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Unit 12 :
Dressing for an interview

Pre-advanced

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Vocabulary

Repeat these sentences with your teacher first.

1. interview (n.)
a meeting in which someone asks you questions to see if you are suitable for a job or course

2. suit (n.)
a jacket and trousers or a jacket and skirt that are made from the same material

3. tie (n.)
to fasten together two ends of a piece of string or other long, thin material, or to (cause to) hold together with a long, thin piece of string, material, etc.

4. formal (adj.)
public or official

5. pencil skirt (n.)
a long, narrow skirt

6. smart casual (n.)
(of clothing) neat and stylish, but not too formal, especially when this is the accepted way of dressing for a particular situation, place, or social occasion

7. business casual (n.)
business casual clothing

8. button-down (n.)
(of a shirt) having a collar that has the pointed ends fastened to the shirt by buttons

9. dress pants (n.)

10. professional (adj.)
relating to work that needs special training or education

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Dialogue

Read the dialogue aloud with your teacher.

Alex

Jen

Jen! Help! I got a call for an interview tomorrow, but I don’t know what to wear!

Mmm… maybe a black suit and tie?

I don’t want to be too formal! What did you wear to your interview?

I wore a pencil skirt.

Right, never mind… How about going smart casual?

Like a suit jacket, t-shirt and jeans? Don’t you think that’s a little too relaxed?

Then, what about business casual? I could wear a button-down, dress pants and a gray jacket.

Perfect! That’ll be clean and professional!

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Article

Read the article with your teacher.

Tips to dress for interview success

Here are some tips to dress for positive impact.

The appropriate interview attire depends on the industry in which you’ll be interviewing, as well as the geographic location and time of year. Spend time on the Internet researching the company, industry and competitors to determine suitable interview outfits. If you are still not sure, you can call the company’s HR department and ask what they recommend you wear.

When in doubt, err on the side of being slightly overdressed, rather than show up looking too casual. If you don’t have an appropriate outfit, just go to a large department store and ask for help from a personal shopper or hire a personal stylist. But always ensure that your clothes are cleaned and pressed.

Other details include: Avoid wearing perfume or cologne. Wear makeup and jewelry that are appropriate to the job/company/industry.

Source: Forbes, “8 Tips To Dress For Interview Success”

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Discussion：

Answer the following questions to your teacher.

1. Do you remember your first job interview? How was it? 
 
2. What do you do in order to relax during a job interview?

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Let’s practice

Choose the correct answer.

1. I think a black ____ and tie is too formal for the forum.

A. suite
B. sue
C. soot
D. suit

2. At an ____, questions are asked to find out if you are suitable for a job.

A. interview
B. interchange
C. interaction
D. interpretation

3. For my interview, I wore a ____. I suggest business ____ for you because it looks not so ____.

relaxing / casual / loose / pencil skirt / relaxed / pen skirt

4. I always ____ casual to a party.

A. get
B. do
C. make
D. go