Should I invest in a taylor made suit?

Surely though Mick you agree that an 18 year old will always look a pillock in a double cuff, surely!

 

I'm still completely against the idea of suits as something you have to wear - and what is it with ties? All they were for originally was to stop you spilling your dinner over your shirt! And folk who think a shirt is proper unless it has long tails - they had long tails cos no-one had invented underpants!!!!
When I worked at the beeb it was known by those "who did the work" that anyone wearing a suit was management, or worse, Human Resources (whatever happened to Personnel?) and therefore not to be trusted... How could you have any spark of creativity or imagination if you subscribed to the make-up-your-mind-at-first-glance ethic of wearing what you're expected to?
I'd say lack of imagination is one of the roots of all evil!

 

"personnel"????

whatever happened to "pay and records"?

one point though.... management and those "who did the work", who got paid more?

 

They must have liked you, in spite of the fuddy-duddy clothes.

 

Mick,

In my company the criterion is not who's the best dressed. Applicants are judged on knowledge, experience, skills and suitability for the job. I suppose thats the difference between nationalised industries like the post office and industry leading blue-chip companies like the one I work for.

 

So if somone turned up unshaven Hols in there jeans looking like they had had a rough night.

 

The interview is only part, although a crucial part, of the process. The first part is that letter of application that you send in addition to the CV and/or application form.

That letter/CV needs to get in the right pile: 'yes, worth interviewing'; 'maybe'; 'no way'.

Your letter/CV has to wear a suit, not be scruffy, and allow the message about you stand head and shoulders above the competition. A spelling mistake should be avoided like a stain on your trousers: it draws attention to itself and undermines the most expensive of suits. Your letter/CV should be engaging, clear and easy on the eye.

Getting onto the short-list is, of course, only like winning the semi-final, necessary but not sufficient. Its at the final that you win or lose, and have to recognise that you will be one of around four to six candidates (numbers vary) that the interview panel have to choose between.

First impressions do matter but the interviewers, if they are any good, will be trying to get beyond that, to understand 'where you are coming from, and where you think you are going', and how that fits with the job they want doing, and how you will fit into the team they already have. Strongly recommend that you do some research about the company and the job you are applying for, and let that come through in your replies, in an ordinary way.

What you should be aiming for at the interview is to get onto the 'employable' list. Whether you are first or second on that list depends upon the competition. Even if you dont get offered that particular job, they may have you in mind for another.

References are a bit like the penalty shoot-out, in that they matter when no clear result emerges. But they matter even if you are the best candidate. Like a 'best man' at a wedding, your referees(s) can make you look good or bad - so choose them carefully.

And yes, do wear a good (enough) suit.

In the last twenty years, I have been on the interviwer's side of the table well over 50 times, but less than five times on the interviewee's side (both successfully and unsuccessfully). Both sides have work to do, and want the best result. Both sides should enjoy the experience. It matters to both.

[edit: and remember to proof read that letter/CV several times, as I should have done for this posting!!]

 

Robbo

I was interviewed by a very blue chip company. I was also the successful candidate and I was dressed very sharply, even if I say it myself.

At the end of the day, it is now down to AT

Regards

Mick

 

OK, the above is conversation, so spellies are allowed, but those stains on the trousers/shirts/ties would stand out.

Short(ish) sentences expressed well with good grammar and punctuation also help in that written letter, and express yourself clearly on the day.

You wear the suit, don't let it wear you.

 

"I was dressed very sharply"

You were dressed anachronistically, they may have thought you were weird but competant.

 

Exactly.

Mick was beginning to make the recruitment process sound like an expensive suit contest.

 

Bub

The interviewer was dressed similar to me. People in the commercial side of business dress like me, we all look similar and if you look different or cheap, you are at a disadvantage.

You are a "practitioner" and I day say you wear those green togs in your work, so perhaps you hold less stall in a suit.

Regards

Mick

 

Ah something sensible at last.

Try to get to know the company and the people you are trying to work for, and the kind of things they wear/ would like to see in an interviewee for that particular job. This would also depend on what part of the business you are in too, the standards of dress in R&D may not be the same as in sales for instance.

If someone came for an interview for say a research role dressed like Mick, then he'd probably be laughed about after the interview IME.

 

I interview doctors for hospital posts from time to time. Personality is the most important thing, experience & ability next (this tends to be pretty uniform among applicants), and double-cuffed shirtings are low down on the list.

 

bub, I would also not be impressed by double-cuffs and links; in fact I would be non-plussed for all but the most senior of appointments.

btw, I admire your deprecation of iron-mongery!

 

Agreed. An old colleague in the patent business in the Basel chemical industry always wore suits because, he said, it looked "professional". He never did understand my point of view that a suit is a mark of the con-man, the humbug and, that wonderful combination of the previous two, the politician. You will notice that most of the world's misery is caused, not by people who wear uniforms, but by those who wear suits, the Bushes, the Bliars of this world.

Oh, and I have a green tie for St. Patrick's Day. The first time I appeared with it, the other folk in the lab wanted to know about what must be a VERY important meeting to make me wear a tie!

 

Tone

I wear a suit and I believe I generate happiness.

Bub wears a green uniform and causes argument after argument.

If AT wears a cheap suit, he will be going no where rapid.

The decision is now his.

Regards

Mick

 

Some how I am more confussed now than ever. I might just wear nothing instead it might be easier and certainly cheaper, its just I might get arrested.

I think from what people have said here the key to it is just to dress smart and make sure you put a bit of effort into it.

I will probably completly loose my confidence in an interview anyway.

 

AT

Quote...."I will probably completly loose my confidence in an interview anyway."

I cringed when I read that.

You are a young man with a good education behind you. No one expects you to have experience because of your age. They will be looking some someone who is full of confidence with the energy and enthusiasm of youth. Just be yourself and smile and project confidence and you will be fine.

Think of the interviewer as a friend and do not be afraid of him, he is looking to pass you not fail you, so go for it.

Regards

Mick.........wishing he was in his early 20's.
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Thanks, the only reason I said that was I had my final year presentation a couple of weeks ago, I was well prepaired for it but I just lost it, I asked my tutor last week how it went he mutted "Ok" then said "presentations are not your strong point" so its got me a bit a worried.

I suppose with a job interview I don't have as much to loose though, they are plenty of job interviews I can have, there was only one final year presentation so if I blew it I blew it.

I was nearly left in tiers when I went for my last interview, it was so hard (they asked questions like what was the lowest point in your life" and all sorts of tricky things.

Two hour later they phoned to say that I had got the job, so it might not be that bad. I suppose dressing smart gives you confidence.