What does dress smartly for an interview mean?

[sunshineandstarsgirl]

I got an interview for next week and they have asked me to dress smartly. Can I wear a blouse and a long skirt for the interview?

What sort of job is it?

Office, receptionist etc, I would probably go with a more tailored skirt.

Depends on the job, but I would expect to see some one wear a jacket too.
Proper shoes - no trainers or sandals.
Tidy hair.
No low necks or anything too distracting/very patterned or too brightly coloured.

What is the job for? - if its high powered lawyer then they might expect a suit
but otherwise i think smart blouse and long skirt with shoes is fine.

Smart I’d do work dress and jacket, tights and shoes. Smart skirt and blouse and jacket

Crisp white shirt
Black trousers or skirt with black tights
Smart shoes
Neat hair
Hygiene good

Does depend on job too

As @JamSandle says all of those.

I’ve been in smart interviews where I’ve worn hair loose but styled or tied up.

Makeup keep natural. Same with jewellery, no loud pieces.

You can do nude tights. If your shoes are leather polish them, suede brush them. Smart bag helps.

In the past my friends and me used to loan each other if we didn’t have eg smart jacket and smart bag.

I wouldn’t expect a jacket in this weather tbh.
No sandals or trainer.
If you’re buying new make sure you wear the clothes for a few hours to make sure your comfortable in them. Nothing worse than being uncomfortable and distracted in an interview.

Nice blouse, if a plain shirt wear a cardigan. A long skirt is ok if plain. Tidy your hair up, clean nails.
Regardless of role, no jeans, no tshirts, trainers or sandals.

What does tailored skirt mean? The interview is for business administration apprenticeship.

Is a long red and black dress- with checks on ok? Is a dress/frock considered smart? Not sure if I should wear a dress or blouse&skirt?
Thank you for all the replies 😊

is the red and black dress tailored? Do you have a photo of it? I think it’s probably a no unless it’s tailored and at knee length

If it's a receptionist role they're checking that you will dress appropriately; I don't think a red and black checked dress is remotely close to receptionist wear to be honest.

Blouse and skirt plus blazer, or a neat fitted dress in a corporate colour, black/navy, etc.

Maybe nip in to a few local businesses and see what receptionists generally wear?

I usually wear smart work dresses for work and any interviews. Think Hobbs, LK Bennett etc.

Infact, I have an interview this afternoon and will be wearing this dress.

When you say long skirt or dress, what style? Shorter, knee length skirts usually look smarter, long to the ankle would be a lot more casual.
Mid calf, and tailored could work.

Tailored skirt
ie more fitted, not flowing. Knee length
For that sort of job put it with a plain blouse and a cardigan or jacket

I interview for new staff all the time, and wouldn't expect you to be in black tights or a jacket in this weather. I would be expecting you to be in a smart outfit - a dress, trousers and top or skirt and top would all be fine so long as they were work appropriate. So not revealing, no logos, or things like skulls (trust me I've seen this) on etc. Why don't you post a picture of your outfit? It sounds like a junior role and I can assure you no one will be expecting you to turn up in a Hobbs dress if that's the case.

A pleated midi skirt could work - like this (but with closed toe shoes, not sandals).

As others have said it depends on the job really.
I would wear a suit or a dress with a jacket.
Nothing above the knee, no cleavage on display, no large distracting items of jewellery.
Court shoes, no open sandals.
Good luck 👍

I'd say that the length in my picture is probably the longest you should go with a skirt. No tiers, frills or flounces.

As pp have said, and no bare legs if wearing a skirt or dress - they don’t look professional

Tailored dress and jacket or smart skirt/trousers, blouse and jacket. Court shoes or similar. The equivalent of a lounge suit in men

Nude tights ideally, bare legs acceptable if over 30 degrees, also no jacket if very hot, but blouse needs to be smarter if no jacket

I'd do this.
I don't think I'd do a long skirt tbh

A smart dress (possibly with black cardigan) is the easiest thing! I know both of these are out of stock but you get the gist. Make sure it’s about knee length, I would always wear nude tights too.

https://www2.hm.com/en_gb/productpage.0816083006.html
https://www2.hm.com/en_gb/productpage.0577512001.html

Flats are better than heels. These are a little expensive but are v comfy and you will be bound to get the use out of them! https://www.marksandspencer.com/leather-bow-ballet-pumps/p/clp60505523?intid=mobile_app_pdp_share