As college students, we all learn important skills during these four years, whether it’s choosing our major, figuring out who we are as a person or figuring how to deal with stress. But let’s face it: the main reason we’re here is to learn the skills we need to support ourselves in a lifelong career.

One of the largest components of landing your dream career is wearing appealing interview attire, which will send the right message to your potential employer from the start. Very few classes on campus teach students what they should wear to a job interview. Although the idea seems simple, because there are so many different types of majors, the concept might be more complicated than it appears.

Depending on your major, you may have the opportunity to dress in whatever you desire to a job interview, or you may have to wear a tailored suit.

For example, the College of Fine Arts includes majors such as art history, theater, studio art, photography and visual communications. “If you are a theater major, the clothing you should wear to an audition is all black,” said Jeffrey Warburton, an associate professor in the School of Theatre, Film and Television. Black is important in theater because when you’re auditioning for a role, the directors want to be able to imagine you as the character you are auditioning for.

Colorful clothing gets in the way of the illusion of your character and therefore will only harm your chances of obtaining the role. “No matter what other art major you are, the cleaner your clothing, the better off you are towards getting a job,” Warburton added. It is insulting to any employer if you walk into an interview messy, and if you are an art major it is much more accepted to wear tailored, stylish clothing to an interview.

The Eller College of Management, on the other hand, includes business majors such as marketing, accounting, finance and management. Peter Corrigan, a career coach with Eller, emphasized professionalism when dressing for an interview for the general business industry. “I would say women should dress conservatively. Very little skin,” Corrigan said. “No cleavage and a dress knee-length. Men should absolutely wear a suit and when in doubt — wear a suit.”

More specifically, suits should be tailored to fit your size. The back of the jacket should hit just below the end of your back. The jacket sleeves should be tailored so a half-inch of the shirt underneath shows and ¼ inch of your shirt collar is out. With the proper knowledge of how to wear a suit and how to dress conservatively, you should be ready for a general business interview.

Lastly, the Health Science Center houses the majority of the science majors such as pharmacy, nursing, public health and medicine. “In the science department you wear basically the same as a business interview attire,” said Lisa Romero, the director of marketing and communications at the BI05 Institute. “When you get the job you get to wear scrubs and goggles, but that is only once you have the position you applied for.”

Men are expected to dress with a tie and a clean button-up shirt and women should wear conservative attire to any science-related field interview.

It is always important to understand the company you are interviewing for before going to a job interview. By understanding the nature of the company, you understand how to act and what to wear at the interview. The first impression you give your employer is one of the most important determinants of whether you will receive the job and launch your career — and your clothing is one of the biggest aspects of a first impression. “60% of your chances of getting hired are based on your first impression, and the next 40% are based on your skills,” Warburton said.

Because clothing is an art and a way to express yourself, it is important to express your desire, hard-working nature and knowledge of the job ahead of you through your attire at your job interview.

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