How to Tie a Tie: 3 Tips to Enhance Your Job Interview Attire
If someone asks you "what's the most important part of your job
interview attire?", what would you answer? The suit? The shirt?
The shoes? Perhaps. But did you know that the tie, to your
outfit, is what the focal point is to a picture?
The shirt is the canvas and the suit is the frame. Change the
frame on a picture and no one notices, change the picture in a
frame and you can change the look of an entire room. That's why
it's important for your tie to enhance your look, not detract
from it.
Buying The Right Tie
To begin with, you first need a quality tie made of 100% pure
silk to accomplish that job. As a male, you are generally
expected to wear a plain colored, non-distracting tie with your
interview suit, e.g. in a dark red or dark blue color.
However, simply buying the most expensive tie you can find in
town won't just leave that "most-favorable" impression you are
looking for. People judge your capabilities by how you look. A
crooked tie projects a sloppy look and says the same about your
skills and abilities. Therefore, it's important to focus on the
tie knot as well.
Tying the Four in Hand Knot
The most useful tie knot to know for starters is the Four in
Hand. It's somewhat narrow and slightly asymmetrical in form and
looks just about perfect with any standard button-down shirt.
To tie it, you stand in front of a mirror with your tie hanging
loosely around your neck. Now, there are two ends to a tie: One
that's wide that we're going to call "W" and a rather narrow one
that we're going to call "N". The wide end "W" should extend
about 12 inches below narrow end "N".
To begin, cross the wide end "W" over narrow the end "N". Then
turn the wide end "W" back underneath the narrow end "N".
Continue by bringing the wide end "W" back over in front of the
narrow end "N" again. Afterwards, pull the wide end "W" up and
through the loop around your neck.
Next, hold the front of the knot loosely with your index finger
and bring the wide end "W" down through the front loop. Finally,
remove your finger and tighten the knot carefully to your dress
shirt's collar by holding on to the narrow end "N" and sliding
the knot up.
If you're feeling a little overwhelmed right now, don't worry!
Rather check out the colored diagrams at
http://www.tie-a-tie.net/fourinhand.html which might be quite
helpful to you.
Once you've tied the knot, make sure that the widest part of
your tie hangs roughly at the same height as the upper edge of
your leather belt. And the belt, of course, should match the
color of your shoes!
The Benefits of Tie Accessories
Another item you should consider buying besides your tie is
something called a tie accessory. Tie accessories come in the
form of tie bars, clips, tacks, chains and straps. Their main
purpose is to hold your tie in place at all times and prevent it
from getting in your way when you eat, work or play. From my
personal experience, I would recommend a classic silver tie bar.
During a job interview a tie accessory comes in especially
handy. That's because without one, your tie would move around as
you greet your interviewer or when you shift in your seat.
Subconsciously, you would reach down to adjust your tie and
straighten it out but such little things would make you feel
even more nervous than you already are.
Conclusion
So, here's a quick summary of what I recommend you do before
going to your next job interview:
#1: Buy a quality, conservative, 100% pure silk tie.
#2: Practice how to tie the Four in Hand tie knot and make sure
that the tie's widest end is roughly at the upper edge of your
belt.
#3: Use a tie bar to attach your tie to your dress shirt.
Remember -- wearing a quality silk tie, properly tied and
fastened, is probably the fastest way there is to improving your
overall job interview appearance and doubling your chances of
leaving a favorable impression. Enjoy the interview!