January is all about new starts and reinventing yourself, so it’s the perfect month to go after your dream job!
Once you’ve dazzled someone with your impeccable CV and secured an interview, the next big issue comes into play - what on earth should you wear?
Everyone always tells us how important first impressions are - if that’s the case, your clothes need to give the right signs to your prospective employer. Most people do one of two things, either go out and spend a small fortune on a new outfit to ensure success or retire to their trusty boring trouser suit. Neither scenario is ideal, you are either left eating beans for a month or looking completely uninspiring to your potential boss.
But don’t fret, it’s possible to put together an outfit on a budget which will make you memorable for all the right reasons - I’ve put together 3 different looks which all come in at under £100, which should hopefully leave you looking confident and professional, but not completely skint!
This sports luxe dress from Mary Portas looks great layered on top of a long sleeve grey t-shirt. Mixing navy with burgundy is a great way of looking professional without dressing head to toe in black. Add a modern silver necklace and some smart ankle boots to finish it off.
Dress, Mary Portas - £37.50 (was £125)
Tights, H&M - £2.99
T-shirt, New Look - £4.99
Necklace, Monki - £8
Boots, Asos - £45
£98.48
Lots of people are scared of wearing a slightly casual outfit to interviews, however, if done correctly it can make you appear very confident. Try pairing a sleek pencil skirt, like this one with neon accents from forever 21, with a baggy jumper and some ballet pumps. You’ll feel much more comfortable and still look well put together, a trendy neon rope necklace completes the look.
Pencil Skirt, Forever 21 - £14.75
Jumper, Topshop - £36
Necklace, H&M - £8.99
Shoes, H&M - 7.99
Tights, Topshop - £6
£73.73
Statement trousers are a great way of being professional and memorable at interviews. Keep the look understated by wearing a well-cut black t-shirt on top. If it feels appropriate team the look with some contrasting bright heels and an on trend metallic necklace to add a bit of extra interest.
Trousers, Topshop - £35
Top, Monki - £12
Shoes, Asos - £45
Necklace, Forever 21 - £7.40
£99.40
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article