Alexandra Levit

College graduates who got used to wearing flip-flops and pajama pants to school are going to have to spruce up their look a bit if they’re going to head out on the job-search trail.

Not only are flops out during a job interview, but don’t even think about donning scoffed up dress shoes, urged Alexandra Levit, a Gen Y career expert and author of "They Don't Teach Corporate in College" and "How'd You Score That Gig?"

Levit was on hand to answer questions from readers Wednesday during a live chat on job-hunting for recent grads.

One reader named Shawn asked her:

How should you dress for an interview?

Her reply:

You should wear a well-tailored suit in black or navy blue, non-scuffed up dress shoes, and a clean, not-too-busy tie. Make sure you are clean-shaven and carry a nice, leather portfolio or briefcase. Even if the employees aren't this dressed up, I guarantee that no one will fault you in an interview situation.

She also offered advice for the female grads out there:

For all of the women out there, same advice regarding the suit, although you can choose a pantsuit or a skirt suit. If you go with the skirt suit, I still think you should wear pantyhose (though some experts might disagree). Heels are nice, but don't go too high, as you don't want to trip or look wobbly. Go easy on the makeup and perfume, and wear tasteful jewelry in silver or gold.

And on the perpetual question of whether to pantyhose or not; or what color to wear when you opt to put on nylons, she said, “I think either black or nude are fine.”

On the pantyhose debate, she sided with hose-wearing advocates “because you don't know how conservative the company is. It's best to err on the side of caution. You want to look professional and put-together without drawing too much attention to the way you are dressed. The more seamlessly you fit it, the better.”

Other topics Levit tackled included everything from how much you should expect to make at your first gig and whether taking time off from the career job search to take a summer job, maybe at the beach, is a good idea.

Here’s the entire Q&A with Levit:

Join us next week for another live web chat on Today.

Just as speed dating adds more stress to the search for a mate, speed interviewing is sure to make the job hunt more tense.

Yes, speed interviewing.

In at least one extreme example, workers are being given just one minute to sell their skills to a hiring manager. If they fall short, they are out the door.

That’s the approach MediConnect Global has been taking with its interview process. Even though it may sound like a nightmare for some job seekers, it has worked out great for the medical records company and some lucky employees who passed the test.

When Zane Davis, 34, a client services representative, interviewed at Mediconnect two years ago, he was told before the meeting that he’d have less than a minute to pitch himself to a panel of company managers. “I had never heard of a company doing these speed interviews,” he said.

Davis, who had been a welder and was looking to change careers, said, “They wanted to know why they should hire me within 30 seconds or so.”

When he got to the company’s offices in Salt Lake City, Utah, there were 12 other job candidates waiting for the quick why-you-should-hire-me interview spiel. He recalled everyone else had flashcards they were studying, but he decided to focus on being confident and highlighting the skills he could bring to the table.

“I don’t remember what I said, but it worked,” he said. The company called him back for about five minutes of follow-up questions that day, and about a week later he was offered the job. “It’s kind of a nerve-racking experience, and very humbling.”

While quick back-to-back, rapid-fire interviews with multiple candidates have been a fixture at job fairs, tactic is unusual within the  confines of company offices.

Many job seekers have reported a growing trend in the opposite direction, with employers putting applicants through endless hours of interviews. (I recently wrote about the phenomenon.)

“We have not received much pick-up amongst our clients in regards to speed-dating type interviews,” said Bob Kovalsky, senior vice president for Adecco Staffing. “The process that the majority of our clients uses is one that’s a bit more comprehensive.”

But using the speed-dating type format is not unheard of.

Booz Allen Hamilton uses “a technique where candidates can go from table to table to meet with interviewers who represent differing capabilities of the firm,” said James Fisher, a spokesman for the consulting firm.  “This helps us ensure that we’re making the best match of candidate skills and job opportunities.” 

In a post on the jobs website Glassdoor, one anonymous job seeker likened it to "speed dating."

“I don’t know that we would use the term ‘speed dating,’” Fisher said.

In situations where employers want to churn through lots of applicants quickly, some hiring managers are using the tactic, said Jay Meschke, president of recruiting firm EFL Associates.

He’s not convinced, however, it’s a smart move. “Sure people want applicants to meet with as many people as possible in a short amount of time, but what can you learn in a few minutes?”

Quite a lot, according to MediConnect CEO Amy Rees Anderson.

About two years ago, she heard about speed dating and thought it might be a great way to review many job applicants in a short time. While she began by giving candidates just 30 second to pitch themselves, she ultimately decided one minute was best.

“The purpose of that minute is to get a sense of their confidence, personality, ability to represent themselves,” she said.

Before the candidates make their brief presentations, the company has them complete skills, IQ and personality tests. “By the time they come for the interview we’ve got a pretty good profile of them,” she explained.

Sometimes applicants are nervous, she said, but the managers don’t hold that against them. Too much confidence can get you booted. “Someone that came in was so overly aggressive about why we should hire him, and when his time was up he refused to leave,” she said.

Two memorable applicants, she said, did something out of the ordinary. One candidate brought in 5-hour Energy drinks because he thought the managers conducting the interviews might be tired. And another applicant pulled out a huge stack of dollar bills, laid them on the table before his pitch, and picked them up when he left. “It caught our attention, made us remember him,” she said.

Verisk Analytics Inc. bought MediConnect in March. Officials from the parent company recently asked Anderson to walk them through the speed-interviewing process because they’re considering expanding the technique.

It’s not just about the words they say, or how creative they are, Anderson said. “You get a sense of the person,” she said. “They come in and tell us about themselves.”