress pants, pencil skirts, knee-length dresses, blazers, neutral or light-colored blouses, sweaters, cardigans, tights, and suits are all acceptable forms of interview attire. Dress shoes should be closed-toed heels, flats, or short boots.

In formal environments, appropriate attire might include a tailored suit, button-down shirt with tie, blouse, lace-up dress shoes or close-toed pumps, and stockings or dress socks.

While there's no objective answer to how many interviews are too many, typically any more than four interviews is too much. To avoid this, consider the size of your company before deciding how many rounds of interviews you're going to conduct.

Now, the “suit” has become casual-looking and has taken a back seat to more causal clothing styles like t-shirts and jeans. With globalization, American clothing standards have caused many other countries to emulate the same causal dressing styles, causing a decline in the “traditional” suit's use in daily life.

The basic principle is to divide your image into thirds horizontally and vertically. These lines and their intersections act as guidelines for where to position important compositional elements in your frame. It is particularly helpful for positioning your subject correctly for an off camera interview.

Is it cheaper to hire a suit or buy? ›

Budget. Purchasing ready-made high street suits can be great value but having suits made-to-measure will definitely cost a lot more than hiring.

If there's very little fabric left and it's just an overlock stitch that keeps the fabric from fraying, you'll likely have a cheap suit in your hand. If the suit has cuffs, you can also take a look at that because a proper cuff is long and folded and in theory, you can take out the stitching and elongate your pants.

Fabric price is determined by the fiber type, fiber quality, and the fabric weave. Synthetics are usually the least expensive to produce, with polyester and rayon being two common examples.

A custom suit would not live up to its name if the quality of the fabric was compromised. Simply put, bespoke suits are made in a more expert fashion with more superior materials than off-the-rack. What this translates into is quality and longevity: a custom, tailor-made suit should last a lifetime.

That means you can go into any “brick and mortar” tuxedo shop or Men's Warehouse in your area and ask for complimentary measurements, and they will take them for you, free of charge.

You will want five suits for each season to complete your 20 days of suit-wearing. You have a suit for every day of the month at the office. Another piece of shopping advice: When you buy a suit, you should get a shirt and tie to go with it, preferably two of each.

Overall, a $1,000 suit will not give you the best of everything, you either can get something with more handwork that is a little more comfortable and lasts longer or maybe something that is more machine made with a more refined cut but you have to compromise on the fabric.

The suits are all of equal value - no suit is higher than any other suit. In Poker, the Ace is the highest card and the 2 card (Deuce) is the lowest. However, the Ace can also be used as a low card, with the value of 1.

"Good day, I am [Name], and I am delighted to be here today. I appreciate the opportunity to discuss my qualifications for the [Position/Job Title] role." "Having [Number] years of experience in [Field], I was able to develop a strong skill set that comes in line with the requirements of this position.

What color shows confidence in an interview? ›

Blue is a great color to wear to an interview. It simply portrays confidence and demonstrates to the interviewer that you are confident in what you do. Blue is the most popular color among men because it represents masculinity which is why many men wear blue shirts to interviews.

Business Formal

The business professional look comes with a few givens. You should be in a formal suit, dress shoes and collared shirt. To fit with this look we recommend to staying conservative with your ties. Colors should be neutral (black, grey or dark blue).

Have you ever heard the term power tie? In the business world, this refers to a solid red necktie. The color red is known as a power color, associated with authority, strength and passion. Red is often worn to grab attention, make a statement or mean business.

If you don't know what color tie is best to wear to an interview, you can choose blue. Many experts agree that this is among the most suitable colors that people should wear when heading to an interview. It doesn't matter what shade of blue you wear, so long as it is not blindingly bright.

The best colors to wear to an interview are ones that are neutral such as black, navy, gray and brown. White is also an appropriate neutral color for a shirt or blouse. Depending on your preference, you can also add a pop of color to an interview outfit to introduce your own personality.

Some hiring managers may choose to interview the strongest candidates first. This can be advantageous for a number of reasons. By interviewing the top candidate early, employers can gauge other candidates' performances against the benchmark set by the best candidate.

For your first suit, go for one in navy or charcoal.

And unless you live somewhere that's warm year-round, a lighter-colored suit just isn't all that versatile. The great thing about a suit in navy or grey is that you can wear it over and over (and over and over and over), making that suit a solid investment..

Once again, gray is a great neutral color to wear for job interviews. It can portray you as a logical and analytical professional.

5. 47% of candidates fail job interviews because they did not receive enough information about the company (Source: Legal jobs) Assisting job seekers to present themselves in the best possible light is advantageous for them and saves valuable time and resources for recruiters.

Who should greet first in an interview? ›

When you arrive at a job interview, introduce yourself to the receptionist, if there is one. Let them know who you are and who you are scheduled to meet with. Greet your interviewer with a firm handshake and introduce yourself. Be prepared for a little small talk, but don't overdo it.

45 minutes

45 is the golden number in the world of job interviews. Along with 38 per cent of the professionals we polled on LinkedIn, we agree that a good first interview should last about 45 minutes long.

The occasion/dress code

We recommend sticking with dark-colored suits, like black, navy, or charcoal gray for a formal event. For a day at the office, an all black men's suit is way too formal. Instead, we recommend wearing a gray or navy blue men's suit to work.

A black suit is too formal for most workplaces. This rule goes for interviews as well. Stick with grey or navy, and leave the black suit for weddings and galas. Just because a black suit shouldn't be the first thing you buy doesn't mean you should ignore it.

The expectation will be for you to dress conservatively, so a three-piece suit is a smart move. Don't just dig out your old black one though, you should step it up a little if you want to make a memorable impression with what to wear for an interview.