Careers Education & Placement Centre

1. Careers Education & Placement Centre Dressing for Interview Date : 31 March, 2000 (Friday) Time : 1:00 p.m.- 2:00 p.m. Venue : T7, Meng Wah Complex

2. Careers Education & Placement Centre Ms Louisa Li Director E-mail : louisali@hkusua.hku.hk Web : http://www.hku.hk/cepc

3. Slides from this presentation • lecture notes are available at the CEPC Enquiry Desk for photocopying • lecture notes are available at the CEPC homepage:<http://www.hku.hk/cepc> • Students  • Services for students  • Careers Education Courses  • Lecture Notes 

4. To project a CONFIDENT image • well-groomed • professionally dressed • behave appropriately

5. Dress For work • wear what the organization expects of you • be part of the team • dark suit for men • fairly conservative for women • project the best possible you • retain personal style • within the boundaries of business conventions • physical comfort as well as style

6. General • no causal wear, wear business suit • clothing must be clean and properly pressed • no stain marks on collar and cuffs • shirts should be properly tucked in • shoes must be polished

7. Grooming • hair - is your hair clean and free of dandruff? • face - is you face free of oil? • nails - are your nails clean? • personal hygiene - do you have body odour or bad breath?

8. photos

9. AIA cont’d

10. Cheung Kong Holdings Ltd cont’d

11. Hang Seng Bank cont’d

12. KPMG cont’d

13. KPMG cont’d

14. KPMG cont’d

15. KPMG cont’d

16. KPMG cont’d

17. MDC cont’d

18. Standard Chartered Bank cont’d

19. Standard Chartered Bank cont’d

20. Samples from shops cont’d

21. Samples from catalogues

22. DRESSING FOR INTERVIEWS - WOMEN • suit - navy, grey, plum, beige, taupe, dark green, claret and cooca are examples of good colour • matching blouses - e.g. white, off-white, shell pink • simple style leather shoes, solid colour e.g. black, brown • thin skin-coloured stockings • matching leather handbag, not too big • elegant watch • wear simple make-up • do not use perfume

23. DRESSING FOR INTERVIEWS - MEN • dark business suit - charcoal and navy are the best colour • white long-sleeved shirt • classic patterned, solid coloured tie, avoid tie with bright colour or large pattern • tie should reach belt buckle and very close to collar when tied • black leather shoes • black, dark grey or navy socks • black leather belt, no suspenders

24. BODY LANGUAGE • Eye Contact - direct eye contact - confident but friendly • Voice - sound enthusiastic, neither too soft nor too loud • Gestures - avoid nervous gesture e.g. fidgeting hands or jigging feet • Postures - sit, stand and walk up-right

25. Attitude Survey - Dressing for Interview Questions • Is it adequate just being neat? • Expect them to look professional? • Expect them to be smart and sophisticated? • Consequences if physical appearance does not meet the organisation’s expectation? • Will the negative consequence, if any, be over-compensated for by exceptional performance at work?

26. Attitude Survey - Dressing for Interview …cont’d Reply 1 • reflects sincerity and courtesy • expect candidate to the neat and tidy • for administrative jobs - dresses instead of trousers - suits that are simple and comfortable - this can help them to feel more at ease and confident in the interview • physical appearance, not an important criteria, but an advantage cont’d

27. Attitude Survey - Dressing for Interview …cont’d Reply 1 … cont’d • if it requires a lot of external contact, it may not be compensated for by performance Reply 2 • expect them to look like a professional at interviews • for work, they can dress like other colleagues cont’d

28. Attitude Survey - Dressing for Interview …cont’d Reply 3 • for work, they can dress like other colleagues • neat is minimum • more marks given for professional looks • show candidate’s respect for the chance of an interview / the company • smart / sophisticated is not necessary • each company / industry has its own policy and acceptable dress code, it will not harm to be business like / professional looking cont’d

29. Attitude Survey - Dressing for Interview …cont’d Reply 4 • dress according to the industry Reply 5 • we are expecting a clean, tidy and polite applicant (but not only the superficial appearance) • no need to be too fashionable, perfumed or heavily made up • attitude more important - punctuality cont’d

30. Attitude Survey - Dressing for Interview …cont’d Reply 5 … cont’d • attitude more important … cont’d - responsible (bring along certificates, testimonials, reference letters and present them in a tidy manner) - politeness (switch off pager or mobile phone, should not use the phone of the potential employer for casual chat.) - patience (some applicants show poor attitude when kept waiting) - humble (some applicants declined to do tests, e.g. typing test) cont’d

31. Attitude Survey - Dressing for Interview …cont’d Reply 6 • a neat and tidy business look - if appearance does not match our expectation, we will tell them the dress code of our organisation • purposes - present a professional image and help own confidence - the person will be representing the company, so dress code should be in line with industry requirement - show respect for others

32. Useful Reference Materials The Careers Library has a collection of videos and books on the subject, such as: Videos - Looking Sharp : Dressing for Success - Looking Sharp : Grooming for Success - Professional Presence - Projecting the Right Image - Executive Grooming for Female Students Books - The Image Factor - Dressing with Colour - Body Language: How to read others’ thoughts by their gestures

33. Questions & Answers

34. Additional Information

35. Dressing With Color • Coordinating Coats and Scarves • The Color Circle • Silhouettes • Collars • Necklines • Sleeves • Glossary

36. The Image Factor 1. What is the ‘Image Factor’? Personal image and organizational culture What is an image? Why is the image factor important? Elements of personal image Extented image Cont’d

37. The Image Factor … (cont’d) 2. Communication First impressions and the power of non-verbal communication The language of clothes Body language and presence Reputation and visibility Self-marketing Cont’d

38. The Image Factor ….(cont’d) 3. Projecting a Professional Image Professional impact Image stealers Business grooming strategy Professional dressing Levels of Dress Cont’d

39. The Image Factor … (cont’d) 4. Know Yourself Clothes and personality Colour and personality Design and personality Cont’d

40. The Image Factor … (cont’d) 5. Organization and Planning Aggressive observation Personal architecture Lifestyle Wardrobe management Wardrobe maintenance Budget Building an appropriate business wardrobe Cont’d

41. The Image Factor… (cont’d) 6. Personal Style Individual image Style preference exercise Primary style characteristics Secondary style characteristics Lack of style - whose fault is it? Cont’d

42. The Image Factor… (cont’d) 7. What to Wear for What Dress for the event Preparation and research Event checklist Enhancing the message Why do we wear clothes anyway?

43. Where to get more information Enquiry Desk - Careers Library • Videos • Projecting the Right Image (CUHK Press - 45 min)