• Choosing What to Wear
• Learning a Good Handshake
• Learning How to Greet an Interviewer

:: Choosing What to Wear ::

First impressions are very important when you are going for an interview. A person will form an opinion about you within about 30 seconds of meeting you. It will be very important for you to present yourself professionally. This includes choosing what you will wear to an interview very carefully. Here are some pointers:

Men - Business Casual

• Dress pants
• Dress shirt with a collar or a nice sweater if it’s cold outside
• Your belt must be the same color as your shoes e.g. brown shoes + brown belt, black shoes + black belt
• Always wear dark colored socks – black or navy is preferable
• Dress shoes – no running shoes or boots
• You can wear your regular outdoor jacket but make sure that it is in good condition and clean

Men – Business Formal

• Dark blue or black suit
• Nice clean tie that is pressed and not too flashy i.e. no bright colors/ wild patterns
• Your belt must be the same color as your shoes e.g. brown shoes + brown belt, black shoes + black belt
• Always wear dark color socks
• Dress shoes – no running shoes or boots
• Wear a dress coat – like a trench coat that will cover the length of your suit jacket

Woman – Business Casual & Formal

• Dress pants or skirt (or suit if formal)
• Nice top, a blouse or very nice, light knit sweater
• Your belt must be the same color as your shoes e.g. brown shoes + brown belt, black shoes + black belt
• Match your socks with your pants, or wear natural nylons with a skirt, knee-highs are also acceptable with pants
• Dress shoes – no running shoes
• You can wear your regular outdoor jacket but make sure that it is in good condition and clean, for formal office wear, you should wear a long coat

Hygiene

• Make sure that your hair is clean and neat
• Your teeth are brushed and free of any debris
• Your fingernails should be trimmed and clean
• Your breath should be fresh – brushing your teeth usually does this or you can try gargling with mouthwash
• Your shoes should be clean and polished
• Your clothes should be pressed or ironed – no wrinkles
• Your clothes should be clean – no stains or odors
• Your clothes should be in good condition – not frayed or worn out

Clothing Tips

1. Pick out your Interview Clothes ahead of time and press them and hang them in your closet so that they are ready for you when you need them.


2. When choosing what to wear for a particular interview, find out what dress code employees generally use day to day. As a rule, for an interview dress one notch higher than the regular dress code. For example, if you were going interviewing for a job in a warehouse you would wear Dockers and a button shirt rather than jeans and a t-shirt.


3. If you cannot afford new clothes, go to a second hand clothing store. They carry appropriate clothes that are often in very good condition.

:: The Handshake ::

Your handshake is an important part of making a first impression to the interviewer. If your handshake is too soft, they will think you are not confident and that you may have trouble doing the job. If it is too hard, you will hurt the interviewer. Here are the steps involved in teaching a handshake:

1. The skin between your thumb and first finger must touch the same place on the hand you are shaking. Clasp your fingers around the other hand firmly yet gently.


2. Shake the hand up and down three times. If you have trouble with this, let the other person do the shaking – that’s OK too.

:: The Greeting ::

There are three important parts of greeting the interviewer:

1. Eye contact
2. The handshake
3. What you say

Eye Contact

Eye contact is important because it tells the interviewer that you are honest, trustworthy and confident.

The Handshake

Your handshake needs to be firm, confident and friendly (as above).

What You Say

It will be important to say “hello”, “nice to meet you” and you may need to introduce yourself – but usually they will already know who you are.

Putting the Greeting Together

Practice standing up and greeting an interviewer. This is how to do it:

1. Make eye contact with the interview when you first see him or her
2. Stand up to conduct the greeting
3. Outstretch your hand to shake the hand of the interviewer
4. While you are shaking hands, say “hello, nice to meet you.”
5. Hold the eye contact until the end of the entire greeting

Tip: if you can use the interviewer’s name after saying hello and before you say nice to meet you, this is even better. “Hello Mr. Smith, nice to meet you.”

:: Asperger-Friendly Employment Resources ::

Maap Services, Inc. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information and advice to families of More advanced individuals with Autism, Asperger's syndrome, and Pervasive developmental disorder (PDD).

WORKink is committed to facilitating communication and providing resources and information to enhance the equitable and meaningful employment of people with disabilities.

HRDC WorkSearch Site designed to help Canadians search for work on-line and develop effective work search strategies.

Map To The Future is a Toronto District School Board program that assists youth with disabilities to connect with the supports and services needed to enter the world of employment.