Dress to fit in at your prospective employer

Melissa Gullickson, an account executive at MassMedia Corporate Communications dressed formally for her interviews: "I once walked into an interview at a jeans-only ad agency and felt so silly in my conservative black suit." She recommends checking out the office ahead of time, if you can. If not, Gullickson recommends calling the receptionist: most are willing to help out. In general, if you can discover what everyday wear at the company question is, you should attempt to dress just a notch beyond that. For a jeans and t-shirt environment, go to jeans and a button up shirt. For a suit and tie environment, go with an exceptionally nice suit. Being able to fit it goes far beyond just matching to the style, though. Consider these fashion faux pas:

• Wearing leather to interview at a company focused on green lifestyles (where most of the employees are vegetarian)
• Wearing a competitor's clothing to interview at an apparel company
• Wearing a plain black suit to interview for a position with a fashion magazine
• Wearing a pin supporting a political candidate to interview at a company working on the opponent's campaign

Your clothing should reflect the goals and mindset of the organization you hope to join. Think about what you're wearing in terms of how well it fits in.

Beyond these tips, there's one overall philosophy you should consider when planning your outfit: Keep it simple, stupid. If you aren’t familiar with the philosophy of KISS, you need to learn it now. Keep your outfit, your accessories — heck, even your resume — simple. There's a reason that basic black and easily adaptable outfits remain popular year after year — and it's the same reason that, when you’ve put together an ideal interview outfit, you can stick with it.