Clothes to free: Dressing right, paying light, for a job interview

Clothes to Free is a weekly fashion-on-a-budget column by Money College blogger Alysse Dalessandro. Send Alysse column tips at MoneyCollege@walletpop.com.

A Director of Development for a major non-profit health agency in Detroit told me the following dressing for an interview cautionary tale. A May 2009 graduate who we'll call Michelle showed up for her interview wearing a tight, Spandex top with a small shrug, and flared dress pants. The director says her first impression was that her outfit not only failed to flatter her figure, but that it was inappropriate with "too much hanging out."

She says that she decided solely based on the way she dressed that she would not hire her, but that she would interview her to be polite. Well lucky for Michelle, her personality won over the director ... but he still had fears about bringing her into meet the foundation's president.