What To Wear To An Executive Interview

Your primary goal when interviewing for an executive role is to leave decision-makers in the room with a memorable, favourable impression. Your outfit can give you a meaningful advantage.

That’s because your physical bearing, including what you wear to your executive interview, influences whether the hiring panel can picture you inspiring their team, acting as their spokesperson, and leading their company into the future.

Executive roles are highly visible, both within the organisation and in the public sphere. How you look, dress, move and speak determines whether you have executive presence or not.

(Related: Best Executive Resume Writers In The USA).

Why Do Executives Need To Dress Differently?

For a typical office job, you simply need to wear something clean, neat and professional-looking. Executives on the job hunt need to take greater care.

As an executive, you’ll attract closer scrutiny of your appearance because people look to leaders on how to act, speak and conduct themselves. Your appearance sets a tone for more junior employees to follow.

Moreover, as soon as you enter the interview room or video call, people will make snap judgements about your and competence based solely on your appearance. Research shows this happens within seconds.

Above: Formal business attire is expected when interviewing at Fortune 500 companies.

Creating the right impression — from the first instant — requires a nuanced take on your clothing’s quality and style.

If your attire doesn’t match the company’s expectations, you’ll be memorable for the wrong reasons.

You could blow your chances during an executive interview if:

• You’re underdressed. This potentially conveys poor judgement or lack of confidence.
• You’re overdressed. It can seem like you’re pretentious or trying too hard. 
• You’re unfashionably dressed. In addition to poor taste, it paints you as outdated.

How To Crack A Company’s Dress Code.

Swaying interviewer sentiment through your clothing requires subtlety, because each company has a unique culture and operating environment that shapes how people dress.

Above: Technology executives often dress on the cusp of casual and professional.

Do your research into how incumbent executives present themselves.

You can:

• Review the company website, including the ‘About’ and ‘Careers’ pages, to see what types of clothes and styles executives wear.
• Search LinkedIn for current executives employed by the company at the same level to see how they dress in their profile pictures.
• Ask the recruiter or person who referred you for the role about the company’s dress code expectations.

Of course, most company executives tend to be outfitted in formal suits, buttoned-down business shirts and pencil skirts—usually in every conceivable shade of black, navy and grey.

(Related: Guide To Negotiating An Executive Compensation Package).

You’ll need to take note of small differences in terms of formality, the styles preferred and the extent of personalisation and ‘flair’—these can all help you pull together an outfit that works to both impress and reassure hiring managers.

Not all companies are staid in their view of what a successful executive looks like. For instance, a more casual style may be in vogue if it’s:

• A remote-first company with a stated policy of a relaxed dress code.
• A small startup team led by founders who dress casually.
• A community-based organisation servicing ‘salt of the earth’ stakeholders.

Examples Of Executive Interview Attire For Men And Women.

While you’ll need to refine what you wear based on the specific role and corporate atmosphere, there are some fundamental rules to follow when dressing for an executive interview.

C-suite and top-line manager interview outfits should always:

• Be high quality. Yes, that often means expensive, but top brands that project style without being gaudy are a sound investment in your career. 
• Fit perfectly. You’ll come across as awkward in an ill-fitting suit or shirt, or clothing that’s too loose or tight. Don’t wear off-the-rack clothes. Find a great tailor and have your items tailored.
• Be comfortable. Enough foryou tp move without fidgeting, breathe and gesture freely while talking and take a relaxed pose when listening.
• Look polished. Match or exceed the company’s current dress standard. Take it up a notch, to show that you’ve made an effort.

Did You Know? A recent study found people were rated more highly as being competent when they were wearing clothing described as looking “richer”. Economic cues from clothing—even if you’re dressing in a more business casual style—can position you as belonging in a well-compensated position.

Typically, executive interview outfits will fit into one of these three categories:

1. Business Formal.

Think conservative custom suits and ties, pants suits, tailored pencil skirts with a blouse and matching jacket, and structured knee-length business dresses with sleeves.

2. Business Professional.

Nicely pressed button-down tops and trousers, or perhaps a modest knee-length dress in a bolder colour. More personality and fewer ties.

3. Business Casual.

A mix of business essentials with more relaxed options like chinos, colourful and patterned tops, and knits. Perhaps a blazer over a tee and dark jeans.

Expert Tip. It’s better to err on the side of formality. Bring along a tailored jacket or tie to your interview that you can quickly add to your outfit in case you feel underdressed once you arrive.

What About Shoes And Accessories?

You can generally add more ‘elements of flair’ the further away from business formal you go, but keeping it simple works across all categories.

For executive men, choose:

• Polished dress shoes in black or brown, and matching belt.
• Conservative ties, e.g., not too bright, subtle patterns.
• Minimal jewellery such as cufflinks, watch, wedding band.

For executive women, consider opting for:

• A low-heeled pump or stylish flat in black, navy or a neutral colour.
• Mid-sized, unfussy handbags that match your shoes.
• Minimal, classic-looking jewellery such as small stud earrings.

Anticipate Biases, And Dress Accordingly.

Without even meaning to, people in charge of hiring will make assumptions about you, based on a myriad of factors including your name, gender, ethnicity, height, weight, attractiveness, fitness, clothing, hair style, and the sound of your voice.

Additionally, the executive echelons are dominated by older men.

While women and more diverse candidates are being actively pursued by many companies, it still makes sense to consider the male gaze and ingrained perceptions of how leaders convey ‘strength’ when choosing an outfit.

In particular, you might:

• Dress more conservatively than usual in terms of colours and styles.
• Avoid revealing clothes. Think higher necklines, long-sleeves and pants.
• Avoid ‘feminine’ touches such as floral patterns, flouncy skirts and frills.
• Remove extra jewellery such as bold necklaces or earrings for a man.

Perhaps this grates with your desire to use fashion to reflect your distinctive personality, or lift your confidence.

There’s nothing wrong with choosing a bold red blazer instead of a safe navy blue one—but think carefully about whether your clothes could be a distraction.

“Elegance is not standing out, but being remembered.” — Giorgio Armani

You can’t control biases that arises, but you can use an elegant outfit to attract positive attention—ensuring the hiring panel is more primed to actively listen to your responses to interview questions.

Remember, How You Wear It Matters.

There’s a clear relationship between how good you look in clothes and how you hold yourself. Practice wearing your interview outfit and presenting a confident and engaging persona as you rehearse your interview answers.

Pay attention to body language such as:

• A great posture when walking and sitting.
• Avoiding crossed arms and clenched fists.
• Avoiding fidgeting or touching your face or hair.
• Keeping your facial expressions open and friendly.

Ace Your C-level Interview With Style.

Basic job skills aren’t enough to get hired to the C-suite, and traditional interview dress standards aren’t enough to make the right first impression as a prospective high-level leader or general manager.

The best approach to choosing what to wear to your next executive interview is to choose quality clothing that aligns with a company’s values and culture. 

Irene