Here at Sauder we have two favourite words: SUIT UP! Virtually every committee, club, association, company or society on (and off!) campus has started hiring for next year, so since we’re right in the middle of interview season, I thought I would share a few tips on how to dress for success. In the last seven days alone, I suited up on four separate occasions: once for my interview for the SLC Planning Committee, once for my interview for the CUS Service Council, once for the Sauder Summit case competition, and once for yeseterday’s Me Inc Conference.

First, a brief overview of the different degrees of suiting up.

The “I’m Going to Meet the Queen” – includes evening gowns, tuxedos and ludicrously oversized hats. It’s probably best to leave this kind of attire at home unless your interview is, in fact, with the Queen.

Business formal –
For women: either a skirt suit or pantsuit with a dress shirt tucked in. Always keep the blazer on. Skirt length, colours, types of shirt, detail on skirt, materials matching, colours matching,. If it’s appropriate you can wear accessories eg statement necklace. no sheer blouses. Absolute minimal accessories. Insert picture fo sauder summit.
For men: full suit with tie. If your suit is patterned, wear a plain tie. more tips ahhhhh

Business casual – a lot more leeway in terms of colour combinations, materials and accessorizing.
For women: stick with a blazer and dress shirt (or a dressy blouse), but feel free to ditch the dress pants or skirt in favour of something more casual like black slacks. Tops and bottoms don’t necessarily have to match in terms of colour or material, so feel free to pair your red skirt with a black blazer. Don’t be afraid to wear colour or accessories. Insert picture of CUS interview.

Business super casual – as the name would suggest, this is basically business casual with extra emphasis on the casual.
For women: I would personally recommend keeping the blazer, but at this point it’s probably safe to ditch it (syn) if you really want. At this point you can replace the collared shirts and nice blouses with a solid-coloured top, or one with subtle details/a subdued pattern. blabla black jeans are okay, can even wear a dress, opaque tights.Insert
picture of SLC outfit.

 

1. Find out whether business casual or business formal is more appropriate. Business formal and business casual are worlds apart,