To land the job of your dreams, it's essential to win over your future employer during your job interview. To achieve this, you need to pay attention to your outfit. It's worth prioritising a suit, a shirt, a tie, and an essential fashion accessory: cufflinks. Indeed, cufflinks help perfect your image during the interview, leaving a good first impression on your future employer.
Why should you wear a shirt, a suit and a tie for a job interview? What are the origins and role of cufflinks? When to wear cufflinks? What criteria should you use to choose them well? A closer look at the features of this essential accessory to accompany your shirt, your tie and your suit.
Dressing well for a job interview
The benefits of wearing a suit, a tie and a shirt
To give a good impression of yourself during a job interview, you first need to take care with your CV. This document lets your future employer judge your skills. Your recruiter might also give you tests to assess your level. While your education and professional experience matter, it's just as essential to think about the ideal outfit for your interview. Indeed, from the very first seconds, the employer will scrutinise your look in fine detail, to get a sense of your personality and the image you're likely to convey — both to future colleagues and to clients, if your role brings you into contact with them.
The suit is the ideal choice for impressing your employer. Always paired with a tie and a shirt, this chic outfit brings out your serious, professional side during the interview. That said, a few precautions are worth taking when choosing your suit, shirt and tie. To reassure the representative of your future company, aim for simplicity. To do this, avoid an overly high-end suit — your interviewer might otherwise think you're overconfident, and therefore lacking in sincerity. Conversely, a bargain-basement shirt, tie and suit will also leave a poor impression after the interview. The employer might think you don't take the role seriously enough. It's therefore strongly recommended to choose a mid-range tie, shirt, jacket, trousers, and a pair of black leather shoes. Avoid at all costs mismatching your suit by pairing a jacket that wasn't originally designed to go with the trousers, even if the colour looks similar to you.
But what about the style of your men's suit?
For a job interview, your outfit choice should follow this advice: favour sober colours such as navy or grey. This gives you a look that's both smart and classic, neither too formal nor too casual. Although the bow tie is more practical to wear, it should be avoided here. It's always better to go with a wedding-appropriate tie to make a good impression.
It's also strongly advised to avoid wearing flashy jewellery, such as necklaces, signet rings, or bracelets. Always play it sober, and opt instead for a dark belt with a discreet buckle. This fashion accessory will pair perfectly with your shirt, your suit and your tie.
Cufflinks 101: how to choose them well for a job interview
To give yourself the best possible chance in your job interview, remember to dress your shirt with cufflinks. Created during the 17th century, cufflinks took the place of the lace and ribbons once used to close shirt cuffs. However, it wasn't until the 19th century that wearing cufflinks became widespread. Before that, cufflinks were reserved solely for evening wear or ceremonial dress. Later, like stud and collar buttons, cufflinks came to serve a genuine practical need. Indeed, during the 19th century, shirts were made from a much stiffer fabric, so classic shirt buttons had to be replaced with cufflinks to make closing them easier. Today, cufflinks are worn wherever refined dress is required: at a company, at a society evening, at a wedding, and so on.
What are the different types of cufflinks to know?
The size, material and shape of cufflinks available on the market can vary widely. To embellish your "shirt, suit and tie" ensemble for a job interview, you could choose silk-knot cufflinks. Made of silk balls linked by a cord, this type of cufflink highlights your dynamic side. For a more modern touch during your interview, turn to cufflinks with a double-action fastening. Very easy to handle, these cufflinks offer the advantage of a secure closure for your shirt. If you prefer a more classic style for your "shirt, tie and suit" ensemble, you can choose chain-link cufflinks. To perfect your men's outfit, you could consider personalising the two rectangular faces of this type of cufflink to your liking. What's more, you'll find a range of colours and metals on offer:
- Stainless-steel cufflinks.
- Silver cufflinks.
- Brass cufflinks.
- Onyx cufflinks.
- Bronze cufflinks.
- Rhodium cufflinks.
- Copper cufflinks.
So, be sure to properly match the colours and materials of your cufflinks to your outfit. For example, if you choose to wear a blue tie, favour blue cufflinks. You can also play with contrast by choosing cufflinks in a different colour from your suit. It's worth noting that there are also different types of shirt cuffs. So you can choose a type that suits your suit jacket, from the designs available in shops:
- Barrel cuffs.
- Flap cuffs.
- Italian cuffs.
- Square two-button cuffs.
- Cone-style cuffs.
- Rounded two-button cuffs.
By following this advice, and thanks to your cufflinks, your suit, your shirt, your tie and your smart shoes, you'll be able to convince and reassure your future employer. Of course, before a job interview, it's essential to prepare well for the conversation and polish your CV, but it's just as important to think about the clothes that will make up your outfit and give you the confidence you need to fully show yourself during this key step in your career journey. So, by following all this advice, you'll have everything you need to land the job you want.
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