How to Tie a Tie > How to Dress for an Interview
Whydo you come to our website to learn how to tie a tie? Often it isbecause you have to go to a job interview. In this article, we willprovide you some advice on how to dress for an interview, with thefocus on the tie.
TheImportance of Understanding What to Wear on an Interview
Understandingwhat to wear on an interview is important to your success. The firstimpression of the interviewer on you can have a deep influence onhis/her final hiring decision. If you dress casually, the interviewermay think that you do not take the job interview seriously and arenot eager to get the job.
Insome business fields where you have to get in touch with clients orcustomers frequently, your appearance will be more important since itwill have an impact on the clients' or customers' impression on thecompany you are in. Wearing appropriate attire in job interviews candemonstrate that you understand the nature of the business and youare familiar with the dress code of that field, thus increase yourchance in getting the job.
Spendsome time to find out the culture of the organization before going tothe job interview. For example, visit the organization's website,read its brochures or look at what its employees wear. In general,business fields such as accounting, banking, consulting and lawrequire more formal attire, whereas creative industries likeadvertising and technology are more flexible concerning the attire.
Sometimesyou may notice that the employees of a company dress casually in theoffice. Note that, unless the company states explicitly, you shouldstill dress formally to the job interview.
Somegeneral advice on how to dress for an interview is provided below,beginning with the tie. Note that there is no single job interviewattire that fits all situations. So, you may need to make somechanges on your own based on the actual situation.
JobInterview Attire -- the Tie
Thetie is a standard component of men's job interview attire. The rulefor choosing the right tie to an interview is simple -- Find one witha conservative look. Ties with fancy patterns should be avoided. Hereare the details:
TieKnot
Thefour most commonly used tie knots are the four-in-hand knot, thehalf-Windsor knot, the Windsor knot and the Pratt knot. All of themare suitable to wear to job interviews.
However,a larger and more symmetric tie knot is preferred. A larger tie knotcan give you a more confident look while a symmetric one lookselegant. As the four-in-hand is a small and asymmetric tie knot, itis less preferred.
Choosea tie knot that fits the collar opening of the shirt. For example, asmall tie knot like the four-in-hand suits shirts with a narrowcollar opening, while a large tie knot like the Windsor suits shirtswith a wide collar opening.
Practisetying a tie beforehand, especially for more complicated tie knotslike the Windsor.
Regardingthe ideal length of your tie, the tip of the wider end should be atthe same level as the bottom of your belt buckle.
TieColor and Pattern
Tiecolor and pattern should be conservative and non-distracting.
Tieswith dark colors are preferred. For example, dark blue and dark red.
Tieswith solid colors or subtle patterns such as stripes and dots arepreferred. Stay away from fashion extremes such as ties withpictures.
TieFabric
Choosea silk tie or silk blend tie.
TieAccessories
Tieaccessories like tie bars and tie clips might be worn to keep thetie in place. However, you should make sure that its color and shapeare conservative and non-distracting. For example, a rectangular tiebar is more appropriate than a pen-shape one.
JobInterview Attire -- Other Aspects
Thetie is an important part of your job interview attire. However,paying attention to the tie only is not enough. To obtain anexcellent overall appearance, you have to pay attention to otheraspects as well. Here is our advice on how to dress for a jobinterview:
Suit
Weara suit with conventional colors like navy and charcoal gray. A blacksuit looks too formal and is less appropriate for job interviews.
Asuit made of wool or wool blend is preferred.
Shirt
Weara shirt that is in white or pale blue color to job interviews.
Thesleeves of the suit jacket should not cover that of the shirtcompletely. About half an inch of the shirt's sleeves should beseen.
Belt
Thebelt should be in a dark color. For example, black.
Thebelt should match the color of the shoes.
Shoes
Wearconservative shoes in a dark color, such as black or brown, to jobinterviews.
Lace-upshoes are recommended.
Theshoes should be polished.
Socks
Weardark color socks to job interviews. White socks are not appropriate.
Makesure your socks are long enough so that your skin will not be seenif you sit down.
Briefcase
Takea briefcase with you to hold items such as pens (you may need tofill in forms), a few pieces of blank paper, your resume,transcripts and certificates.
Avoidtaking backpacks to job interviews.
Hair
Yourhair should be clean and neat.
Yourhairstyle should be simple and conservative.
Shorthair is preferred.
Mustacheand Beard
Ifpossible, shave off your mustache and beard before going to jobinterviews.
Ifyou do not shave them off, make sure they are well groomed and lookneat.
Fingernails
Fingernailsmust be neatly trimmed.
Alwayskeep your fingernails clean.
Cologne
Minimizeits use or do not use it at all.
What Do You Want to Do Next?
- Learn how to clean a tie
- Learn how to prevent and remove wrinkles on a tie
- Read some tips on ironing a tie
- Read some tips on buying a tie
- Learn how to dress for an interview
- Learn how to tie a four-in-hand knot
- Learn how to tie a half-Windsor knot
- Learn how to tie a Windsor knot
- Learn how to tie a Pratt knot
- Learn how to tie a bow tie
- Learn how to tie an Oriental knot
- Learn how to tie a Kelvin knot
- Learn how to tie a Nicky knot
- Learn how to tie a Victoria knot
- Learn how to tie a St. Andrew knot
- Learn how to tie a Plattsburgh knot
- Learn how to tie a Cavendish knot
- Learn how to tie a Grantchester knot
- Learn how to tie a Hanover knot
- Learn how to tie a Balthus knot
- Go back to the home page
- Go back to the top of this web page
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