Don’t Sweat It! Interviewing During a Heat Wave
Sweating is your body's way of cooling down. It is a natural biological function that helps the body to cope during extreme heat. One of the major principles of interviewing is: “don’t let them see you sweat.” Here are a few tips to help you look your freshest and feel confident, even in a heat wave.
Wardrobe
- Avoid tight-fitting clothing. Select loose-fitting clothing to allow room to breathe. Also, sweat shows more when wearing tight clothing.
- Ladies, as tempting as it may be, do not wear revealing clothing. Instead of a sleeveless top, select a long or three-quarter sleeve top. A skirt should be knee-length or just above.
- Men, unless you are interviewing for the Geek Squad, please wear a long-sleeved shirt. If you opt for the Geek Squad-style short white shirt, remember to finish the look with the pocket protector!
- Natural fabrics like cotton and linen are better than synthetic fabrics because they breathe better. These fabrics help transfer heat away from the body to provide a cooling effect. When air reaches your skin, it helps reduce your body temperature. The downside is that sweat is slow to evaporate from natural fabrics.
Grooming
- Some use talcum powder to reduce sweat. It can feel cool temporarily, but powder tends to leave
white stains on your clothes and does not really reduce sweating. - Deodorant is a must!
- Ladies, wear lighter makeup. Keep your make-up fresh by blotting your face with blotting tissues and then lightly dust on cosmetic powder.
Logistics
- If possible, schedule interviews during the coolest parts of day.
- Perform a test run to get to your location so you can eliminate stressful delays. Stress may make the heat feel even hotter and stress also induces sweat.
- Cool off in the shade or indoors before entering the interview site. Sweat can occur even 15 or more after your heat exposure, so allow at least 15 minutes of cool down time. This means – be there a bit early!
Pack a Cool Kit
Drink plenty of water. Pack a water bottle. Of course, you will not bring this into the interview. This is for the commute only.- Use a cooling mist to rejuvenate the skin. There are many mist cans on the market, such as this Evian spray, available at various beauty and drug stores.
- A spare shirt is always wise on an especially hot and humid day.