8 Tips to dress up for a Group Discussion and Interview!
8 Tips to dress up for a Group Discussion and Interview!
It is true that your attire gives a sense of your attitude & composure to the interviewer. Whether its a GD or PI, your dressing style can make a difference to your selection.
First impression is the last impression. Be it a corporate meeting or a social party, the first noticeable thing about you would be you what you wear and how do you carry it.
Your attire exhibits not only your self-respect but also your attitude & behavior.
Let’s take a look at what a good dress for a formal set up like GD/PI should be like -
A. Tips for men:
1. Formal outfit
When it comes to dressing for GD/Interview, comfort is equally important along with precise formal clothing.
The most common and acceptable way for men to dress for any corporate meeting would be sharply ironed formal shirt and trouser. A well matched tie on top of formals would be even better.
Avoid casual dressing like jeans and T-shirts. It just reflects that you are not taking the things seriously enough.
2. Color combination
Formal shirt, suit, pant, tie and blazer with a decent color combination of socks and shoes form a prefect blend of formal clothing for men.
Color combination plays a vital role in formal dressing. Prefer light colors such as light gray, sky blue, peach, pista, white, off-white, etc. as they represent calmness and are not distractive.
Wearing a completely light or dark colored dress would not be a good choice. It is always better to prefer the combination of light and dark colors for a descent dressing. E.g. Wear dark colored blazer and trouser along with a light color formal shirt.
The color of your socks should match well with the colour of your trousers. Do not sport white socks with a black trouser.
3. Accessories and make-up
Accessories are the added advantage to look good along with the formal dressing.
When it comes to dressing for GD/Interview, you can wear a wrist-watch, pen, etc as these are important accessories.
Belt is one of the important accessories in formal dressing. The color of your belt and color of your shoes should match. Try to combine black shoes along with black belt and brown shoes along with brown leather belt.
Avoid sporting spiky hair, earrings, bracelets in a formal meeting.
4. Neatness is more important than cost – Make sure that whatever you are wearing is clean and well ironed. It is not at all necessary to sport costly clothes. The interviewers focus is on your attitude and not on the cost of your dress.
B. Tips for women:
1. Formal outfit
The well draped plain cotton sari is always considered as classic Indian formal wear in any situation for women. However, if you are not comfortable wearing a saree, it is absolutely okay to wear a light coloured, neat and well ironed salwar suit with a dupatta.
If you would like to dress yourself the western way, you can wear a formal trouser with a smart formal shirt which fits comfortably. A formal shirt with or without a formal jacket on a formal skirt can also be worn.
2. Color combination
A pair of white formal shirts in your closet would be the best choice. White formal shirt can be worn with all other dark colors.
A white and black pattern formal dress is another good choice to dress for GD/PI.
Wearing a light color formal shirt along with a dark color blazer and a dark color skirt would also be the great choice.
If you decide to dress yourself the Indian way, choose a light colored saree or salwar suit.
3. Accessories and make-up should be decent.
Your jewelry and hair accessories should be minimum for the formal dressing. You should use only those accessories which are not flashy, distracting, or shiny.
Women should prefer natural shades of make-up and nail polish to your skin tone. Avoid unusual colors and long nails. Ensure that your nails are well groomed and the nail polish is not chipping out.
4. Footwear – Make sure that your footwear is comfortable. Avoid wearing high heels which you may find difficult to manage. At the same time, avoid wearing footwear which make any kind of noise while walking.
Hanging threads, torn pockets, or ink stains look messy and awkward. Similarly unpolished shoes, smelly socks, dirty nails, messy hair, bad breathe, body-odor reflect badly on you.
How you wear your clothes is as important as what you wear at a formal set up. As we said earlier, rather than the cost of your clothes, it is your neatness that impresses the selectors more.
