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Thread: Does anybody dress up for interviews anymore?

  1. #16
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    Depends on whether you're confident enough to believe you have the job. If your hot stuff then you do what ever. If your don't think it's yours to lose, then you don't leave anything for chance. Dressing up always shows you care and you're serious about winning the job.
    Last edited by Brian Ashton; 02-20-2015 at 1:14 AM.
    Sent from the bathtub on my Samsung Galaxy(C)S5 with waterproof Lifeproof Case(C), and spell check turned off!

  2. #17
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    Since the interviewer has the power to hire a candidate or not I believe that what they think is the most important part of the equation. At my age if I was interviewing someone for a position in my company I would give serious weight to how a candidate is dressed and the quality of their communication skills before I started evaluating technical merit or competence for a particular job. If you present yourself in attire fit for the beach we would have a very short interview. If your command of the language is poor I wouldn't want you to even answer the phone much less represent my company in a meeting or preparing any kind of correspondence.

    If your a college graduate basic skills should have been mastered long before you get to the job interview process IMO. Its not unreasonable to expect you to be prepared for the workforce and its unlikely that those who have little interest in their appearance will show any concern for my company or fellow employees. If you have completed your education and you have not learned to dress yourself you might consider enlisting in the military, they teach you how to dress properly and other basic skills in boot camp. If your old enough to sign a legal contract and don't have a signature I don't think I have any advice that would benefit you in any way, the system has failed you and you are at a serious disadvantage in the workforce.
    .

  3. #18
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    I do/did.

    I've been in my current job since 1985, and interviewed last month for a new position. The people I interviewed with I've worked with on and off for close to thirty years. One was a former supervisor, the other my current supervisor. ( They busted my chops about being dressed up, and said they were going to take pictures to prove I did it. )
    Dressing for an interview shows respect for the people doing the interview, and the position being applied for.
    Last edited by Mike Cutler; 02-20-2015 at 6:07 PM.
    "The first thing you need to know, will likely be the last thing you learn." (Unknown)

  4. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by glenn bradley View Post
    Depends if the maintenance technician is maintaining water heaters or computer storage arrays. Jeans and a t-shirt state that the interview was given no thought and the candidate just sort of dropped by. A shirt and tie are not appropriate for every position but, something other than sneakers is not out of the question . JMHO.
    I agree. I wouldnt expect a guy who is applying for an assembly line job to wear a suit. But hes probably interviewing with someone who works in the office. Id wear a shirt and tie to show some positive attitude. One small indication that I want the job and that Im someone who is willing to go an extra mile. If he is a college grad and shows up for an engineering interview in jeans, he risks a first impression that he doesnt "get it".

    A buddy of mine once had to take a new college grad into the bathroom and clean him up before the interview. He told the candidate "I only mean to help you. But if you interview with Mike right now, you'll get off to a rough start." My friend literally had to smooth the candidate's rumpled suit (didnt know he should have had it pressed or he just didnt care?), tuck in the collar, straighten the tie and have him COMB HIS HAIR. My friend casually asked him about his background. The candidate's dad and mom were college graduates in office jobs - my point being that he likely had some exposure to how to wear dress clothes growing up. He gave my friend the impression that he just didnt care enough to "play the game".

  5. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Cutler View Post
    Dressing for an interview shows respect for the people doing the interview, and the position being applied for.
    I strongly agree. You said it a lot better and more concisely than I did Mike.
    "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

    “If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”

  6. #21
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    My all-time favorite interview story, of which I have many, is the girl who walked in with cheerleader Pompoms and spelled her name out with a cheer. "Hi, my name is S-A-L-L-Y ... SALLY!!! This was for a management position. To her credit, we remembered her name.

    Lately I am mostly interviewing candidates for sales positions. I am amazed at what people show up in. These are $50k plus positions and the job is outside sales to large corporations. Even the ladies showed up in such things as jogging suits. Men wore short sleeves, two top buttons undone, and overall sloppy.

    My favorite answer to the question, "Why did you leave your job?"- "Well, my boss doesn't like me. We have these stupid quotas and I never make them. He gave me a bad review... He's a real Jerk!" Next question: (At this point he has failed the interview but I am just interested in hearing more.) "So, what is your favorite job and why?" Him: "I like the winding machine." Me: "That's interesting, why that machine?" (I was actually thinking he was going to say he liked technical work or something.) Him: "Well, it's in the corner where the boss can't see me, so I can kind of work at my own pace. That's when he told me I wasn't doing a good job. He's such a jerk." Me: "So you really don't like this guy, do you?" Him: "I hate him. I have hated all my bosses. I guess I just don't like being told what to do." Me: "Okay, well thank you for taking the time to interview. Let me show you the way out."

  7. #22
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    "I hate him. I have hated all my bosses. I guess I just don't like being told what to do."
    Sort of a side drift to this thread,,,,but,,,,what's always amazed me over the years is how so many contractors and small business owners have the "I hate taking orders from someone", attitude like that.
    They just can't figure out why things all fall apart on them so often whenever they and their customers disagree on something.
    I've known dozens, if not hundreds, of people like that who are excellent craftsmen, but, they just can't seem to grasp that working for yourself means that everyone is your boss.
    My granddad always said, :As one door closes, another opens".
    Wonderful man, terrible cabinet maker...

  8. #23
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    Sep 2012
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    It's a two way street.

    For some reason I was "enticed" by a CL listing for some,what I thought was a contract job.So I have the usual dress code on....heck,might even had a label on?So anyway,get to the place and theres two entrances.......I know the dumbell "contractor" that built this rather,large complex and he's pretty much a dolt,which explains the two doors.So,I apparently I went in the wrong entrance.....which I swear,they both looked the same.

    The 30 sumthin woman,who I think was a secretary....which was strike one against them.What ever happened to,"Hi,welcome to XYZ co.,my name is miss piggy(or whatever),do you have an appointment"?Nope,get admonished for using the wrong door with an extremely snotty "tude"."What do you want"?....was the next line.My reply was...."well I'd like to know if I'm even in the right place of business".It really goes downhill from there.

    The point is;you folks looking for hires have some responsibility in this.Come in,let us check out your dress code,and shoving an application in someones face may be a turnoff?HR depts that have more education than any sort of sensibility twds the job at hand(one they've never even done).....may be costing you some potentially VG hires.Just sayin.

    Oh yeah,the place above had been in business for 6 years.......doh.

  9. #24
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    May 2012
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    Glenmoore Pa.
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    I would have come to the maintenance job interview with my filthy overalls and a wrench in my hand.

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