Interview Attire

Part 1: Shirts and Ties

I've posted on the topic before, but I would like to revisit interview attire since I have had a few occasions recently to look presentable at, including a job interview!

Let's picture the following scenarios:

You are in college and:

• You're applying for an on/off campus job.
• You are attending a job/career expo
• You are meeting with an adviser or alumni to talk about jobs
• You are giving a presentation
• You are attending a (business) formal function where proper attire is expected. 

Meeting with a recruiter or representative at a job fair is like a 2-minute job interview. Would you show up to an interview wearing a tee-shirt and jeans? How about an American Eagle polo shirt and cargo shorts? How about in a quarter-zip pullover with no tie?  Of course you wouldn't, and you need to approach the career fair with equal attention to detail as if it were the one-on-one interview with your future dream company.

I believe it is essential to have a good set of clothes you can wear for these occasions and stick out in the good way, not the bad way 

Very Nice!!!

Here's a starting point of what you should have in your closet.

Dress Shirts: 

Solid white and blue are going to be the most versatile. Shirts with subtle stripes can be nice, but only if used properly. Avoid wearing anything with a loud pattern (eg. gingham, checks, large stripes) as it will detract from the overall outfit too much and are considered informal. 

The Brooks Brothers Slim Fit dress shirt is perhaps the most staple item in a wardrobe, and there are two main flavors. 

Non-Iron: A more silky/shiny finish that comes out of the dryer with fewer wrinkles. The non-iron shirt should still be touched up with an iron, but it's a less labor intensive process. Most of the dress shirts sold today are of this variety.

"Must-Iron" : The "Classic" oxford shirt, and one of the few remaining Made-in-USA items of clothing that you absolutely should own. Requires a bit more maintenance for a crisp appearance, but these breathe more comfortably and offer a more substantial fabric than the non-iron varieties. 

Each of these is available in multiple fits, ranging from the ultra-billowy traditional to the fashion-conscious extra slim, but I suggest the standard slim fit. The Extra-Slim-Fit may be ideal for some people, but can feel slightly constricting when worn in a professional context. Worn under a jacket, a little extra fabric actually helps make a shirt much more comfortable when tucked in. 

I personally feel it isn't a waste of money to look around for a good quality dress shirt (or a dozen) that you reserve for such purpose and leave out of your daily rotation. Thrifting is a great way to build up your supply, but buying a couple on sale won't kill you either. A combination of the above is probably best, and will ensure you have the ideal fit (neck size, sleeve length, and body size) that is essential when putting together a good looking rig.

Ties

A tie can absolutely make or break an outfit, and for most people, they will be experiencing the later option. 

Having a few quality ties on hand is an essential wardrobe item that I think many college students neglect. Attending a couple career fairs lately, I saw kids primarily walking around with either 

a) no tie, or

b) ties which looked outdated, tacky, or just plain bad.

Here are some examples of what not to look like, taken from actual images of business and hospitality majors (who are supposed to be the ones who know how to dress) and presenters at a conference. Dressing well is important when not only are you wandering around in a crowd of important people, but far more so when addressing them from the podium. 

While this tie isn't the worst, I feel it's always best to avoid ties which try to be two different things. Is it a striped tie, or a patterned tie? Either way, looks bad, especially with that ugly knot. You will also notice it falls just about an inch short, but this small difference can throw off the proportions of the entire look.

"Hi, I just graduated from Clown School"
But seriously, avoid dark colors in shirts. This particular combination would look terrible with pretty much any color sport coat or suit there is. 

The guy on the left isn't bad, his shirt, trousers and tie are all acceptable, but he should probably be wearing a suit, sport coat or blazer.

The tie on the right however we can see from a mile away is of low quality. It's flimsy and has wrinkles, on top of being the most useless of necktie colors, black. You can also tell the shirt he is wearing is of casual nature, and shouldn't be worn to a formal function. 

When wearing a navy jacket, I believe one can never go wrong with a (classically) striped tie. 

This is where your own instincts will need to come into play, as even distinguished makers such as Brooks Brothers sell some really ugly ties. 

Having the right tie in hand has a few major benefits. For one, it's going to go well with pretty much every other item in this list, and secondly, people will (sub)consciously recognize it as tasteful, because these designs have proven the test of time. They looked awesome in 1964 and continue to look just as awesome in 2014 and beyond. 

Some examples of good ties:

These ties have between 2-4 colors max. and when worn. don't distract or create too "busy" of a design. The result is a clean, streamlined look that is recognizably stylish. These are charactarized by solid, clean lines, which will contrast well with classically colored dress shirts, suits, and blazers.

       

Some examples of bad ties: 

I personally hate any tie that has a "blended " or gradient effect on the colors. Crisp, strong lines are far more preferable and professional in appearance, with these blend-y ties coming off as something on the wrong side of a JC Penny bargain bin. 

Below we see two ties, neither of which I find particularly enjoyable to look at. While they are striped, you can see they are much different from the ones above. There's too much going on, and not enough consistency. Don't confuse this for being "unique" or "fashionable". These ties are better to avoid due to the lack of qualities which make the good ties above really stand out. 

The one on the left is from esteemed maker Brooks Brothers ($115, made in USA), while the one on the right its something from Macy's ($49, made in China). 

Bet you couldn't tell the difference though. 

Solid ties can be equally distasteful, as we see here an example of a solid red tie that just makes you look like a cocktail waiter or a luggage boy. My rationale behind this statement is solid ties have been incorporated into the uniforms of many low service-level jobs as to keep employees conforming to a bland corporate standard, without introducing any personality or individuality that stripes or other combinations provide. Therefore, these plain satin ties have a strong subliminal mental association with being a subservient.

In the next post in the series, I'll discuss jackets, suits, and the rest of the outfit. 

Following my advice, you will likely be dressing in the top 10% of your class. You work hard to get a high GPA and lots of meaningful additions to your resume, why throw that all away with a terrible outfit when it matters most? Sticking to the rules, you are guaranteed to feel confident in your appearance, and your potential employers (and well, just about anyone you meet in life) will pick up on this. It makes a world of difference once you start obsessing over er...paying attention to detail.

Here's what I wore to a recent career fair at my university. The key features of this combination are 

a) It looks clean and classic. The fit is (nearly) right on everything.

b) The colors are complementary and professional.
c) It didn't cost me much at all.

A couple of the reps at the fair told me they really liked what I was wearing, so at least I did something right! 

Breakdown:
Jacket: $7 (3/2 roll sack blazer, Made in USA)
Shirt: Gift (Vineyard Vines Oxford)
Chinos: $4 (Polo Ralph Lauren)
Tie: $4 (Brooks Brothers, Made in USA)
Belt: $2 (Alexander Julian, leather, Made in USA)
Shoes: $25 (Allen Edmonds Walden, Made in USA)