The new year is here, and with it, many of you may be looking for a new job. If you are, then you know one of the most stressful aspects of a job hunt is that first interview—deciding what to wear to make the best impression can be, for many people, just as stressful as doing the interview.

That’s where we come in. For those of you starting the interview process at a new company, we wanted to give you style tips and tricks to make sure you look the part to perfection. Next week we’ll dive into specific styles, but this week, we want to give you a broad overview of good choices to use depending on the interview format.

The Skype Interview

More and more businesses are choosing to conduct their first interviews via Skype instead of having a traditional phone interview. Most candidates find this the most difficult interview, both for finding exactly the right place to conduct it, but also figuring out how to dress for it.

Let’s get this out of the way right now: You should be fully dressed from head to toe like this is a regular interview. There are a shocking number of articles that will tell you to only worry about looking the part from the waist up, and we disagree. Clothing is not just about style, it’s a mindset, and looking the part from top to bottom can help you better get into the mindset you’ll need to succeed at the interview.

That said, you can get away with a bit more in this format. If you’re wearing a shirt and tie, you don’t generally need a suit jacket. Save that for the in-person interview, as well as any traditional suit vests, which may look a bit too formal for this medium.

The One-on-One Interview

Here’s where you can pull out all the stops, and go with your best-looking suit. There are many articles that can make you worry about overdressing for this occasion, but as usual, it’s much better to be too dressed up than too dressed down. If you really think a full suit is too much for the position, then pair khakis with a button-up shirt, sweater vest and tie for a classy, lower-key look.

The Group Interview

If you know you’re heading into a group interview, we’re actually going to advise you to add a non-traditional piece to what you’re wearing. A pocket square, a bow tie, an interesting pattern contrast between your shirt and tie, suspenders—whatever you look good in and know you can pull off. Why? Most men are going to show up in standard suits, but if you’re in a room with 10 other candidates, you’ll to want to look visually different from the rest. A small touch like this can help you stand out early and get a jump ahead of everyone else.

By Karako Suits

 These are some basic tips to help ensure you make the best of your interview, no matter what form it takes. If you think you’re in need of a wardrobe addition beforehand, definitely take a look at Karako Suits today.