Ok, I am taking this interview very seriously. They have made an agenda for me. I have 4 different interviews 30 minutes a piece. These people include managers, senior staff. All engineers most likely.

I have to wear a suit. So I bought one. It helps that I needed one anyway. I am very concerned about my appearance in said suit. I have been told I need a power tie. I have a red tie and a white button down shirt for it.

The problem comes where I believe I look better in a flashier undershirt, green or blue.

Does anyone have a good rule of thumb here for this situation?

Also, any recommendations for a hardcore interview now that I have had job experience? This will be different than coming right out of school...

6/3/2008 5:38:03 PM

I don't think I've ever noticed anyone who actually had the money to buy a suit wear anything other than a white undershirt.

Unless you're talking about replacing the white button down for the green or blue

But white is the classic power shirt with red tie. I sold cars for a while and they told us to always wear a white shirt (they weren't too picky with that though)


[Edited on June 3, 2008 at 5:44 PM. Reason : ;]

6/3/2008 5:43:32 PM

I would do the flashy shirt. If for no other reason, to just make myself a little more confident.

6/3/2008 5:43:36 PM

you're not the one with the power, so don't go with a red tie. makes you look like a jackass. go with a simple blue, or a yellow.

wear a white shirt. tradition is always better than showing you're "stylish," especially to senior staff

go french cuffs if you can. it's a touch that doesn't go unnoticed.

make sure your shoes are polished, and for the love of God, wear black socks. you'd be surprised at how many people try to wear white athletic socks with business attire.


if you wear suspenders, don't wear a belt. if you wear a belt, don't wear suspenders.


shave that morning. make sure your hair is dry. don't use gel. it's tacky.


if you have a formal watch, wear it. if you have a class ring... wear it unless you're married.


also, a pocket card or handkerchief is a nice touch. go with white, or with whatever matches your tie.

6/3/2008 5:43:46 PM

just do the safe, boring navy suit with white shirt and solid tie

better to have them focus on what you are saying than what you are wearing. If you aren't really knowledgeable on this wardrobe stuff just take the safe route.

6/3/2008 5:43:50 PM

what color is your suit? Shoes?

6/3/2008 5:44:08 PM

Jesus, you're concerned about "power ties" and flashy shirts for an interview.

Where the hell are you going to work, GQ's engineering division?

Wear a white shirt and pick a tie color that suits you. I mean, go to the store wearing said suit and undershirt and hold up ties until you find one that makes you say "oh that's perfect!". Something simple that doesn't hurt your eyes to look at (solid colors, subtle patterns) would be perfect. Don't pick a tie that matches your suit color unless you wanna look like a Gman.

6/3/2008 5:48:20 PM

you can't go wrong with a white shirt, regardless of the color of the suit. I think a blue shirt looks good with a black suit, as long as you select the right tie to go with it. But stick with white.

As for the tie, if you are the type of person that can project confidence, a red tie can help you a lot. however, if you're more passive, tend to cross your arms or put your hands in your pockets, stay away from the red and wear something blue (with the white shirt)

all other advice given in this thread is solid.

6/3/2008 5:48:57 PM

Quote :

"don't use gel. it's tacky"

Do what now?

I pretty much have to wear gel in my hair for it to stay down. If I don't, then I would have to go with a buzz cut to have it look anywhere near decent.
Now I agree that your hair shouldn't look completely solid. If your hair looks like it'll break if it moves, thats a bit much

6/3/2008 5:49:19 PM

Ignore the closet

This is the suit I put on to decide what I was going to wear to a wedding since I just bought the damn thing. Black shoes, black socks, class ring, no watch.(pinches armhair >.<)





But yes, if you need pit with white and red tie, I can make this happen. But I think its easy to imagine.

6/3/2008 5:50:28 PM

Both of them look good, i would go with the green or a white shirt and tie

6/3/2008 5:55:23 PM

Quote :

"you're not the one with the power, so don't go with a red tie. makes you look like a jackass. go with a simple blue, or a yellow. wear a white shirt. tradition is always better than showing you're "stylish," especially to senior staff "

6/3/2008 5:56:04 PM

Try a white shirt with a navy blue or royal blue tie with subtle patterns on it.

That crazy shit you have going on with that second tie/shirt combo is a bit too much for the suit you're wearing.

You've got a conservative suit, go with a fairly conservative tie.

The crazy ties usually go better when you aren't wearing a suit or you're going for a dress casual look. You know, khakis with a button up shirt and a tie.

Don't be afraid to go wander around in the Belk men's store at crabtree valley mall and look at what they paired similar suits with. Be wary of the employees and customers there though. I was very concerned that I was about to get raped in the an00s when I hunted for a cheap suit there.

6/3/2008 5:56:54 PM

Quote :

"an00s"

lulz

6/3/2008 5:59:05 PM

also learn how to tie a windsor knot (aka double windsor, full windsor). your neck isn't super skinny so the half windsor isn't appropriate

6/3/2008 6:11:48 PM

i don't think you need to wear a suit to an engineering job interview.

thats also not a very hardcore schedule. that is pretty standard.

6/3/2008 6:12:14 PM

Quote :

"i don't think you need to wear a suit to an engineering job interview. thats also not a very hardcore schedule. that is pretty standard."

i agree, I've done enginering interviews with and without suits. never been offered the job where i wore the suit.

[Edited on June 3, 2008 at 6:34 PM. Reason : .]

6/3/2008 6:34:30 PM

^^^ yep

Quote :

"Try a white shirt with a navy blue or royal blue tie with subtle patterns on it. That crazy shit you have going on with that second tie/shirt combo is a bit too much for the suit you're wearing. You've got a conservative suit, go with a fairly conservative tie. "

yep, and double emphasis on the second tie/shirt combo.

personally, i'd wear a white shirt



also, keeping your hands out of your pockets makes you look much more professional, in my opinion. maybe that's just my USMC bias coming through, though.

oh, and unbutton the bottom button on your jacket.

[Edited on June 3, 2008 at 6:42 PM. Reason : ^^^]

6/3/2008 6:42:05 PM

id recommend wearing shoes as well aaron. shoes mean winner.

6/3/2008 7:00:36 PM

don't forget to wear shoes, and take the price tag off your jacket

but seriously, i agree with duke on keeping your hands out of your pockets - and i've never been anywhere near a marine base.

6/3/2008 7:00:46 PM

Well. I know I have to wear a suit for this job. And yes, I agree completely with the tie knot. I am to big for a little pussy knot. I am debating on sandals vs crocs as footwear.

We shall see. Thanks for the help.

Will go with teh white shirt red tie.

6/3/2008 7:33:03 PM

Both shirts you have on are too loud. light shirt, darker tie.

Axl hit all the other big points. 4 30 minute interviews is pretty relaxed. I had 7 45 minute interviews and that was for a design position

6/3/2008 8:12:41 PM

Quote :

"Both of them look good, i would go with the green or a white shirt and tie"

if by look good you mean look like vomit then yes i agree.


Seriously follow the advice here and wear a white shirt - you're not going clubbing, you're supposed to look professional.

6/3/2008 8:54:46 PM

yep

white shirt.

6/3/2008 9:20:14 PM

^^^
Yep, 5-7 interviews is typical, especially in engineering and physical sciences.

I'd be more worried about anticipating potential questions, technical and otherwise, than the specific color of your tie.

6/3/2008 9:35:34 PM

^ True that. I had an interview 1 time with 10 people in a conference room where they put me at the head of the table and drilled me for 3 hours. We then all went to lunch and came back and continued. I got the offer but declined it...only offered me 52K..

6/3/2008 9:41:43 PM

Quote :

"Seriously follow the advice here and wear a white shirt - you're not going clubbing, you're supposed to look professional."

white shirt, cornflower blue tie

6/3/2008 9:44:36 PM

Quote :

"I am debating on sandals vs crocs as footwear."

please tell me this is a joke

6/3/2008 11:30:08 PM

Quote :

"shoes mean winnershoes mean winner"

6/3/2008 11:32:20 PM

My best advice is to dress the way your boss would like to see you dress, i.e., if your boss is an older guy, go more conservative. If he's a younger guy, I'd fully recommend trying to look a little more stylish.

I don't see anything wrong with the GQ engineer. From what I've gathered, there are plenty of engineers that are competent in their field. There are fewer engineers that are "marketable", that are able to represent the engineering group in a positive light; active, lively, charismatic, a people person, good for PR.

No one wants a person who is all flash and no substance, or all substance and no flash. If I was a manager, I would want my guy to be able to do both. A decently dressed guy would at least net some brownie points.

6/3/2008 11:58:21 PM

i gotta jump in here

Quote :

"They have made an agenda for me. I have 4 different interviews 30 minutes a piece"

thats pretty standard, I had 5, 1 hour interviews. Just ask alot of questions, that always goes over well. most people like talking about their job, just get them started on that.

Quote :

"you're not the one with the power, so don't go with a red tie. makes you look like a jackass."

I don't agree with this. Wear whatever color makes you the most confident. I wore a red tie to my interview with the job I have now, I left their building with a job offer in hand.

Quote :

"wear a white shirt. tradition is always better than showing you're "stylish," especially to senior staff"

go with a white shirt...make sure it's ironed/pressed! If you are flying to their location or driving, make sure to iron your shirt the night before at the hotel...it will get wrinkled in a suit case, even wrinkle-free shirts need to be ironed.

Quote :

"i don't think you need to wear a suit to an engineering job interview."

that's some very bad advice. DO wear a suit. even if its a laid back company, you are interviewing for a full time job. Even if you are interviewing with that Harris company that wears Hawaiian shirts to the career fair, I would still wear a suit.

Quote :

"also learn how to tie a windsor knot (aka double windsor, full windsor)"

i agree, don't half-ass tieing your tie, it will be noticed. granted not everyone will care, but those that are high up will notice

Quote :

"keeping your hands out of your pockets makes you look much more professional"

i agree, only fine it you are just shooting the shit standing with everyone (not both hands)

6/4/2008 12:21:23 AM

6/4/2008 12:48:10 AM

The knot of your tie needs to be large enough to fill the collar.

Wear a white shirt or a French blue (that classic light blue that is the other shirt color you can wear with virtually any suit). Select a conservative tie, something with a subtle or classic pattern. If you choose to wear a pattern make sure one of the colors in the pattern matches your shirt, i.e. Redy tie with navy and white stripes when wearing a white shirt or orange with light blue polka dots coupled with a french blue shirt.. This is not a hard and fast rule, but it will keep you from wearing awful, clashing shirt/tie combinations. If in doubt just buy something like these and couple them with a white shirt:









No offense, but if you need to wear a suit regularly you should go ahead and throw away the ties you were wearing in those pictures, they look awful.

Unbutton the bottom button of the jacket. Make sure your shoes are clean, make sure your socks match your slacks, and make sure your belt is in good shape. If you don't know how to dress stylishly don't try to, just stick with what has worked for men for generations.

[Edited on June 4, 2008 at 1:56 AM. Reason : aagsd]

6/4/2008 1:54:04 AM

Under no circumstances should you wear a shirt other than white with that suit to an interview--wear a white shirt! Shine your shoes and wear a tie similar to this one from above:



Get a good night's rest, eat light in the morning, and be there early. Prepare your mind, be confident but not cocky, be pleasant and smile but stay away from cracking a lot of jokes, and be on top of things, be sharp--be in the zone.

Good luck.

6/4/2008 3:01:01 AM

Whenever I have a really important meeting or interview I cover myself with burning cannon fuses, like Blackbeard. So far, it has worked very well.

6/4/2008 3:02:24 AM

Quote :

"No offense, but if you need to wear a suit regularly you should go ahead and throw away the ties you were wearing in those pictures, they look awful. "

Don't worry, the tie is the easy part of the suit to fix.

6/4/2008 3:27:43 AM

It's called a white-collar job for a reason: the white collar is traditional--and often expected. You can wear the crazy colors of your choice after you get hired.

6/4/2008 4:20:46 PM

guy i graduated with would always wear his black suit, blood red shirt, and black tie to interviews and such. most people said they liked it i thought it was crazy

6/4/2008 5:13:28 PM

shrug i always wore pastel yellow shirt to my interviews, blue suit, blue/gold tie. worked fine for me.

[Edited on June 4, 2008 at 5:17 PM. Reason : actually a "brown" (read black) suit with very fine blue lines it it. looks nice though]

6/4/2008 5:17:02 PM

although looking presentable is important, the main thing you should be worried is what you have to offer the company and how to market yourself.

6/4/2008 5:42:09 PM

Quote :

"...French blue (that classic light blue that is the other shirt color you can wear with virtually any suit)..."

I think you're thinking of Oxford Blue. French Blue is kind of fruity.

6/4/2008 6:00:27 PM

The best method is to wake up hungover and not answer the phone. You'll have the job.

For the love of god, go to a tailor and get that suit fixed.

6/4/2008 6:19:06 PM

Quote :

"For the love of god, go to a tailor and get that suit fixed."

6/4/2008 7:11:57 PM

Most places are pretty liberal with what they interpret as French blue or Oxford blue. I usually think of Oxford blue being a little darker.

6/5/2008 12:09:19 AM

i have an interview where they specifically said "feel free to wear business casual attire"

should I still rock the full suit,

or maybe suite but no tie

or tie, but no suit (just nice pants/shirt)

6/5/2008 12:58:51 AM

Tie with khakis and white button down shirt.

6/5/2008 1:06:52 AM

might just go with some lightweight wool pants and a button up woven shirt, no tie, roll the sleeves. It'll be 90 damn degrees outside, dude's gotta breathe.

6/5/2008 1:09:40 AM

Quote :

"I'd be more worried about anticipating potential questions, technical and otherwise, than the specific color of your tie. "

6/5/2008 1:49:16 AM

^^if its business casual, wearing a tie will make you look like a tard.

I don't even wear a tie with my suit anymore, but then I'm a design kid so I can get away with shit like that

6/5/2008 2:07:02 AM

Oh yeah, with the thing about getting the suit tailored, if you're running low on time, just stop by wang's tailor and ask if they could fix the pant legs and if they had any other suggestions to make the suit fit. Myself, I had pants that were wayyy too long and a suit coat that fit pretty much perfectly. It was $7 to get them to fix the pant legs so they fit perfectly, and it looked like I had a custom suit after that. If you go there in the morning they could PROBABLY have the suit ready by the afternoon, so I recommend you get up early tomorrow and go ask them. Maybe just wait in the store for them to do it! It shouldn't take but 15 minutes.

6/5/2008 3:17:48 AM