Just graduated- interview attire for a student attending their first post-Uni job interview at a creative agency (e.g in media, marketing, advertising.)

Dress- c/o Marks and Spencer
Jacket- c/o Marks and Spencer
Tights- ASOS
Shoes- Topshop
Bag- Vintage
Belt- Vintage
Brooch- Vintage
Hairband- Accessorize
Lipstick- Topshop Mischief
When I first learnt what the style challenge for this week was, I felt a familiar rush of nerves- I had my first interview after graduating from university about this time last year and it was an experience which I found completely terrifying (in fact it still makes me feel a little bit queasy when I look back on it!) Needless to say I was a nervous wreck, and after doing far too much preparation I completely forgot all of what I wanted to say the moment I stepped into the interview room. It wasn't all bad though- since then I've learnt to be a lot more relaxed and have realised that sometimes preparing too much is just as bad as not preparing at all!
Despite my experience of the graduate employment market, I still found this challenge particularly tricky, and thought for a long while about the overall look which I wanted to create. Given that the role is at a creative agency, I wanted to try and be quite creative with this outfit, and wanted to inject a little bit of personality into the overall look, in contrast to last week's more corporate challenge. As such, this week I chose to pair my dress with this polka-dot jacket from M&S as I thought it was young, fun and a really nice alternative to a more structured suit jacket. From there I injected a pop of bold colour in the shape of my vintage red belt (which belonged to my mum once upon a time!), and picked up on this with an accent red lip. I remember reading somewhere just after I graduated that red is a colour which draws people to you- so perfect for an interview situation! As well as the red lips adding a hint of retro style to the look, I also accessorised the jacket with a vintage brooch from my grandmother and added a hairband from Accessorize, again keeping the outfit as creative as possible. Bearing in mind a student budget, finishing off the look with these thrifty touches felt like the perfect way to demonstrate how creative I was as a candidate, hopefully proving to the panel that I would be the perfect person for that illusive entry-level role.
Did you have a tricky first interview after graduating? And what do you think of the look which I've put together?
(Image credit: Sarah Farrell, please do not reproduce without permission.)
LOVE that jacket, I love anything polka dot!
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This is such a cute interview outfit, i'd totally hire you ;) and i love that pop of red from your lipstick- it's the perfect small detail. and man oh man it really is hard out there. i've been stuck in a secretary job for over a year and i graduated top of my class! i miss being a 5 year old haha
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I love this jacket. Just thinking about interviews makes me feel a bit ill! x
ReplyDeleteGosh I need that jacket Sarah! I tend to talk too much in interviews!
ReplyDeleteSophie
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you look stunning! i totally love your dress <3
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