Making a Good First Impression - Part 3, Women's Attire

This is the third entry in a 3-part series on Making a Good First Impression. Be sure to check out Part 2 on proper Men's Attire for an Interview.

Here are a few suggestions for dressing for an interview:

Women's Interview Attire

·        Wear a suit. A pants suit or skirt suit is fine, as is a suit-dress. A solid color is best, but a subtle pattern is ok too. Make sure it fits properly. If it does not, spend a few dollars to have it altered. An inexpensive suit can look great as long as it fits properly and is accessorized well.

·        Coordinate a blouse, shell or cami. (A cami does not mean a silky, sexy, lingerie cami.) Keep it classy ladies. Keep the cleavage to minimum, in fact none at all is best.

·        Wear moderate heels. This is not the time for Jessica Simpson 5” platforms, nor is it the time for the cliché "grandma" shoes. A medium, comfortable heel is good; a classic pump is best.

·        Limit your jewelry. Nothing too big or too flashy; but definitely use your accessories an expression of you and your style.

·        Have a neat, professional hairstyle - get your hair out of your eyes.

·        Wear tan or light hosiery. Yes ladies, contrary to what the fashion police may say, it is still not only appropriate to wear pantyhose to an interview, it is expected. Bare legs are fine for after you get the job, assuming their dress code allows it.

·        Go easy on the makeup and the perfume. You do not want to look like you’re headed out for the night with your girlfriends. If wearing lipstick, check your teeth before going into the interview.

·        Manicured nails with no polish or light polish.

·        Take it easy on the spray tan.

 

Remember, it does not have to cost a fortune to look good for an interview. Even if you don't have the basics to start with, you can still dress for an interview for under $100. Utilize TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and Wal-mart or your local thrift store, Goodwill or Salvation Army. Buy something inexpensive that looks good and spend your money on having it altered. Also, there are plenty of resources out there now to help get people into the professional world by helping you with donated business clothing.

Woman can try Pennsylvania Women Work or Dress for Success.

Check out these sites for additional information on dressing to make the right first impression at an interview:

Dressing for the Interview by Industry

Interview Appearance and Attire

Dress for Interview Success

Dress for Success

Woman’s Suits Buying Guide

Proper Business Attire

Dress Codes


A word to the wise is sufficient.

Making a Good First Impression - Part 2, Men's Attire

This is the second entry in a 3-part series on Making a Good First Impression. Be sure to check out Part 3 on Women's Attire for an Interview.

Here are a few suggestions for dressing for an interview:

Men's Interview Attire

• Wear a suit. The men’s interview standard has traditionally been a navy suit, white shirt and red tie. It is considered the power suit. It can also be considered “stodgy,”but there is no denying it looks professional.
• If the power suit is not the look you want to portray, then just be sure to stick with a classic suit; 2-button or 3-button, light stripe, window pane/plaid pattern or no pattern is best, in blue, black or gray.
• Make sure your suit fits properly. If it does not, spend a few dollars to have it altered. An inexpensive suit can look great if it fits properly. Pay close attention to the shoulder, waist/chest and sleeve length when having it alrered.
• Try your suit on with your shoes. If your slacks have more than two breaks in the leg, they need to be hemmed. Oh, and make sure the pants are sitting at your waist! No middle-of-the-butt with your boxers hanging out!
• A white, long sleeve shirt is best, but blue or yellow is also acceptable. Make sure it fits properly. DO NOT leave the top button opened under your tie because your shirt is too tight – get one that fits instead.
• To properly fit a shirt, button it completely and place two fingers between the collar of the shirt and your neck. The fingers should fit comfortably. If you can fit three, the shirt is too big (change the neck size). Put your suit jacket on over your shirt. About ½” to 1” should show below your suit sleeve. If the sleeve is hitting in the middle of your hand it is too long. Your shirt sleeve should be longer than your suit sleeve; your overcoat or topcoat sleeve should be longer than the shirt sleeve.
• Choose a classic tie. Stripes are good. Nothing too loud or too bold, although I am a fan of a beautiful printed tie. This is one of the few places a man can express some personality, but it is best saved for after you get the job.
• Make sure your belt and shoe color match. There always seems to be some confusion as to what color shoe to wear with a navy suit. Cordovan (deep burgundy) is always a good choice, but if you only have black or brown, either will do as long as it is a dark brown. A good rule of thumb is that the shoe color should be darker than the suit.
• Wear dark socks and professional, polished shoes.
• If you do not own a suit, a sport coat is acceptable. It should be plain or have a subtle pattern. Wear it with black, gray, navy or tan slacks and a white or blue dress shirt and a tie. Again, make sure everything fits properly.
• Very limited jewelry. No visible chains/necklaces or earrings.
• Neat, professional hairstyle. Trim facial hair if not clean-shaven and trim your neck, ears and nose.
• Go easy on the aftershave and cologne.
• Neatly trimmed /manicured nails.

Remember, it does not have to cost a fortune to look good for an interview. Even if you don't have any basics to start with, you can still dress for an interview for under $100. Utilize TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and Wal-mart or your local thrift store, Goodwill or Salvation Army. Buy something inexpensive that looks good and spend your money on having it altered. Also, there are plenty of resources out there now to help get people into the professional world by helping you with donated business clothing.

Check out these sites for additional information on dressing to make the right first impression at an interview:

Dressing for the Interview by Industry

Interview Appearance and Attire

Dress for Interview Success

Dress for Success

Proper Business Attire

Dress Codes

A word to the wise is sufficient.

Making a Good First Impression - Part 1

You only get one chance to make a first impression. FIRST IMPRESSIONS COUNT! They truly do. This may not matter to you much in your personal life, but in business it matters. It really matters in an interview. There are no “mulligans” or "do-overs" at an interview.
Don’t get me wrong, what you know how to do and being able to do it, is THE most important element of your interview. However, people aren’t going to care about that if you haven’t presented yourself well in the first place.

I would like to think that no one leaves the house purposely trying to look bad and that ultimately, most people want to make a good first impression. The problem is everyone’s definition of “looking good” and "taste" is different. Most companies have dress codes for this reason, although some are very lax these days. Just remember this; you only get the privilege of a lax dress code AFTER you have gotten the job.

Source: http://trapperkeepers.wordpress.com/

How you dress is a direct reflection of you and of your personality. If you, as a prospective employee, cannot be bothered to make an effort to look nice, neat and professional when you are going to an interview, then don't be surprised if your interviewer is wondering “how much effort will you put into your work?” This is especially important if the job is dealing with clients, the general public, or if the company has a dress code. You are representing your company and that company is looking to send the right message.

If the company you are interviewing with has an informal dress code that does not mean you should dress informally for your interview. Dress more professional than what is expected of the people who work there. They already have the job, you don’t! You will rarely be criticized for being over-dressed in an interview, but you may very well be criticized for being under-dressed.

Here are a few tips to remember when you're heading to that important interview:

DO NOT

• Take your cell phone into the interview.
• Chew gum or suck on mints.
• Take in an iPod. If you have an iPad or laptop in your bag, that is fine if you plan to use it to show an electronic portfolio or examples of your work, but it would be better to have them posted on a site and just give the interviewer the site address.
• Carry in your coffee or tea. If you know you are looking at a five or six hour interview, a bottle of water in your bag is acceptable, however I would wait until you are offered something or ask for something if you feel it is really necessary.

DO

• If you are looking for a professional job, that is not artistically driven, it would be prudent to cover any visible tattoos and remove large or multiple piercings, except for earrings - women (main earrings and second-hole earrings). Piercings that are ethnic in nature (i.e. nose piercings) are usually ok, but I would consider removing.
• Keep makeup on the lighter side. This is not the time to look like you’re headed out to a club.
• You don’t want to wear anything or style yourself in any way that would be distracting to the interviewer.
• Carry a portfolio, briefcase or satchel with several copies of your resume and sample work.
• Remember these words: “Cleanliness is next to Godliness.” Be showered, be shaved, be brushed (teeth) and be presentable.

Remember, it does not have to cost a fortune to look good for an interview. Even if you don't have any basics to start with, you can still dress for an interview for under $100. Utilize TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and Wal-mart or your local thrift store, Goodwill or Salvation Army. Buy something inexpensive that looks good and spend your money on having it altered. Also, there are plenty of resources out there now to help get people into the professional world by helping you with donated business clothing.

Woman can try Pennsylvania Women Work or Dress for Success.

This is the first entry in a 3-part series about Making a Good First Impression. Be sure to check Part 2 (Men) and Part 3 (Women) for advice on what to wear to an interview.

Check out these sites for additional information on dressing to make the right first impression at an interview:

Dressing for the Interview by Industry

Interview Appearance and Attire

Dress for Interview Success

Dress for Success

Woman’s Suits Buying Guide

Proper Business Attire

Dress Codes

What NOT to Wear on an Interview

 A word to the wise is sufficient.

Family First

This week I'm making a departure from my usual business-oriented blog topics and instead, I'm using my blog as a sidebar to my feature story. Yes, that means you have to read my feature story to understand my blog.

Why did I pick William “Rip” Scherer for my feature story? Why his story in particular? Rip Scherer is my uncle. I chose his story because he taught me one of the most valuable and important lessons I have learned in my life…"family first." Okay, so my parents taught me this lesson also. But there was one moment, one instant in my life, where those words truly had an impact on me and I finally understood what those words meant, and that was thanks to my uncle.

The feature story was his story, this is my story…

It was a rainy day in in September of 1987. I was a junior at Penn State and truly believed that I bled blue and white. Of course, this was much to my father’s dismay since he played football for Pitt. On this particular day, Penn State was playing Alabama. A large portion of my family was in attendance because my uncle’s son Rip (Ripper) was a coach for Alabama and had previously been a graduate assistant at Penn State under Joe Paterno in 1974-1975.

Hanging with my uncle at the PSU vs OSU game.

We were all tailgating and partying at the newly opened Hampton Inn when I asked my uncle, half in jest, who he was going to root for at the game. I knew he was loyal to the blue and white and that it was a silly question. I was stunned when he said “Alabama,” I really was. I had never dreamed in a million years that he would be rooting for anyone other than the Nittany Lions. I just assumed it would be a friendly little rivalry between him and his son.

Then my uncle told me that I would root for Alabama too. “Family first,” he told me. “Your cousin keeping his job is more important than the game,” he added.

Soon after, we all walked the long trek to Beaver Stadium in the pouring rain. I contemplated what my uncle had said as I found my seat in the student section. I didn’t fully understand, but I knew what I had to do. So, there I sat, with all of my friends and fraternity brothers, yelling “Roll Tide, Let’s Go Bama!” It was hard to do, but after a while, I knew in my heart he was right. Alabama won that game and Ripper kept his job (at least for a little while until it was time for him to move on and move up).

It would be many years later, 24 to be exact, when I found myself in a very unique and special place in my life. It was September 10, 2011 and Penn State was playing Alabama, again. And I was student at Penn State, again. And a Scherer would be on the field, again. This time though, it would be my cousin Ryan Scherer, my uncle’s grandson, playing for the Nittany Lions.

I remember thinking that day in Beaver stadium how lucky I was to be there, in that stadium, on that field, where three generations of my family had played or coached football. I also recall being very happy because this time I would got to root for the blue and white. Unfortunately, Alabama won that game too. 

Several months later, I had the honor of watching history happen for my family, in January 2012. Penn State has played in four Cotton Bowl games…and a Scherer has played or coached in three of them. January 1948, Rip Scherer (my uncle) was a player on the historic team mentioned in my feature story; January 1975, Ripper Scherer (his son) was a graduate assistant and coach; and January 2012, Ryan Scherer (his grandson) was a player. It’s no wonder why I love Penn State so much and why I love my family even more!

So, for this week only, I leave you with “two” words to the wise that are sufficient…Family First!

'Old School' Keyboard Tips

I was recently in my math class, working on a spreadsheet in Excel, when I was asked to help a couple of younger students trying to format their spreadsheet. I was rather stunned that the students, ages 20 and 28, did not know how to use keyboard shortcuts in any Windows applications.

It’s funny to me how the younger generation is considered to be so much more tech-savvy than my generation, and yet when you show a younger person (or any person really) how to do a few quick, time-saving keystrokes, they think you’re a genius. J 

People have become so addicted to the mouse that they often do not realize how much it disrupts their work as they keep reaching for it.

What people need to realize is that even though the world may quickly be changing to iPad and other tablet-type technology (with onscreen keyboards), the business world, at least for the foreseeable future, will mostly remain in the desktop and laptop world. For this reason, it is good to stay up on ‘old’ technology and how to best utilize your time when performing tasks at work.

As a former software trainer, my partner and I used to stress to our clients to keep their hands on the keyboard. Few realized the efficiency one can have when utilizing certain keyboard functions and keystrokes until we showed them.

In the ‘old days’, it used to be that you just needed to hold down the Alt key and press whatever letter was underlined in the menu (Alt+F+S = File, Save). Some of those old keystrokes still exist, however, so few software programs are menu driven in the way they used to be, that you can no longer know what to choose and need to memorize the keystrokes.

Here are a few keyboard tricks, old and new, that can help you save time and make you more productive at your job.

Windows Applications
Keystroke(s)	Result
Windows Key + E	Opens Windows Explorer.
Windows Key + M	Minimizes all open windows (the desktops displays.)
Windows Key + Shift + M	Restores open application from Windows Key + M function.
Windows Key + D	Displays desktop. To restore, repeat the same keystroke (Windows Key + D).
Alt + Tab	Enables you to easily toggle through all open applications.
Alt + F4	Closes an open window in most any program or closes an open application.
Ctrl + Arrow Keys	In Word: left and right arrow keys allow you to move the cursor to the beginning of the previous word or the next word; up and down arrows will do the same with paragraphs.
Shift + Arrow Keys	Highlights text in the direction of the arrow keys. (Selects cells in Excel.)
Hold Shift while inserting a CD	This will bypass Autorun when inserting a CD so that you can open it when you want.
Windows Key + Pause	Opens the Systems Properties (System) menu.
Ctrl + Z	Undo an action.
Ctrl + Y	Redo the undo (from above).
Select text, Ctrl + U	Underlines selected text.
Select text, Ctrl + B	Bolds selected text.
Select text, Ctrl + I	Italicizes selected text.
Select text, Ctrl + C	Copies selected text.
Select text, Ctrl + X	Cuts selected text.
Select text, Ctrl + V	Pastes copied or cut text.
Alt + 1, Alt + 2, Alt + 3, etc.	Launches whatever command is in that numerical position on your Quick Access Toolbar (QAT).
Windows + L	Locks the system. When you log back in, all programs will still be running and windows will appear just the way you left them.
SHIFT + Tab	Takes you back a field. Handy when filling out forms.)

If you have applications or folders you use frequently, you can create a keyboard shortcut to access them quickly.

NOTE: This will only work for shortcuts located on your desktop!

1. Right-click the shortcut and select Properties. (The application or file Properties dialog box displays.)
2. In the Shortcut Key field type any letter. (The Ctrl + Alt function is automatically added to the letter typed, making your shortcut key: Ctrl + Alt + <letter typed>.)

Here are some quick keyboard tips specifically for the Internet. 

Basic Internet Shortcuts
Keystroke(s)	Result
Ctrl + E	Search/Address bar
Ctrl + F	Find
Ctrl + R	Refresh
Ctrl + D	Adds current page to the Favorites list with no further prompts.
Alt + D	Selects the URL in the Address bar.
Ctrl + Left Arrow or Ctrl + Right Arrow	In the Address bar, moves the cursor to the nearest dot, forward slash, or paired forward slash.
Ctrl + Enter	In the Address bar, adds www. to the front and .com to the end of text you've typed and loads the URL.
Escape	Stops downloading a page.
Alt + Home	Jumps to your Home Page.
Ctrl + F5	Refreshes the current page unconditionally (even if the time stamp for your locally stored version and the Web version are the same).
Ctrl + W	Closes the current Internet Explorer window (useful when a site opens a new window).
Ctrl + A	Selects all content on the current page or frame.
Backspace or Alt + Left Arrow	Jumps to the previous page you viewed.
Alt + Right Arrow	Jumps to the next page (after having viewed a previous page).
Ctrl + Home	Jumps to the top of the current page.
Ctrl + End	Jumps to the bottom of the current page.
Ctrl + F4	Closes a tab.
Ctrl + SHIFT + T	Re-open a tab that you accidentally closed.
F7	Caret browsing allows you to select and copy text from web pages using the keyboard.
F11	Changes display to full screen mode.

Check out these sites for application specific shortcuts:

Firefox
Internet Explorer

A word to the wise is sufficient.