If you’re looking for a new job, you really need to pay attention to your Interview Wardrobe! If there’s not much hope for what’s in your closet, it’s time to make an investment in something new. All of the department stores, discount stores and clothing stores are getting in their Fall/Winter merchandise and have to make room for it by putting the summer lines on sale. BIG discounts! If you’re very careful and take some time to sort and shop, you can find a new outfit practically for a song. If there’s something you love and can afford but it only comes in sizes too big for you or has a couple of things about it that you don’t particularly care for, call on your alterations seamstress. Not only can she re-size it to fit you perfectly, she can tweek it and get rid of the things you don’t like about it. If you think alterations are beyond your budget, think again. Tell your seamstress about your financial situation and she may very well be able to work with you. After all, you can’t afford NOT to look “fitted” and more professional!
The way you look could cost you a job!! Don’t let this happen to you.
Is The Interview a necessary “evil” in your life? When you’re in a position that calls for a good first impression (job interview, “cold” sales calls, submitting a proposal, etc.), get some valuable points by dressing well. Put yourself in the place of the person you’re trying to win over. Look at yourself with their eyes. Will they see someone who dresses in a haphazard way, with nothing about their clothes that suggests they have “success” in their future? If your clothes don’t fit, doesn’t that say you don’t know any better? “Quality” clothes are much more affordable than you think (more about that later!) and alterations that make you look “tailored” are always an investment in yourself and worth the expense. When looking for a seamstress/tailor, one of the questions you should ask is if she/he would consider bartering. You may very well have a skill or know-how that would be valuable and “tradable”!
Unless you’re sure that your closet only contains thrift store rejects, there may be possibilities there that are worth looking into. Again, try to change your perspective and ask yourself why you don’t wear or like something that’s been hanging there for more than a year. Most often it doesn’t fit well. Too big, too long, too tight. If it did fit you well, would you like wearing it? Would it be something that your interviewer/client/supervisor would think well of? Alterations by a competent seamstress will solve that problem. Or do you have something from your past that is of good quality but was just a bit too “trendy” back then to be taken seriously now? Restyling could be the answer for you. Pant legs, skirts and lapels can be “narrowed”, shoulder pads can be removed and often a change of buttons can be a huge improvement. Your seamstress should be able to offer qualified opinions and advice.
