What should you wear to an interview?

The workable rule is to dress one notch above what employees wear on a normal day. Figure out that baseline from the company's website and social media, and if you cannot tell, ask the recruiter directly, which is a completely normal question that signals preparation rather than uncertainty. A conservative field like law, finance, or government still expects a suit. Most corporate and professional settings land at business casual done carefully. Startups, creative shops, and trades run more casual, but showing up in exactly what everyone else wears reads as though you did not distinguish the interview from a Tuesday.

Beyond the category, execution is what people actually notice: clothes that fit, are clean and unwrinkled, and shoes in decent condition. Keep it simple and low-distraction so the conversation stays on your answers, skip heavy fragrance, and make sure whatever you wear lets you sit and gesture comfortably for an hour. For video interviews, the same standard applies from the waist up, plus a tidy background, a camera at eye level, and lighting in front of you rather than behind. If you are between two options, take the slightly more formal one, being modestly overdressed reads as respect for the opportunity, while being underdressed is the version people remember.