Popular Post A'Villan Posted November 9, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted November 9, 2019 (edited) Some more news. I doubt it will but could twist my arm. University of Melbourne, which is ranked #1for universities in Australia and I'm guessing pretty high worldwide. Have offered me a coaching apprenticeship as assistant coach to their Men's basketball team. I've had so many days and nights where the feeling and feedback was that basketball might never be more than a pastime that I love. It will never be enough to live off while I work in Australia, unless I do end up making it to the NBL, but that's not really a concern. I hope VT don't mind me sharing this again, but in 2016 I was diagnosed with Schizophrenia and the prognosis was permanent. Things looked pretty bleak. 3 years on and I am realising my basketball dreams. What's more important, but the two are so related, is that I have my health and independence back. Tomorrow I will apply for social housing so I can get a one bedroom apartment of my own and move out of my Mother's. Good times. Edited November 9, 2019 by A'Villan 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilko154 Posted November 11, 2019 Share Posted November 11, 2019 Looks like I have an interview this week, the job is office based for another company. Would you say I need a suit for it? The only suits I have are more wedding/informal sorts. I normally go to interviews in trousers, with a shirt and tie. Would this be considered too informal? Basically is a jacket a requirement? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choffer Posted November 11, 2019 VT Supporter Share Posted November 11, 2019 1 minute ago, wilko154 said: Looks like I have an interview this week, the job is office based for another company. Would you say I need a suit for it? The only suits I have are more wedding/informal sorts. I normally go to interviews in trousers, with a shirt and tie. Would this be considered too informal? Basically is a jacket a requirement? I've not worn a suit for about 10 years. Many in my office still do but it's not mandated. Any interview I've had in the last few years, I just turn up in my usual work attire (shirt, jumper, jean-cut trousers) and open with a line apologising for not being more formal but I've other meetings with my current employer today and if I turned up there in a suit, they'd definitely notice. Never been an issue yet (although I've not actually landed any of those roles yet!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferguson1 Posted November 11, 2019 Share Posted November 11, 2019 1 hour ago, wilko154 said: Looks like I have an interview this week, the job is office based for another company. Would you say I need a suit for it? The only suits I have are more wedding/informal sorts. I normally go to interviews in trousers, with a shirt and tie. Would this be considered too informal? Basically is a jacket a requirement? I’ve worked in office based roles for twenty plus years and wouldn’t mark somebody down for not wearing a full suit. Shirt and tie is nice to see though, especially at interviews. All the very best mate 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted November 11, 2019 Share Posted November 11, 2019 Tuxedo or GTFO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted November 11, 2019 Share Posted November 11, 2019 1 hour ago, Xela said: Tuxedo or GTFO 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tayls Posted November 11, 2019 Author Share Posted November 11, 2019 (edited) 11 hours ago, wilko154 said: Looks like I have an interview this week, the job is office based for another company. Would you say I need a suit for it? The only suits I have are more wedding/informal sorts. I normally go to interviews in trousers, with a shirt and tie. Would this be considered too informal? Basically is a jacket a requirement? Absolutely - wear a suit. I know it sucks and suits just turn people into assholes generally, but unfortunately until there is a dramatic shift in society, then a suit is necessary. Some professions you can probably get away with it, but if you are going for an office job, then, yes, definitely wear one. Having been on interview panels before ‘smart’ appearance is literally the first thing we were checking for - which meant a suit. Edited November 11, 2019 by Tayls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 8 hours ago, Tayls said: Having been on interview panels before ‘smart’ appearance is literally the first thing we were checking for - which meant a suit. What was the assumption behind smart appearance being 'literally the first thing you were checking for'? Do you mean first as in, 'you see people before they speak', or do you mean first as in, 'most important'? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chindie Posted November 12, 2019 VT Supporter Share Posted November 12, 2019 20 hours ago, wilko154 said: Looks like I have an interview this week, the job is office based for another company. Would you say I need a suit for it? The only suits I have are more wedding/informal sorts. I normally go to interviews in trousers, with a shirt and tie. Would this be considered too informal? Basically is a jacket a requirement? Wear a suit. You won't make a bad impression for being well presented, you might make a weaker impression for turning up in just a shirt and trousers. The interviewer might see it as overly informal, or lacking effort. Even if they aren't actively expecting you to turn up in a suit, they aren't going to knock you for wearing one and it might give you an edge if things are tight between candidates. At one of my recent interviews I turned up in a suit, which was basically my daily wear since I stopped working in a shop. They made a point of saying they don't expect people to wear business attire but if I wanted to I could. I got the job. Wear a suit. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tayls Posted November 12, 2019 Author Share Posted November 12, 2019 6 hours ago, HanoiVillan said: What was the assumption behind smart appearance being 'literally the first thing you were checking for'? Do you mean first as in, 'you see people before they speak', or do you mean first as in, 'most important'? The first thing we see - if somebody rocked up half assed, we’d probably have told them that we wouldn’t be taking the interview any further. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mottaloo Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 On 11/11/2019 at 12:28, wilko154 said: Looks like I have an interview this week, the job is office based for another company. Would you say I need a suit for it? The only suits I have are more wedding/informal sorts. I normally go to interviews in trousers, with a shirt and tie. Would this be considered too informal? Basically is a jacket a requirement? Don't listen to this bloke ! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam-AVFC Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 I guess it depends on the situation. I recently interviewed for a job with one of the big corporate real estate firms and turned up to an interview with the head of the team and UK CEO in a shirt & tie with no suit jacket and got offered the job. Granted, this will be a bit different than standard as I work in a very small industry and the head of the team basically offered me the job after a couple of pints and the interviews were just a box ticking exercise. I do agree with people who say it makes sense to wear a suit just in case, although I understand it might not be that simple. It's not surprising that a lot of people when looking for a job wont be in a position to fork out for a new suit with the hope they get something. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bannedfromHandV Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 I interview people all day every day, it's my job. I haven't worn a suit to work for 5+ years but if I went to an interview tomorrow I'd put one on. Whilst we're supposed to live in a world where it's okay what you look like, it's okay you have tattoos on your forehead, it's okay you turned up in a 10 year old pair of trainers with some tatty jeans and a band-branded t-shirt, cos that's what all the kids do now.............well, we don't live in that world, in reality first impressions are still massive and I'd say 60% or more of interviewers would (secretly) hope that interviewees arrive in formal dress, for no more reason than it goes some way to demonstrating that they give a shit. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodders Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 (edited) Yeah suit. Unless the job specs make it clear that it's not necessary or desirable, why risk it? Doesn't have to be fancy, if you're skint charity shop it if needs be gets you the basics for what £20? Edited November 12, 2019 by Rodders Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mottaloo Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 I went for about 6 internal interviews this year and the panel were mainly of people i have worked with or still do. My place is a shirt & trousers place mon to thurs (no tie or jacket) with every friday as dress down.....just no shorts or vest tops. I always wore a suit even if it meant working the rest of the day in it, alongside those who may have interviewed me earlier and who usually don't see me so dressed up. To me, it just showed them how important i took the whole interview situation. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam-AVFC Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 16 minutes ago, bannedfromHandV said: Whilst we're supposed to live in a world where it's okay what you look like, it's okay you have tattoos on your forehead Can't disagree with any of that. From a personal level I struggle to get away with not wearing a jacket unless I've carefully picked my shirt as my shitty drunken tattoos on my arm are visible through a thin shirt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choffer Posted November 12, 2019 VT Supporter Share Posted November 12, 2019 Recruiters really are bell ends, aren't they? Met one on Thursday - he tells me I'm the front-runner and pretty much guaranteed an interview this week. Either Wednesday or Thursday. I tell him I'll need as much notice as possible but here I am, sitting here in Tuesday evening with no idea how much (if at all) I'm going to have to shuffle my diary about for the next couple of days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 (edited) An interesting discussion re suits and interviews, so thanks to all. The reason I keep pushing whenever this topic comes up is that it's important to be aware of our biases as interviewers. I'm not suggesting anyone here is actually doing this - I hope not anyway - but if interviewers are discarding potential employees before they've even opened their mouths, then they aren't assessing based on merit. Judging people based on appearance will inevitably bias your selections somewhat towards people who have been 'socialised' into the industry correctly, who may not be the best candidate (of course, they might be as well). Appearance judgements will also favour younger people, men, middle class people/people with more disposable income, able-bodied people and so on. The effects here may not be very large; if you don't hire many employees, they may never even make a difference, but they will be in the background. I see people are making the point that they want to know if the candidate gives a shit, but I would suggest their outfit is a fairly poor guide for that in a lot of industries. Ultimately, interviewers can do the interview and judge whether people give a shit or not from their responses, and the option always exists to take a good-but-untidy candidate to one side after the interview and gently explain the company's dress code to them. All that being said, I would advise anyone attending an interview to wear a suit, unless they are confident that it isn't expected in their industry (I'm one of the lucky ones here). Edited November 12, 2019 by HanoiVillan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam-AVFC Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 5 minutes ago, choffer said: Recruiters really are bell ends, aren't they? In my experience the in house ones can be great, but a lot of junior staff at consultancies are dreadful. I do understand it as I had friends out of uni working in these places and know the pressure to hit targets and how little they earn if they don't (one guy I knew was £18k basic in London and struggled to push to hit targets). In my last move I dealt with a senior staff member and it was great to have someone that actually listened to what I wanted and didn't push me to sit for everything. Probably helps that my industry is short staffed nationally. 10 minutes ago, choffer said: Met one on Thursday - he tells me I'm the front-runner and pretty much guaranteed an interview this week. Either Wednesday or Thursday. I tell him I'll need as much notice as possible but here I am, sitting here in Tuesday evening with no idea how much (if at all) I'm going to have to shuffle my diary about for the next couple of days. I would definitely chase him if I were you. I've found they understand you being a little bit pushy as they often have to be in their job too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bannedfromHandV Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 3 minutes ago, Sam-AVFC said: In my experience the in house ones can be great, but a lot of junior staff at consultancies are dreadful. I do understand it as I had friends out of uni working in these places and know the pressure to hit targets and how little they earn if they don't (one guy I knew was £18k basic in London and struggled to push to hit targets). In my last move I dealt with a senior staff member and it was great to have someone that actually listened to what I wanted and didn't push me to sit for everything. Probably helps that my industry is short staffed nationally. I would definitely chase him if I were you. I've found they understand you being a little bit pushy as they often have to be in their job too. Yes, yes I am Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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