Jennifer Gee is a 2017 This Way Ahead intern. A rising junior at Abraham Lincoln High School, Jennifer is working at Gap on Chestnut Street this summer. She recently had time to sit down with Cristina, one of our Youth Development Specialists, and offer some insight into dressing up for interviews. 

Cristina: Please describe your style in five words.

Jennifer: I would say? plain, simple, minimalistic, amazing, and wonderful!

Cristina: Those are some good words! Where do you get your fashion inspiration?

Jennifer: I get my fashion inspiration from my family. I try to mimic my mom. When I was young, I didn?t like her style at all ? I thought it was really old-fashioned. But growing up, I kinda see how the way that she dressed was also really simple, and I kind of adapted to it.

Cristina: What do you think is the most important thing to consider when picking out an interview outfit?

Jennifer: It depends on the interview. Some of them are really formal. Some of them are business casual, or just casual in general.

Cristina: How did you pick out your clothing for this position at Gap?

Jennifer: When I had my Gap interview, I chose a blue [collared] shirt, a white tank top, gray jeans, and a scarf, because I feel really comfortable in it. Gap also carries similar clothes.

Cristina: What is your favorite item of clothing for job interviews or for work?

Jennifer: Collared shirts because I?m really used to them and feel really comfortable. You can basically wear them with anything ? it could be casual, it could be formal.

Cristina: Your interviewer at Gap Chestnut mentioned that your interview outfit was very indicative of your personal style, and mentioned that you had designed the scarf yourself. Can you talk a little bit more about that?

Jennifer: It was originally a shirt that I bought a long time ago, and it didn?t fit me. It was black and gray and striped. So I decided to just cut it off in the middle and then it kind of looked like a scarf, so I stretched it out and put it around my neck.

Cristina: Is it the scarf you?re wearing today?

Jennifer: Yeah!

Cristina: What advice do you have for youth dressing for their first job interview?

Jennifer: Don?t go overboard. You don?t need to wear fancy shoes or an expensive dress. I say go for something simple, like black and white.