Um, Excuse me, Where is your Suit?

My high school teacher once said to our economics class that "We only have one first impression when meeting someone so why not make the most of it?" I conduct, on average, 100-200 in person interviews a year and am seeing an alarming trend when it comes to interview etiquette - sloppy attire. I quite simply want to ask the applicant, where is your suit? I am also finding candidates emailing me asking what they should wear to the interview. If you need help getting dressed, what does that say about your prospects of success for the job you are applying for? For the benefit of everyone, I am going to answer the age-old question of "What do I wear to an Interview?" The answer: You wear a suit. Why do you wear a suit, you ask? You wear it because of what it says about you. The following things happen:

1. When you dress nice, you feel nice. A suit gives you confidence.
2. It says you are serious about the position. You take pride in how you look and you are going to take pride in your work.
3. It shows you care enough about the job to take the time to get ready.

Very simply, wearing jeans or an un-tucked shirt is disrespectful to the person who is interviewing you. So dust off that suit from the back of your closet, take it to the cleaners and find a nice tie, because you are dressing to impress from now on. Nobody ever was turned down for a job because they wore a suit. However, people have lost good opportunities because they didn't make a good first impression. After an interview you want people talking about your personality, skills, attributes, and how you would be a great fit for the job, not about your clothing. So again, what to wear to an interview? Your best. It does not matter the job, profession or industry; wear your best!