How to Nail a Job Interview

Life, Tailored is sharing #TheIndisposables in our lives as part of a Schick® Xtreme3® sponsored series for Social Stars.

Job interviews can be stressful, and stress can lead to you smelling like you live in a dumpster– not exactly the best way to make a great first impression. No man (or woman) wants to walk into an interview feeling like they aren’t brining their ‘A’ game, and we want to help make sure you do.

Preparation and confidence are key to being the best you that you can be, so here are our easy steps to making sure you’re in the zone.

Wear a Suit

You’d think this goes without saying, but apparently it doesn’t. Even if the company you’re interviewing for doesn’t require a suit in the office, they’ll appreciate that you took the time and want to show them you take the job seriously.

Keep the suit simple, nothing three pieces, and nothing too shiny or overdone. Also, stick to basic grays or blues– black suits don’t belong in the office. Remember you’re there to showcase your talents, not your wardrobe. So go with something that will look nice, but leave the hiring manager more focused on your threads than your person.

And we can’t stress this enough– MAKE SURE IT’S TAILORED. An ill-fitting suit makes you look like an amateur, and no one wants to hire that.

Next, make sure the tie you select isn’t too flashy, and matches well with the suit. Sticking to blues and grays can help here too. Blue suit? Patterned gray tie. Gray suit? Vise versa. Add a simple pocket square folded square and you’re golden.

The Shoes are Important

Like suits, you should stay away from black shoes. Sure, this is an important meeting, but it’s not a formal affair.

Opt for something in a medium brown that is polished up. Nothing too wild, but stylish is good. Again, the goal is to get them to like you, without focusing too much on your looks when you leave the room. If your shoes are old and scuffed, you aren’t going to land the job, sorry.

A Clean Shave

Confidence and readiness radiates from the inside out, but showing it in the form of scraggly beard hairs is unacceptable. A clean shave says you’re business ready. Remember, you can always grow your beard back once you get the job, if you insist. But going into an interview with a smooth face is a smooth move, trust us.

For an extra close, confidence boosting shave try Schick® Xtreme3® razors. Every detail in the outfit matters, and this is one you shouldn’t overlook. 

Your Hair

Today isn’t the day to try something new, but if it’s been a while since your last cut you might want to stop in a few days before the interview.

Stick to your basics, use the products you know and love, but don’t use too much of them. If it’s hot out use even less, the only thing worse than sweating is sweating beads of eye-stinging hair goop down your face.

The Extras

The appearance builds confidence, the readiness gives you peace of mind.

Make sure you have at least two copies of your resume on hand. Keep them in a folder, not a briefcase, and definitely not a backpack. This gives you less stuff to fuss with when you need to retrieve them, and a briefcase only makes you look like you want to seem important.

When you’re in the waiting room, say no to the seat, and yes to the water. Sitting down means you have to stand back up when the interviewer comes to fetch you. While this doesn’t seem like a horrible thing, that little extra straightening of the suit when you get back up is enough to make some people nervous on their way back to the war room, you don’t need that. A glass of water, however, is something you shouldn’t pass up should you be offered. It gives you something to keep your mouth from drying up of nervousness, and gives you a one time pause to take a drink while thinking during the interview. Use this only once. 

When you’re getting ready beforehand no more than one spritz of cologne, you want your memory to linger when you leave the room, not your scent.

Use these basics, along with a nice smile and some background research on the company and you have as good a chance as anyone. Good luck!