I agree to an extent- you dress better for the interview, but only a step up. So, no three peice suits for this. I’d say Dockers, casual/dress shirt, and a sport coat/Blazer- which you take off ASAP. I dunno about a tie.
As to that last: dudes- get a nice grey Harris tweed sportcoat. EBay has them for $50. It’s Ok if it looks a little used. Then also a nice navy blazer. You can get one of them at a thrift store- make sure it’s good quality wool, and if it has a designed label, so much the better.
Oh yeah- wear the sportcoat on the airplane. The nicer you dress, the better your chance of being bumped up to 1st Class. Besides, they are warm enough to protect you from the frigid AC on planes.
Thanks for the hilarious response featherlou, and tiltypig for the in-depth analysis. Both are very helpful for the potential meal service.
Well, I think I’m fairly prepared at this point. While this isn’t the first interview I’d have, it’s the first one that is for a position that I really want, in addition to being a position that’s difficult to obtain.
Are there any final suggesitons/thought of wisdom? As an example, while I don’t think I’ll have any problem having a response in mind when prompted by the interviewer’s “so do you have any questions for me?” question, it’s always good to have a few general ones in reserve. I already blew the “so how’s the work environment” question, are there any others?
Ooh, and I actually had one more question. Preparing for best case scenario in which I get hired, how should I respond to “how soon can you start?”
I’m currently employed by another company, and thus I would think a two week minimum would be best, but realistically, how long do you more experienced dopers think it may take for me to move two states away? I realize there’s a lot of subjectivity to that answer, but any feedback provided would of great help.
Re: the meal: I’d go with a salad, little or no dressing (so no spills). This is an opportunity to get to know people and to continue to impress them; you can get a Burger King burger back at the airport. I never really “eat” at an interview lunch (when I’m the interviewee).
“How soon can you start”? The answer to this IMO has to walk the line between enthusiasm and reality. I would say something like, “Ideally I would like to start in [two weeks, a month, whatever], but I am very committed to this position, so if you needed me to start sooner than that, I’m sure I could make that work.” The other end of this is: “But, I do owe my current employer two weeks’ notice; I would not feel responsible leaving them in the lurch by not giving notice, unless it is absolutely necessary that I do so for this job.”
As to how soon you can get out there – nobody can say but you. Will you be working full time all the time? If so, it will take you much longer to find a place in New City and pack to move from Old City. Are you able to take some time off? You can get it done much more quickly.
I would probably request a month. I would work the last two weeks for my old employer (packing away in the evenings), and try to find a place to live in one or two weekend trips to New City. I would then have two clear weeks to get a place found (if not done before), get physically moved, and learn a bit of the lay of the land before plunging into your new job. You may need more time if you are selling in Old City and buying in New, but for renting, it should be do-able in a month. When I was your age, I couldn’t have taken a month, though; I needed to switch from one job to another with little or no break in order to pay the bills.
Wear a suit. I have to say in doing interviews that wearing a suit to a job that normally would be a casual dress affair says “I care a lot about this job” and “I know how to function in the real world”. Both of those are good things. I just recently got a new job and I wore a (ladies-type) suit to the interview. The interviewer was very up front that the job allowed freedom of dress, and I explained that was great with me. Based on tone and body language I certainly don’t think he took me to be a tool.
If you’re not comfortable in a suit - because being comfortable is really most important - wear at least a step up from what you would be expected to wear each day. I would never wear a t-shirt or jeans to an interview, even if it was to clean up vomit at the carnival. Wear something nice. Who knows if they have clients who like to stop by, or other reasons you may need to dress up. It just shows business sense.
Goodness knows I’ve had interviews where people wore stuff that wouldn’t have been appropriate to even wear at the office. I won’t say I automatically denied them, but I definitely brought up the dress code to see their reaction. I didn’t want to get someone who had the attitude “this is me and it’s not going to change”. After all I have to be the one to enforce the dress code, too.
My answer would be, “I feel that I should give my current employer two weeks notice, and I’ll need some time to get moved. Would four weeks be acceptable?”
It’s important to show that you feel ethically bound to give two weeks of notice, because the way you treat your current employer is how you’ll probably treat them when you leave.
Exactly. White is so blah. If you go to a men’s dept in a store like Famous Barr (well Macy’s now) they have a ton of colored shirts. A nice blue, light green, and even light pink or purple (if you’re the kind of guy that can pull it off) looks nicer and more up to date. And the cute striped ties look better and the shirt sets them off nicely when matched right.
But I say an undershirt should always be worn, dress shirts aren’t always that thick. Don’t want to see any man nipple or anything. But whatev. I also want to punch any man I see in a short-sleeved dress shirt too.
I’m the same way, and I order accordingly. Just look at the menu and order something sauce free. Salads with dressing on the side are good for this, depending where you are eating. And I avoid bread. (Crumbs.)
Which, I suppose, is giving in to security under pressure.
My only comments are that:
[ul]
[li]It’s a damn sight easier to shift down by throwing your jacket over the back of the chair and possibly taking your tie off than it is to shift up by transforming your slacks/t-shirt combo into a suit[/li][li]I can’t remember the last time I encountered a man in a three-piece suit. Not even dealing with law firms, private banks, etc. The only people who seem to wear waiscoats in london are women and waiters, and they wear them without jackets. Two-piece all the way.[/li][/ul]
heh. I was gonna say, but everyone got there already. Dress up. Like they said, the worst you’ll get is a little ribbing after you get the job.
Hell, I wore a black dress suit and pumps to my interview at my current place. After I got the job, I’ve been known to come to work in flipflops, this shirt, and/or hip length hair with electric blue streaks.
The rules might vary slightly if you’re an internal candidate, though. Still dress up a tad, but not full-on Interview Death Gauntlet gear. As ever, it’s highly dependent on the company in question.
Dress: Suit or “business casual” (slacks, button-down shirt; tie optional). As others have advised, it’s better to overdress than to underdress for the interview. As it happens, I’m interviewing someone today, so I’m considering not wearing a Hawaiian shirt (my almost-mandatory Friday dress). I’ve frequently been in the position of interviewing someone in a suit whilst I’m wearing jeans, and I don’t think they’re tools – they’re just trying to make a good impression.
Meal: Since they’re paying, get the lobster (just joking). Avoid any food that you have to pick up with your hands, and avoid anything with sauces. Avoid anything that needs lots of chewing (such as any form of steak), since you’ll want to talk during the meal. The perfect meal IMO would be a chicken breast with some veggies on the side, since you can (cut and) pick up discrete chunks with your fork.
At the actual meal, I’d minimize the actual eating part in order to be able to talk with them. You’ll be running on adrenaline anyway.
Hiring etiquette: “Thank you, I’m looking forward to working with you. Of course, I have to give notice at my current job, so I’m thinking that (x days; x=5…10) would be best. Does that fit with your needs?”
A thank you letter is an excellent idea. It usually consists of thanking them for the opportunity to interview with them, telling them that you would like to work with them (funny how easy it is to miss actually telling your possible future employers this), and maybe a small reminder of something that went very well during the interview. Just basic good manners, actually.
Example:
“I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you again for the lunch and the interview for the tech writer position. After meeting the staff and talking with you, I would very much like to work with your company.”
Definitely send a thank-you note, addressed to whoever interviewed you (or the main person if there were multiple people). Not only does it make a good impression, it keeps your name on their minds.
Well, I’ve got good news. Although I didn’t save any money on my car insurance, I did get the job!
Now I just have to fill out some boring paperwork and stuff…yay. Also, they would like to contact a few references, a mix of professional and personal references (seems like an odd time, but whatever).
So my question is, would it be okay to use my current employer as a reference? I submitted my two week notice yesterday, but I’m on very good ground with them (perfect track record, plus I’m a temp, so it was never really expected that I stay there forever). Also, and this may be a vague question, but would it be better to use my immediate supervisor (with whom I’ve worked under for about three months), or the person who works for the temp agency who hired me a year ago, and whom I submitted my resignation too (I also meet with her monthly to discuss performance, etc)?
As for personal references, I assume friends/family members would fit this criteria? I’m considering using a friend who assisted with a website that I developed, I assume that would be okay?
Any feedback would be appreciate, thanks for all the help!
I cannot stress strongly enough, yes you must. If for no other reason than to avoid them going “huh? who? What? Oh yeah, him. Err, he was kinda OK, I think” when getting a totally unexpected question on answering the phone. Also, some companies have very strict policies on references, so they may not be able to give a response other than “a person of that name was working for us at some time and has since left”.
References from actual employers/supervisors normally carry much more weight than form letters from an agency who speak to you 5 times a year, but bear in mind the caveat about policies.
Personal references, here in the UK, normally would be someone other than a family member, and who has known you for at least five years. I guess it’s to show that you have sufficient social skills to either:
[ul]
[li]Get on with someone for five years or more[/li][li]Persuade someone to lie for you[/li][/ul]
So how was your interviewer dressed? What did you wear and eat? Any comments on your overall stylishness or lack thereof?
Similar situation: I have in interview tomorrow and was told specifically (I did not ask, I was prepared to wear suit & tie) “Business casual attire is fine for
the interview”. . I’m thinking dress pants, shoes & shirt - maybe a sweater.
But no tie / jacket.
