College and high school grads are facing an important milestone in their lives as graduation day approaches. They are leaving the classroom or lecture hall behind and moving on to the office cubicle or other professional setting. Even though there’s a trend for many companies to be lax about dress codes, especially in the tech sector, facing the personnel recruiter still means you’ve got to work at making a good first impression.
Good first impressions can determine the level of success you’ll achieve with the persons interviewing you for a job. You resume may be stellar and your grades among the top in the country, but you will be evaluated on several other factors, both verbal and non-verbal, and one of those is the manner of your dress. No matter how many employees you see skating in the halls, when you arrive for your interview, it’s best to dress on the conservative side and be as businesslike as possible.
Students feeling the crunch of student loans and graduation expenses can find relief when shopping for interview apparel at Saks OFF 5th through Groupon. They offer all the merchandise you need to pull together the look that’s sure to win the approval of the most discriminating interviewer.
Here are five things to do when preparing for your first job interview:
- Arrive on time, or be sure to have the contact number of the person who’s expecting you so you can let them know why you’ve been delayed.
- Be aware of non-verbal cues they’ll evaluate like a firm handshake, eye contact, proper fitting clothes and shoes that are conservative and businesslike.
- Show respect for the time given for your interview and enthusiasm for the position.
- Remove excessive piercings and cover tattoos if you feel they’ll be distracting.
- Don’t overpower the room with your cologne or perfume.
These are just a few of the things they might not teach you in school about searching for your first job. Another is how to get the best deals to save money on all the new apparel you’ll need for your career. For that, start with Groupon to shop thousands of retailers for millions of items offered at discounts that will ease the financial burden of the grad this year.