So you're going for a job interview.....

Discussion in 'Off Topic Area' started by Xue Sheng, Jul 11, 2019.

  1. Xue Sheng

    Xue Sheng All weight is underside

    This is nothing big, likely mostly a fluff type post, but I was amazed today at this.

    Question: if you were going for an interview for an office job, how would you dress. Myself, depending on the office, range from office casual to a sports coat and a tie.

    Young guy shows up for an interview today, he is in his 20s. His choice was to first, not shave for a day or two. But to be honest, I could let that pass, it seems to be the fashion these days. However his clothing of choice was to wear for the interview was; deck shoes with no socks, khaki cargo shorts and a orange plaid no tail button shirt.

    Just had to throw that out there to get it off my mind.....in hopes I will stop hearing this old man in my head saying...."Kids today".....
     
  2. David Harrison

    David Harrison MAPper without portfolio

    Sounds like Silicon Valley formal wear to me! ;)
     
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  3. ned

    ned Valued Member

    Is it still all beanbags and hacky sacks over there ?

    Joking apart with all the zero hour contracts and mcjobs around these days I don't blame the kids for not getting too dressed up.
     
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  4. Mushroom

    Mushroom De-powered to come back better than before.

    I've interviewed people dressed like such...tho, to be fair it's for being a waiter/ress.
     
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  5. Xue Sheng

    Xue Sheng All weight is underside

    Should have added this in the OP; This was an interview for an office job, degree needed, pay, although not really high, is likely around 40K. And it is dealing with funding and getting businesses interested in moving to the state.

    And to be honest, business casual would have been acceptable to me. However I am not the one making the decision. I just saw the guy going for te interview and know the supervisor that interviewed him.
     
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  6. Xue Sheng

    Xue Sheng All weight is underside

    I should also add I was on an interview team at my old office, 3 women and myself. We were interviewing for a clerk/typist position and it was summer. We were siting at a round table and a young woman came in wearing a sun dress that had a v neck that went half way to her navel. She came in, looked at the room, moved a chair to sit directly in front of me, leaned over on her elbows and did the entire interview, directly in front of me. I had no idea where to look while asking her questions and for weeks afterwards the other 3 women in the room made sure to harass me to no end about how obvious it was that I had no idea where to look and how uncomfortable I was during that interview.

    She did not get the job by the way, even if she came in dressed differently and did not position herself in front of me, she simply as not qualified.
     
  7. Smitfire

    Smitfire Cactus Schlong

    I'm sat in my "smart" work clothes now...years old free company t-shirt, long cargo shorts (it's hot!), knackered adidas trainers and week old stubble. It's smart because this t-shirt doesn't have holes in the armpits.

    BUT...for a job interview you always go a step smarter than you think. Anyone can dress down but you should be showing you know what it's like to present yourself. Show you are switched on enough to play the "game". Better to be a bit smarter than you needed than not smart enough imho.
    Now I'm not one for dress codes really but a job interview is basically like a quiz where you have to give the right answers and how you appear is one of the fundamental unasked questions.
    For an office job it would be smart slacks, shirt and some sort of brogue (with socks of course...duh).
    Personally I'd probably wear a subtle tie but get there early and scout out what everyone else is wearing and maybe take the tie off if I felt it was overkill.
    Although I'm old fashioned enough to still think and office job interview requires a full suit and tie to be honest.

    One of my annoyances is people that turn up to someone's wedding in casual clothes. Unless specified a wedding requires full suit and tie. Even if you are just invited to the reception. Most definitely NOT jeans and a t-shirt. It's not too much to ask for people to make an effort. The story of John Danaher turning up to someone's wedding in a rash guard makes me cringe.
     
  8. Dead_pool

    Dead_pool Spes mea in nihil Deus MAP 2017 Moi Award

    I'm pretty sure danaher has lost touch with normality life, I find his teams obsession with fannypacks/bum bags just plain strange!

    Edit: yea job interviews should be fully suited and booted, it's dumb, but it's the game everyone else plays!
     
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  9. axelb

    axelb Master of Office Chair Fu

    Where I come from, full suit is pretty standard, especially an office job with a degree.
    Part of the process is to express enthusiasm for the role, otherwise the interviewer will overlook the candidate for someone else.

    To be underdressed is on par with bad punctuality, effort to carry out the role, or team cooperation.

    and I know it's a fashion thing, but no socks really winds me up!
     
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  10. David Harrison

    David Harrison MAPper without portfolio

    I thought the same until I turned up at a reception and the groom was in hoody and jeans.

    That's when I decided the world had gone to hell in a hand basket and gave up on appropriate attire.
     
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  11. David Harrison

    David Harrison MAPper without portfolio

    I usually don't care about that kind of thing, but no socks gets to me. Not as much as 3/4 length trousers and flip-flops though...

    I guess it's projection, and my problem really, but no socks just makes me wonder about how sweaty their feet are and how they manage to stop their shoes from stinking after a few weeks of sockless wear.
     
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  12. pgsmith

    pgsmith Valued dismemberer

    And get off my lawn! :)
     
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  13. Mushroom

    Mushroom De-powered to come back better than before.

    You look forward. To the face.
     
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  14. Grond

    Grond Valued Member

    I agree, but not that it's dumb. You want to get that hot job? Even if it's an OK job? Then you should show up like Sean Connery in Goldfinger: The Goldfinger Suit: A Three-Piece Glen Check – The Suits of James Bond

    They even sell this exact replica suit here: GF Sean Connery Gray Three Piece Suit. The logic behind this image is simple. Like the superspy, you win some you lose some. The point is to look absolutely fabulous. You didn't get the job? You still looked amazing the whole time, darling.

    Confidence is an art form all its own.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jul 13, 2019
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  15. Archibald

    Archibald A little koala

    Lol I'm not sure if Grond is joking or not, but I completely agree. I'm a big believer that (and I can't remember who said this) dressing well is a form of good manners. It says to whoever you're with that you give a damn about your time with them.

    I'm a school teacher and admittedly I over dress, for no reason other than I like it. I feel awesome in a nice suit, and I like getting told I look nice. Outside of work, dressing up gives a sense of occasion and makes life a little more fun.

    What really makes me laugh is how much some guys will shy away from a suit, even when they're effectively wearing one anyway. A co worker and I were ribbing each other a while ago, and he said I put too much effort into what I wear (two piece suit). My résponse was that if you wear a pair of trousers, a collared shirt, and any kind of jacket...you've just done all the elements of one anyway, haven't you? Literally same amount of effort, except that a suit requires less time to think about, because the colours are already co ordinated lol.

    Anyway, rant over. Bring back the age of elegance I reckon. There's a reason Connery still wins sexiest man alive contests.
     
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  16. Grond

    Grond Valued Member

    I'm definitely not the joking type. Here's a sober thought, the last time Sean Connery was in a movie was 2003. 16 years. The movie was The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which I believe was one of the first truly underrated movies destroyed by Internet goons. Watch it...he plays Allan Quatermain!!!!!! The fictional fortune hunter who preceded Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones Jr. by a hundred year. It wasn't even half bad, I love London horror classics like Dracula, the Wolf Man, and especially Dr. Jekyll.

    But he hated the director, and the movie suffered at the box office. So Sir Thomas hasn't been seen in film since 2003. Imagine that. That's why I dress like him not just on job interviews, but any chance I can get.
     
  17. Frodocious

    Frodocious She who MUST be obeyed! Moderator Supporter

    I hate getting dressed up. I live in jeans and t-shirts, but I would always wear a suit for a job interview. I working in an environmental job a while back. When they interviewed for a new graduate job, one muppet turned up in wellies! Needless to say, he didn't get the job.
     
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  18. ned

    ned Valued Member

    Luckily for me there is no dress code on site ( except no builder's bum ! ).
    Makes me laugh though when millennials turn up in skinny jeans as if they're on love island !
    This time of year it's shorts and an old band tee shirt for me, but the other end of the spectrum is layers and thermals tryng to keep warm in winter.
     
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  19. Frodocious

    Frodocious She who MUST be obeyed! Moderator Supporter

    Not really interview related but, I am so fed up with job adverts that state 'entry level' or 'graduate' and then ask for all sorts of ridiculous experience. Companies just don't seem to want to train people these days! :mad:
     
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  20. Smitfire

    Smitfire Cactus Schlong

    This picture is confirmed as being Grond on a night out.

    [​IMG]
     
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