You have your first interview with the local news station. Thrilling, indeed! The opportunity to discuss your platform or agenda with thousands of viewers is exciting. The captive audience will hang on your every word, understand your message and only care about what you have to say. This intelligent audience would never judge you, be distracted or change the channel based on what you are wearing, right?
Unfortunately, what you wear to a TV interview can subconsciously cause the viewers to tune out or you won’t look as professional as you can be. When deciding what to wear, keep these tips in mind:
- Wear professional uniforms if you are in a field that has them like a doctor’s coat or policeman uniform
- No busy patterns
- No low cut or provocative clothing for ladies
- Shoes should be in good conditions (trend in interviews is using high stools and shoes could be visible on camera)
- Avoid large clunky jewelry, big chains or earrings
- No sunglasses
You can do a more relaxed dress code when interviewing on the weekends like a polo shirt and pants or flat shoes. Make sure you bring a backup outfit just in case of an emergency. You can never anticipate if food will spill on your suit, your dress zipper may fail or a heel on your shoe may break. Better to be prepared for the unexpected.
Looking your best for a TV interview is easy if you keep these dress code guidelines in mind.