What do you REALLY wear to an interview?
Givens:
It is an evaluative interview done by an alumni volunteer.
It is being done at the alumnus’ work office, which is an accounting firm in lower Manhattan.
Thanks.
if it were at Starbucks, you just wear whatever the heck you want=p
<p>What if you are doing an interview on campus? What is appropriate attire?</p>
<p>Just wear a suit. It's always better to be overdressed than underdressed.</p>
<p>haha no. just wear khackis and like a polo. you'll look like a loser if you wear a suit</p>
<p>I disagree. You'll look professional and I think you'd make a good impression.</p>
<p>But that's just me. Wear whatever you want.</p>
<p>When my daughter, having spent the night on campus, met me in the am at the admission office for one of her interviews, I was horrified that her curly hair looked pretty dred-like & she was dressed very casually... Imagine my surprise when the senior student who interviewed her looked like her identical twin!</p>
<p>At an office building, dress like you would dress if you had business at that office or if you were stopping by to meet someone who worked there for a nice-restaurant lunch. I don't think a suit is necessary but it shouldn't be too far down from that.</p>
<p>A suit is overdoing it. I would just wear a dress shirt and khakis. You want to look more like a model than like Alex Keaton.</p>
<p>Okay, my D is going to be flying in on the red-eye and going straight to campus for tour and interview. There is actually 2-4 hours between landing and interview since we didn't want to cut it too close. This is happening 2 weeks in a row. In each case she is interviewing with the admissions offfice. Any recommendations???</p>
<p>My reply is based on two things. One is that I AM an alumni interviewer and have interviewed numerous kids for the past two years. Second, I have had a child go through the college process recently and she had interviews both with adcoms on and off campus, as well as alum interviewers. She treated how she dressed the same for all these situations. </p>
<p>In my view, a student should look presentable as if he/she cared about the interview and dress appropriately. By appropriately, I still mean to look like they might normally dress but in this case, to fit the situation, but still look themselves. This translates to no jeans or sloppy clothing or sneakers. Rather, they need to dress "nice casual" or a step up for the more everyday school clothing. But I don't think they need to dress in their finest or dressiest outfit that looks unnatural (i.e., suit). For a girl, this would mean a skirt or dress pants and nice shirt like a button down blouse or sweater, nice shoes, not necessarily dressy. I would classify the outfit as "in between". I think my D usually wore something like black pants and a nicer shirt than her everyday ones, plus shoes, not sneakers or sandals. For a boy, it would mean khakis and a button down shirt or a nicer polo top, casual shoes that are not sneakers would do it. It shows the student cared about the situation and dressed with a bit of professionalism while still looking like a STUDENT. If a kid came in dressed in their nicest dress or a suit, it looks unnatural and trying too hard. Then again, I live in VT and not Manhatten but I think the same rules could apply. A turn off is jeans and a tee shirt. I have rarely seen a tie. Most boys I have seen that came off with the right look wore a button down shirt, sweater, or polo, plus pants that were not jeans or not cargo type either but more like slacks or khakis/chinos. The girls had on nice pants usually and approrpriate top, no writing. That is why I call it nice casual or a step up from typical school attire. </p>
<p>Susan</p>
<p>Wow. You really are picky, eh?</p>
<p>(btw I am the poster formerly known as Tabby but had to develop a new name for the "new" CC) My S had an interview last Saturday with a CC-top-25 school alumni interviewer at a coffee shop. S's boarding school does not have uniforms, is a VERY casual place, and the coffee shop is adjacent. I was not there to "advise" him as to dress, and he wore some black loose fitting very casual pants with a plaid short sleeved shirt from PacSun, I am sure NOT tucked in, and Vans. He identified the alumnus by his school-logo shirt, so he was apparently casual also. In short, the interview apparently went well b/c the interviewer emailed S that he was highly recommending him. What I am trying to say is that I believe that "acceptable" clothes for the interview situation can really vary according to the locale, place, etc.</p>
<p>Susan is 100% correct. I am an interviewer too, and I would never hold anyone's clothes against them, even if they were very alternative (though I was pretty shocked when one of my interviewees began applying lip gloss during our conversation!)... but not every interviewer is like me. Some are much older, for example, and have very different notions of "acceptable" dress. Particularly when it is an office setting, there is the angle of being somewhat seamless in that setting and not making the accountant look like he's hanging out with a roadie at work! Coffee shops or at someone's house on a Saturday may not demand as much attention to dress, but then again, nobody would ever think less of someone for being neat and pulled together. The interviewer is typically not being paid, and I think it shows respect for their time & effort to go to some effort. As for being an individual, hopefully most people's individuality would include a little leeway for dressing slightly differently at funerals, the academy awards, or a college interview.</p>
<p>i'd wear a suit. then again, i think i look pretty normal in a suit and I've worn them fairly often throughout the last three years. at the very least, wear khakis and a button-down shirt and dess shoes.</p>
<p>I went to an interview for one of my colleges and dressed with a nice shirt and tie (what this one website said) and (because of it- I think it helped a lot at least) I got a 40,000 scholarship (top scholarship)</p>
<p>for guys, clean, pressed khakis with a clean, pressed button-down (preferred) or nice polo shirt (okay) are probably the best bets, with presentable leather or nubuck shoes. If I was going to a Manhattan office for the interview I would consider a navy sportcoat or suitcoat over the top of this outfit, though.</p>
<p>My daughter did 4 interviews during the college process (Ivy, R-1, womens college)we live in NYC and did pretty much what Soozie receommended, she was clean, neat (personal hygiene is key no matter what you wear so hash your hair and clean your nails. If you own an iron and ironing board, don't be afraid to use them)</p>
<p>Interviews were held at offices, Starbucks and hotels, but dress was still the same: a neat pair of slacks/ skirt, a nice sweater/ twin set, shoes, tights with no lint balls or runs, and she wore the "good coar" (parents you knwo that our parents made sure we had a good coat for church/weddings/funerals).</p>
<p>All the best.</p>
<p>Thanks all 8)</p>
<p>I've been thinking about it and your responses.
Since his office and occupation are pretty conservative (public accounting), he will most likely himself be wearing business attire. And, since I'm meeting him at his office (not at say, Starbucks) I should probably wear something that -almost- matches the typical dress level in such an environment.
Howabout... a dark 2-piece suit without any tie or accessories, white dress shirt (or would a colorful button-down be better?) with top button open, and fairly casual shoes (some dark brown loafers) ?</p>
<p>I think you are crazy if you think interviewer is going to base so much of his opinion on the way you dress.... you just have to be dressed decently that all.... what really counts is your brain , not your clothes....</p>
<p>I'd wear a suit, but I'm comfortable wearing them, so....</p>
<p>I don't think you should obssess to the detail of what you are wearing. I don't think you should or need to dress to match the work environment of your interviewer either as you are not going to a job interview to work there. You should dress and look like yourself and like a student, but with reverence for the occasion meaning proper and not sloppy and not in your MOST casual outfit. Neat and a step up from your everyday clothing is the way to go, not your dressiest outfit you own. </p>
<p>Plus the details won't matter, trust me. I don't recall what many kids I interviewed wore. The ones I recall the most are the couple who dressed inappropriately in a tee shirt and shorts or sloppy jeans. Even then it did not affect my report but still subconsciously, you want to make an impression that you took it seriously. </p>
<p>The most recent interview my D had was with an admissions officer who was visiting our state. The interview took place in the lobby of a hotel. The interviewer herself had on black pants and colored button down blouse. My D had on nice pinstripe pants and a neat off shoulder solid color top and black shoes, not overly dressy but not her most normal daily attire. In other words, I have not seen many girls in a dress at interviews but maybe a skirt or dressy pants. </p>
<p>Susan</p>