What to Wear: Interview Edition (Job, University or School)

Interviews for anything are always a stressful time. How much preparation should you do? What questions should you ask? How early should you be? With so many questions running through your head, the last thing you should be worried about is what to wear. Luckily for you we have a handy guide for what to wear for any interview, be it a new job, a university, or a school.

For jobs, it’s always important to do your research. You’d look silly showing up to a mechanic’s for an interview dressed in a suit; and likewise turning up to a high-flying business job in a T-shirt. The idiom “dress for the job you want” has never been more true in terms of job interviews. As a rule of thumb, it’s always better to be slightly overdressed than slightly under-dressed, but only slightly - remember the mechanic’s? Take a look on their website or social media and see if you can see any pictures of the team at work, and see if you can emulate their style.

If the look is casual, err on the side of caution and go for a polo shirt - the smarter side of casual - along with some smart jeans and some shoes. For women, either do the same, or go for a casual dress. Keep it simple with one of our luxury plain leather belts, or add a flash of vibrancy if you’re a colourful person with one of our bright polo belts, like the Igualdad or Multi.

If you think it’s more smart-casual, wear an open collar shirt and trousers and smart shoes, or a nice blouse and smart skirt. Definitely pair these with one of our iconic polo belts; perhaps go for one of the more subtle styles, like the Sierra, Marcado, or Jefe. These won’t put off the interviewer, but show you have a great sense of style, which is important in many jobs these days.

If it’s definitely very smart, go for a full suit, or smart dress. Pair these with one of our luxuriously elegant belts from our Premium Label. These toned down, single colour belts will show a sophistication in your style, while keeping it interesting; the belt will definitely be a talking point for the interviewer. 

We all hear horror stories about the interview process for top universities - from strange, conceptual questions to I’m-a-Celebrity style tasks - whether there is any truth to these rumours we don’t know, but what we do know is looking the part will make you the most confident version of yourself you can be. One surefire way to wow them is by sporting a themed polo belt to their institution: we offer a bespoke service in order to provide you with the university colours on a brand new luxury polo belt. Interviewing for Christchurch college, Oxford? We can make you a brown, navy, white and red belt. Interviewing up in Glasgow? We can make you a black and yellow one. Going over to Harvard? Red and white it is. This service isn’t just for universities; we can do company colours for job interviews, or school colours for schools too.

Many top schools and sixth forms have interviews to get in, and your child needs to look their best if they want the best chance of getting into their new place of education. We offer a selection of Children’s belts, perfect for the entrance exam. Take a look at our Children’s Hermoso, Dulce, Multi and Sereno. One of these will surely represent their personality and stand them in good stead to wow the admissions officers. 

On our belts we offer an optional personalisation of up to three letters, so you can add your initials onto the belt loop. This will show your interviewer you take pride in yourself, and have excellent attention to detail.

Whatever you’re interviewing for, you’ll need somewhere to keep your CV, covering letter, personal statement, portfolio, or any other paperwork. For this, take a look at our range of Recado messenger bags. These are the perfect size for all paperwork, along with having a padded section for a laptop if needed. For a professional interview, we recommend a plain strap with the plain leather bag, or the khaki canvas edition. If it’s just a few bits and pieces you need, the Mozo cross-body bag should suffice, which also comes in a range of styles.

Whatever you choose to wear, pampeano wishes you all the best on your upcoming interviews.