Due to the pandemic, almost all interviews are all being held virtually. The simplest reason why you should dress up for your virtual interview is that clothing affects your ability to communicate and can increase your confidence levels. Being on a video call requires more focus than an in-person conversation. As humans, we need to work harder to process non-verbal cues like facial expressions, the tone and pitch of the voice, and body language. This means that interviewers will be more likely to notice things like your clothing. Even if your interview is being conducted virtually, it’s important that you show the same amount of effort and respect that you would show your interviewer if you were physically sitting in front of them.
Clothing affects your confidence and changes your mindset
Never forget that you have the power to change how people see you. In this case, your interviewer cannot see you physically in front of them, so they are creating an image of you based on your virtual interview and the image on the screen in front of them, so it’s important to craft the image you want them to see. It’s really empowering when you realize that you control everything you put out there including how people see you and what perception you give off. Decide how you want other people to see you and the confidence you hold in yourself, and dress accordingly. If you want to be seen as a professional, wear professional clothing. It won’t only affect how people see you, but there’s something empowering about dressing “up.” It changes your demeanor and studies have shown that it influences the way we think.
Dressing as if you were going to an in-person interview makes a difference in how your mind processes information, and in turn affects how well you can articulate yourself. A virtual interview is the main impression you’re giving your potential employer about who you are as a candidate aside from how you appear on paper, so it’s important to make a big impact.
We’re often able to think more clearly and efficiently when dressed in workwear because it differentiates us from a more laid back and social environment in which one would wear casual clothing. This alone is a big reason why you should dress up for your virtual interview.
Since your interviewer can’t see you, it puts a bigger impact on how you speak
Because the interviewer can’t sense signals as easily on video conferencing software, (science suggests that delays on phone or conferencing systems of 1.2 seconds make people perceive the responder as less friendly or focused) your body language, your voice, and your appearance holds more weight than it would in a standard in-person interview. By taking a call in more casual clothing, (whether it’s subconscious or not) your mind will have a hard time differentiating between relaxing time and work time. You will most likely also have a harder time picking up on verbal cues and showing your strongest potential to the interviewer. If you take a phone interview in clothing in which you sleep and relax, your mind will have a harder time leaving that state and entering work mode.
Don’t just dress the part, pretend that you’re in a face to face interview
Posture can make a big difference in the projection, tone, and clarity of your voice. Pretend that you’re in a face to face interview and sit up straight at your desk. Holding your head high and rolling your shoulders back won’t just make you look confident, but it will improve the sound of your voice as well. Good posture enables you to breathe deeply in and out through your abdomen, which is how actors and other public speakers project their voices to resonate.
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When you’re considering whether or not you should dress up for your virtual interview, think about why dress codes were enacted at the office in the first place. They establish a sense of formality, they command respect, and they differentiate settings of work and play.
It might sound easy and normal to conduct your virtual interview in your regular clothes since you’re at home, however dressing up as if you were going to an in-person interview will help you think more clearly, speak more professionally, and give more thorough answers. When you accept the invitation, look your best to be your best!