Need help with what to wear to an interview.

Lol suit it is.

 

Let me put it this way, for my interview at my job, 60ish of us interviewed, 25 got hired. the 25 that were hired were in suits. I heard from the HR interviewer that the guys that showed up in jeans were almost immediately turned down. During the entire application process (1500 applied/100 took the test/ 200ish took the skills test/ 60ish interviewed) The guys that wore business casual or less usually didn't make it through the process as they were viewed as not taking the process seriously. I was in dess pants/shirt and tie through it all and then wore a suit for the interview.

Dress for the job you want, not the one you have.

 

About the same for this. There were 2000 applicants 80 took the test. 30 past they are supposedly giving 20 interviews for 6 positions. This just what I've heard through the grape vine.

 

This^

As well, try to get up to speed on certain projects the company and/or division you are hoping to be hired for is working on. Formulate some opinions and ideas. But keep in mind they will likely know much more about the projects than you do so you don't want to say what you think they should be doing differently unless asked. And don't be afraid to ask questions or not know the answer to a specific question. I've heard some employers ask intentionally weird questions or things they KNOW the interviewee cannot know to see if they are full of crap and go along and nod their head or ask questions.


You should also bring a professional bifold notebook or something similar to write things down in and a respectable looking pen (not a freebee from the last hotel you stayed at I mean).

If you can, shake hands with everyone and get some business cards if appropriate. This will then allow you to SEND A FOLLOW UP EMAIL/ THANK YOU EMAIL to the interviewers. And be sure you do this-- major seller for employers to see and I can't tell you how many times I've seen this help people and make them stand out.

And if your truck is dirty like mine.. wash it beforehand or at least don't get dust/mud on your slacks.

And the day of your interview, treat everyone, especially when you're driving, like they are your future boss. This goes for a receptionist or secretary you might talk to. More people have been talking to receptionists to see what their first impressions are of people coming in and how you acted while you waited to for the interview, so be nice and don't sit their tweeting, emailing, or playing "Mega Unicorn Warrior 3" on your phone.

Also, don't call your mom or significant other about how you "nailed the interview" until you are back in the privacy of your own home. You never know who might hear you.

Sorry for all the info, but there is a lot to screw up in an interview! 70-80% of an interviewers perception and attitude towards you comes from the first minute of interaction, and most of that is not from what you say but how you present yourself!










*And wear deodorant.

 

Yea, i would definitely suggest you wear the suit and treat this like there isn't any special stuff there.

I was in the same boat, my father in law was management at this company and put in a good word for me but couldn't really pull any strings, so when I walked into the interview they were like "Oh! You're Tim's son in law!" and that started the interview off well, but after that it was all on me to try impressing them.

 

A lot of good information here. Thank you.

 

Hahah this, totally! I've had both sides of that before! had one guy ask me about some super technical stuff that I started thinking I could BS him about but then as it got more in depth i realized I was out of my league.

Also had an engineer asking me maintenance questions that he'd probably read about in a book but had no practical experience with it, so I 'wowed' the shit out him when I answered his question about noises a pump can make, above and beyond lol.

Also OP...i don't know much about the position you're applying for, but from my experience, don't be afraid to tell them you don't know something. it shows integrity. I was asked to measure some stuff with a micrometer at one of my interviews, and prior to that i'd never touched one before...I gave it the 'ole college try but couldn't understand the measurements on it very well and finally just stopped, set everything down and said " I have no idea what I'm doing, and don't want to give you the wrong answer. I would rather tell you i don't know what I'm doing than try to bullshit you about it" (Mind you, this is after an hour of interview and 3/5 interviewers were prior Navy like myself). But the whole group were very impressed and said it takes alot of integrity and courage to admit when you don't know something.

 

99% of the time they list interviews as 'Business Casual' just to see who shows up in jeans or casual stuff and not suits and that is usually how they weed out the bad eggs.

 

That's the dress code, yes. But always go a step above when interviewing.

"Dress for the job you want, not the job you have".

"If you're not sure how to dress for an interview, go a step above what you believe you should dress like once you have the job"

 

Good idea. Never trim facial hair, shave it. You can always grow it back.

I've been in my company 15 years now and even if I interview for a lateral move, I still pull out a suit. In my everyday life I wear jeans, Chuck Taylors, and Hawaiian shirts at the job.

 

Agreed. Though I don't deal with people outside the company in my job, my business casual is jeans/sneakers/Hawaiian or bowling type shirt and it is in compliance with the dress code. Friday I can wear a T shirt (within reason, American Eagle or a dart shirt is okay, my Dead Kennedys "Too drunk to fuck" shirt isn't).

That said, when I had a different role I wore a dress shirt or polo shirt, decent pants, and boots (dress or cowboy style) or shoes.

 

OP, I'd spend the $20 or so and get a professional looking folder which will have a pad of paper and such, plus usually a spot to hold a pen if not a matching pen with it. I never use mine but I keep it for interviewing, internally or externally

 

Wear a tailored Georgio Mutha Fuckin' Armani suit. Guaranteed you got the job, even if you don't know what the hell a warehouse is.

 

Be ready for a lot of behavioral type questions. Like "tell me a time you dealt with a difficult customer" and shit like that. I got a job for Duke Energy about a year ago and the interview was an hour of strictly those types of questions.

 

Wear the slacks and button up shirt with an under shirt, no tie. And no coat unless the weather calls for it.

 

The instructions say business casual so follow them. Part of interviews is also seeing if you follow instructions. At most wear a sport coat with no tie or a tie with no jacket. I would not go full suit if I were you. That is not business casual, that is business professional.

In the end it is up to you. Listen to everything that Micah said. Especially the driving thing. I've heard horror stories about somebody cutting off their interviewer on the way to the office. Especially if your truck is built up and easily recognizable haha.

Just chilllax and you'll kill it. The fact that you care enough to ask advice is a good sign.

 

I like the advice to dress for the job you'd like to advance to. This can make a great ice breaker and make a hit with the interviewer if you are the one to draw attention to it!

 

Thank you everyone for your advice I go for my interview at 9:45 tomorrow.

Wish me luck guys.

 

good luck!

 

So how did the codpiece work out?