Dressing for success—even in virtual settings – can help lay groundwork for productive job interviews

Each year, as RIT students prepare for the university-wide Career Fair, there are often questions surrounding appropriate attire for interviews.

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Elizabeth Lamark

Student Nick Renzoni, left, always dresses for success. Here, Renzoni talks with Phil Saunders during the announcement of Saunders’ $7.5 million gift to the college in 2019.

Student Nick Renzoni, whose brand of style and sophistication is known around campus, is often asked about his preference for wearing suits and ties in class and helps fellow students put together great ensembles.

The fourth-year management information systems major and communication minor from Holden, Mass., owns about 25 suits and jackets, and dozens of dress shirts and ties.

“I enjoyed dressing up in middle school and high school as part of the dress code and having different outfits with colors, patterns, and styles,” he said. “When I came to RIT, it just seemed to fit since I was a business student.”

Renzoni’s tips for dressing for success during interviews include:

• Color your world. A little color in the outfit is always fine, said Renzoni. He recommends having a colorful tie, scarf, or other accessory that can brighten up any outfit and make candidates “pop.” Renzoni advises students to avoid wearing all black or monochromatic outfits and instead opt for grays and blues.
• Formal is key. “You can never be too formal for an interview,” said Renzoni. “You can always remove something if you feel that you’re too dressed up, but you can’t add something that you don’t have.” He says that while some jobs may not require professional attire in the workplace, looking top-notch for the interview shows professionalism.
• Wrinkles need not apply. Always iron shirts and blouses before interviews, said Renzoni. “Wrinkles never look good – even over Zoom.” He recommends a quick ironing, particularly when wearing white.
• Pants, please. We’ve all seen memes of people on Zoom dressed inappropriately from the waist down. “Just because your interview is virtual doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t wear pants. You never know what might happen and you might need to stand up for some reason.”
• Don’t break the bank. Renzoni says that dressing well doesn’t need to cost an arm and a leg, especially for college students who may have limited budgets. “Department stores like JC Penney and Macy’s sell dress shirts for less than $40 and ties for under $20. It only takes a little bit of time and money to make yourself look like a thousand bucks and get noticed by potential employers.”

This year’s Virtual Career Fair takes place Sept. 22-25 and Oct. 5-9.