Ever wonder why the fashion business will continue to flourish no matter how old the world gets? This is because fashion is more than just putting on an outfit to cover your nakedness, it is a form of expression, and it speaks before you even introduce yourself, the reason why some people get obsessed even to the point of spending their last dime just to look good and presentable, of course I wouldn't advise anyone to do same, you can still look good and presentable on an affordable budget, and it is only fair and expected of anyone going for an interview to look the part as well, because as humans, Africans especially, it is our nature to judge a book by its cover before even giving it a reading chance, the same applies to ourselves.
I know some people will emphasize skill being what matters alone, but I beg to defer, there are different types of jobs out there and each has its fashion sense, depending on the type of job, it's not too much to ask you to dress the part, which might even accentuate the role or job description you aim for, you don't expect a model going for an audition to dress all suited up like a bank worker, neither do you expect an intending bank worker to dress like a model who came for the audition, a unique kind of fashion sense is expected from both individuals, interview is all about giving the right first impression, and your physical appearance in terms of dressing right should be part of what adds to your mark in getting that dream job, first mark even before you get to display you skill which adds up your smart look and further guarantees you a chance at the job. Dressing right also shows your level of seriousness about the job.
This reminds me of a time I got a job offer to style the staffs of one of the biggest hotels in Lagos, it was more like an interview because several other designers got the same offer but only one of us could be chosen for the job, I am a lover of a simple jean and T-shirt, especially during casual occasions, I thought of wearing that out to the location, but on second thought, because I was told that they needed a designer who could design a beautiful and smart Friday wears using ankara fabrics, I decided to put together similar look to the interview where I met other designers who came for the same job, some dressed cooperate and others a jean and shott, someone even dressed like she was going to pray in church. Guess what, the style chosen was picked closely related to what I had on, there was no need for the interview because as soon as I stepped into his office my dress already spoke the words for me out loud, and I got the contract simply because he liked what I had on.
You might say it's because of my line of work as a designer is the reason physical appearance matters for me, but know that it applies to other types of jobs too, learn to
dress the part, it gives you more confidence the same way looking good on casual occasions does.
But Should Skills be considered first as physical appearance?
As I started earlier, dressing smartly easily gives you a chance to be proven with skill, if skills are to be checked first, there will always be tendencies of people who take advantage of these privileges to appear unkept(tatarred) or dressed indecently, which can even make their capabilities be doubted, apart from skills, the interviewer is looking for those who would represent his company well, skills and physical appearance included do we can't remove the place of one over the other.
My point is, that the system of checking both the skill and the physical appearance of anyone going for an interview should remain the same and needs no compromise at all, just look smart enough, for your job description, remember it's not until you look expensive, just look modest.
Image 1 is edited using canvas
Images 2 and 3 are mine