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Employee Wellness

You landed an interview for your dream job—congratulations! Now all you need to do is walk into that interview with your best foot forward and knock their socks off. Start your interview preparation by dressing to impress.

Assess the Company Culture Ahead of Time

If you’re interviewing with a company where employees are expected to wear suits and ties every day, then you should dress to meet or exceed their standards of professionalism. If the company has a casual, jeans-every-day kind of atmosphere, then you should still dress up for the interview, but it won’t require a full-on suit and tie type of attire. If you wear a suit to a company where everyone else is wearing jeans, then you will stick out like a sore thumb and give off the wrong vibes. Likewise, if you show up to an interview wearing khakis and a short sleeve button up shirt when everyone else is wearing suits, then you probably won’t gain the respect of the interviewer very easily.

 

Dress Slightly Better Than Regular Employees

As a general rule of thumb, your interview attire should be a little dressier than what employees at that company wear to work on a normal day. If the typical company dress code is corporate casual, then it’s okay to wear a suit. If it’s more of a casual place, then it’s okay to wear a corporate casual outfit. Once you’ve decided whether a professional, corporate casual or casual outfit is best for your interview, the rest is easy.

 

Stay Comfortable

While you’ll want to dress to impress, it’s important to wear something that you’ll be comfortable in. If you’re comfortable, you’ll feel much more like yourself and, therefore, your personality will have a better chance of making itself known, which is the key ingredient to a successful interview.

 

Pay Attention to the Details

Unfortunately, buying the right clothes isn’t enough. You’ll want to make sure that the shirt, pants, skirt or dress you wear is clean and ironed to make the best possible impression. You’ll also want to make sure that your clothes fit you properly and that it isn’t too baggy or too tight. Wrinkly, ill-fitting clothing may give the impression that you are messy or unorganized.

 

Stay Away from Anything Too Flashy

Statement necklaces and sequined tops are fabulous, but the important thing to remember about interviewing is that your personality should take center stage, not your physical appearance. Your clothes and accessories should complement your attitude, not distract from it. Wear simple jewelry and plain, solid colored articles of clothing. Don’t overdo it on the makeup either.

 

Keep Yourself Well Groomed

Get a haircut before your interview if needed, and run a comb through it to keep it neat and out of the way. For the men—keep facial hair to a minimum, even during Movember.

 

Dressing well for your interview will set you up for success once you walk through the company doors of what could become your new career. Whatever you decide to wear, just remember to keep calm and be yourself!

More From NBF

Make Way for Millennials: Office Design and its Effect on the Newest Generation of Employees

Ready or not, millennial office employees are here to stay. Gone are the days of satisfying workers with compensation alone. The youngest generation of coworkers set their sights much higher, expecting not only decent pay but benefits that will improve their overall quality of life inside and outside of work. Among these, they expect a beautiful office to call home. Here are a few design trends to consider adding to your office to keep millennials interested in your business and working at their full potential.

Workstations of Every Type

According to a 2017 study from IPSOS, 76% of millennials between the ages of 18 and 34 feel office design and aesthetics somewhat or strongly influence their impression of a company. Although the first impression an individual will likely get in your office will be your front lobby or waiting room, workstations provide the backdrop employees will see for most of the day. How you design your office's workstations is hugely important, but be careful not to jump on the open concept bandwagon simply because you think it's what millennials want. Spoiler alert: It's not.

Although some employees thrive in a wallless, collaborative desk space, no 2 workers are created equal. Introverts exist, and they need a little peace and quiet to get the job done. 

 

To accommodate employees of all personality types and job functions, incorporate a variety of workspaces into your office. Maybe the marketing team needs to collaborate regularly, but the sales team needs privacy for taking customer calls. In this situation, try adding benching to the marketing area and call center desking or cubicles in sales. Even employees who work in an open-concept situation need privacy from time to time, so you may also want to designate spaces around the office for quiet work.

Ergonomic Furniture That Promotes an Active Workstyle

In addition to needing a space where they can work effectively, millennials want furniture that fosters a healthy lifestyle during business hours. The best step toward this goal is to equip every workstation with an adjustable-height desk. Can't afford to swap out your old desks with new ones? No problem. Adjustable-height desk risers like the Ascent can be placed on top of any work surface and used in the same way.

Once your employees have the option to sit or stand while they work, take it a step further by allowing them to stay active while they sit as well. If you're wondering how in the world you can both be sitting and staying active, we have the answer—active stools and chairs. Ball chairs and perch stools are designed to allow employees to fidget and move while they sit, ensuring they aren't facing the negative health effects that come with sitting all day. It's a perk millennials expect and one that employees of all generations will surely appreciate.

 

Collaborative Meeting Areas

Whether or not a collaborative workstation is appropriate for your employees will depend on the individual and their job function. Still, every office should include at least one collaborative "touchdown" area to foster teamwork between coworkers. These meeting spaces are located in otherwise open, unused areas of the office and act as casual conference spaces that don’t need to be booked ahead. This way, employees can still meet to share ideas even when all formal conference rooms are booked.

The same IPSOS study revealed that 70% of respondents who work in an office wish their workplace would consider a design upgrade, indicating a strong desire for an attractive, inspiring space to work. Adding a touchdown meeting area to your office is a simple way to achieve a modern, updated look and feel. These meeting areas require no moving, no building of new walls, and no extravagant budget. An open area and some comfortable furniture will do the trick. 

Breakrooms That Inspire

The breakroom is your employees' designated place for relaxation and peace, so make it count. From comfortable tables and chairs to inspiring décor, an inviting lunchroom is the key to making your employees feel at home, allowing them to recharge before the rest of their work day. Silicon Valley offices have given millennials high expectations when it comes to what the breakroom should look like, so you'll want to create a space that's as beautiful as it is comfortable.

5 Steps to Starting an Employee Volunteer Program

Whether you work for a small business or a large corporation, giving back to the local community is essential for building a positive reputation and a name for yourself at the local level. If your 2018 business goals include starting an employee volunteer program at the office, these five simple steps will help get you there.

How to Encourage Employee Engagement

How to Encourage Employee Engagement

You don’t need to be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company to know that a disengaged worker can cause serious issues. When employees are engaged in their work and feel a sense of purpose, they take pride in their work—a win for everyone. Here are a few ways to boost morale and encourage workers to be engaged and proactive in their roles at your company, regardless of what those roles may be.

Invest in Your Employees

Whether by offering wellness programs to support their health or encouraging further learning through conferences and training, investing in your employees is one of the best ways to boost engagement. Why? Your staff will begin to see that you care about not only your bottom line but also their well-being and development.

Show Why It’s More Than Just a ‘Job’

We all want to make a difference. We all want a reason to be passionate about what we do. Be sure to share real stories, whether testimonials, reviews, or anecdotes, with your teams to showcase the impact their everyday work has on others. In other words, make sure that employees have access to the big picture. Too often, we hear the negative and forget the purpose of why we do what we do—it’s always good to have a reminder.

Get Out of the Office

Hold events outside the office, such as volunteer outings or trivia nights, where employees can gain perspective and build stronger ties with their coworkers. Having strong communities and teams helps to keep employees proactive and involved while also making work more enjoyable for everyone.

 

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Nicole Groshek

Nicole Groshek is the social media and content coordinator for National Business Furniture. She helps employees discover the true joy in loving what they do, from working in an inspiring office to having a little fun on the job.