One Dress, Four Ways: Job Interview Outfits (Part 3)

This is the third week of the Marks & Spencer Blogger Style Challenge that I’m taking part in, where I’m bringing you a series of outfits for four different job interview scenarios. I’m so excited to tell you all that I was one of the winners of the week one challenge – I’m featured on the M&S Stories website with the other winners from that week: please do check it out!

To explain: M&S have given me a dress of my choice that I have to create four outfits around, depending on the brief they’ve given me and four other female bloggers in a prize competition. There are five male bloggers taking part as well, so there will be one overall female and one overall male winner at the end of the four weeks – wish me luck! Click here to see all my entries (including “Creative but Classy” and “Stepping up the Career Ladder”).

I’m so pleased with this dress (which I chose myself, see the link at the bottom of the post); to see all the Marks & Spencer dresses I chose from, click on this link to their dresses page.

Week 3 Challenge: Just Graduated

The brief: Create an interview outfit for a student attending their first post-uni interview for a job at a creative agency (e.g. in media, marketing, advertising)

First of all, we have to address the fact that I graduated nearly 20 years ago… so I am most definitely not of post-uni age! I thought it would make this week’s challenge a little more, shall we say, ‘awkward’ for me, but as I always say, dressing should be occasion appropriate, not that nonsensical age appropriate idea.

If I’ve got a dress that flatters me (which I think I do), then I should be able to meet this week’s brief simply by accessorising it correctly, remembering the fact that it also needs to be suitable for someone straight out of university who’s also most likely on a budget.

So with all of that in mind, and the fact that the job is for a creative agency, I decided to omit any sort of blazer, and instead dress up my neutral dress with colour and accessories that showed some creative flair. I chose yellow and orange as the two accent colours, with a bright orange clutch (which is actually a laptop case), my trusty tan/mustard heels and a yellow belt.

As mentioned in week one, I think the style of the dress is very “Mad Men” – I also feel a little bit Zooey Deschanel in it – so I subtly played up the 60s feel with the hair and glasses.

The black of the collar necklace, glasses and patterned tights added a graphic edge, and I was a little more daring for this brief with my nails and jewellery: a darkish grey nail polish and a simple ring, bracelet and watch added some interest to otherwise bare arms. So no super-expensive additions to the outfit, just some budget brights to showcase my accessorising/design skills.

I’m really pleased with this week’s look – and again I still feel like me which I think is so important in a job interview. I absolutely would wear this outfit, I think it’s my favourite of the challenge so far.

 

Job Interview Tip no.3

Plan your route! Allow extra time for any unexpected delays. As someone who has been an interviewer many times over the years, it goes without saying that you shouldn’t be late, but don’t be too early either – no more than 5-10 minutes before the interview starts. If you arrive earlier than that, kill some time. Pop to the ladies and freshen up, walk around the block, or quietly wait in reception before announcing yourself to the receptionist. Being too early can be almost as bad as being late.

Dress: courtesy of Marks & Spencer, Heels: Nine West, Necklace: courtesy of Marks & Spencer, Belt: La Redoute, Tights: courtesy of Marks & Spencer, Clutch: ASOS, Glasses: eBay, Watch: Jasper Conran at Debenhams, Bracelet: ASOS, Ring: ASOS, Nails: Models Own Mushroom