Interview attire

Wear the attire you normally wear for interview – probably a suit and tie – and polish your black shoes.

Unfortunately people will form a first impression from when they first see you (if they haven’t already googled your name and found some details about you online) and so you want to look smart but as bland/normal as possible so they don’t have anything unusual to base an opinion on.

geoffj – Member

In the (admittedly maverick) office where I work, we have a theory that ability is often inversely proportional to the cost of your clobber.

STWers in inverted snobbery shocka!

It ain’t snobbery, it’s based on empirical observation…

Some of the smartest minds (and it also has to be said some of the wealthiest people) I’ve ever had the fortune to work alongside wouldn’t touch a suit – or anyone in one – with a barge pole. YMMV.

onehundredthidiot – Member
Always a tie, you can take it off if you look conspicuously over dressed. Frickin’ hate the non tie bollocks. If your here to impress/sell something have the decency to take it seriously. Not as though you’ve finished work for the day and are about to sit down for a chat and a pint.

Why do you need a piece of useless string round your neck to be “decent” and “take things seriously”? We’re one of the few countries that still cling to the archaic importance of ties. But that seems to be dying out, and not a moment too soon.

The place I work isn’t a suit and tie place but I know they would think it weird if someone turned up for an interview without.

In fact my manager was interviewing someone a couple of weeks ago and said to me after “he didn’t even bother dressing smart”. Turned out that HR had advised the candidate he didn’t need to but had not told my manager this! Better safe than sorry!

Why do you need a piece of useless string round your neck to be “decent” and “take things seriously”?

Because it’s “more” than just a “piece of string”, it’s a “demonstration” of you ability to pay attention to “detail”.
(Do you put your fingers up in the real world when talking?)

Suit, tie, clean your shoes, shave (or at least trim the beard if you’re a rigid SS rider). Obviously if the job is as a swimming pool attendant and they asked you to come dressed to swim, that might not get you the job but I’ve never known someone not get a job because they dressed smartly. Coming in dressed like a sack of shit with string around the middle has certainly lowered chances at jobs.

If you’re shit hot and can demonstrate it quickly, go in speedos and flipflops. Otherwise suit.

CFH, is that you? It’s how I imagine you, though you’;re shorter.

No harm in being smart but the first thing I like to do in an interview after walking in, shaking hands etc. is take off the jacket and roll up my shirtsleeves.

Having established “yes, I own a suit” moving on quickly to “I also know how to cut the ****, now lets get on with it”.

But then I’m an engineer…at my current job the interview was mostly conducted at the pub down the road…

it’s a “demonstration” of you ability to pay attention to “detail”.

Is it? I don’t know what line of work you’re in, but a tie wouldn’t do that in my world.

Well, I think it’s a question of manners as much as anything. If you don’t wear one you risk being under-dressed, a much worse faux pas and potentially an insult to the interviewers than being overdressed.

Not wearing a suit shows that you are only prepared to maintain the minimum standard you can get away with.

Wearing a suit when it is maybe (but you don’t know for sure) not required shows that you like to present yourself well and maintain a high standard, and that you actually own a suit.

And anyways, is there an HR bod at the interview ? You can generally rely on them to be suited up.

Why do you need a piece of useless string round your neck to be “decent” and “take things seriously”? We’re one of the few countries that still cling to the archaic importance of ties. But that seems to be dying out, and not a moment too soon.

Not in the slightest, the difference in this country, as opposed to France, Italy etc is that British men more often look uncomfortable in a suit because they haven’t been taught how to buy and wear one and subsequently go on to adolescently ridicule the idea.

Also, seeing someone wear a suit without a tie just screams, ‘middle management relaxing down Wetherspoons on a Friday afternoon’ (unless of course it’s a cream linen suit, but those people are just s##t bags anyway).

elliptic – Member
take off the jacket and roll up my shirtsleeves = “I also know how to cut the ****, now lets get on with it”.

Have you been on “the Apprentice?”

Please, please don’t wear a shirt and tie without a jacket/suit. This is smart for people who don’t own a suit. As echoed above, I would wear a full suit and tie but if anything goes it is the tie. A good suit and smart, open neck shirt is good business dress in a more casual role.

@zimbo come on I know you’re dying to tell us about your maverick world – spill the beans then 🙂

No harm in being smart but the first thing I like to do in an interview after walking in, shaking hands etc. is take off the jacket and roll up my shirtsleeves.

Just hope the interviewer isn’t Dutch. Or is it Germans that don’t like this? It’s a sign of being lazy. 😆

@zimbo come on I know you’re dying to tell us about your maverick world

No I’m not.

Some of the smartest minds (and it also has to be said some of the wealthiest people) I’ve ever had the fortune to work alongside wouldn’t touch a suit – or anyone in one – with a barge pole. YMMV.

Have you been working for Hank Scorpio?

Gunz – Member

Not in the slightest, the difference in this country, as opposed to France, Italy etc is that British men more often look uncomfortable in a suit because they haven’t been taught how to buy and wear one and subsequently go on to adolescently ridicule the idea.

Aye. So last time I needed one, I took myself out of the equation and got a gay italian man to choose one for me. Highly recommended.