Job interview clothes for a guy ages 20-25

letsallgotothe

Been a while since ive had to go for a job interview so i need some tips on how to look smart.

Are there male fashion sites i should be looking at? what should i wear? smart casual or a full suit?

MagicMarker

Suit.

Or at the very least a shirt, tie and trousers.

OldGoat

Suit. It's the professional approach. Anything else gives an impression of not caring and with the job's market the way it is at the moment in this country you need to make every effort and take every advantage to secure the job.

Buck

MagicMarker wrote: »

Suit.

Or at the very least a shirt, tie and trousers.

+1

Sugar Free

Absolutely wear a suit.

Keep it simple, no bold patterns or colours. A navy or charcoal/dark grey suit, white or blue shirt and conservative tie.

Kind of boring but it looks professional and given your age you probably aren't very senior yet in your area so you don't want to dress too powerfully.

I don't know what your budget is if you don't have a suit but, like most people you'll be buying them off the rack. Avoid places like Zara and Burton for formal wear and get a decent quality suit. Also, set aside 30-50E of your suit budget for tailoring. Plenty of outfitters will offer a tailoring service or at least recommend one for you.

Having a suit where the sleeves aren't down to your knuckles and trousers legs where the material at the ankles isn't folding over itself with the excess will help you stand out.

In my limited experience (I'm twenty five and graduated university three years ago) so many people will either borrow their dads suit or buy the cheapest machine washable yoke they come across. Add to that a crappy tie and old rubber shoes they probably wore to school and you get an idea of how a lot of interviewees will turn up.

Spend a bit of money and you'll get a more professional, mature look than a lot of your fellow candidates with the added bonus that the better quality stuff will usually last a lot longer too.

Best of luck.

M three

all of the above
And clean polished shoes, smart watch and belt

lorsric

Suit - shirt and tie (top button closed, and tie properly tied)
Look in some of the charity shops around town (Age Action, Simon, Cancer Society, Oxfam etc - Camden Street is great, all together) Also, check out a place called Go West - really good quality clothes, less than the department stores for same ( my Dad and brother's have been getting stuff in there for years)

While it is important to maintain your individuality, for an interview, it is vital to look well groomed, clean and neat. Hair cut,and or brushed, be shaved and as mentioned, clean shoes - these things are important - show your attention to detail and pride in how you look.

Best of luck, and remember, dress for success :-)

rokossovsky

i'd endorse all the above comments on what to wear and attention to detail. However, I gotta say in my last two interviews I put in the effort whereas the people who turned up to interview me were dressed very casually, jumpers crumpled shirts and even jeans. Made me feel a bit over dressed and a bit self concious. Got the jobs tho!

Does the type of dress not depend on the type of job you are going for? How would you dress for an interview for the job of say kitchen hand or fire fighter or beach life guard? As opposed to going for a junior lawyers position or front of desk in a hotel?

lorsric

The thing always to remember is you are the one looking to make the impression.
I can understand the previous posters comments, but regardless of how the people doing the interviews are dressed, they have a job already.

For a job in a kitchen, or where the uniform or dress code will be informal, wear dressy trousers, shirt and tie - look like you are going for a job, not going out socialising.

Also, if in doubt, you can always call the prospective employer and query the dress code.

cosmic

Sugar Free wrote: »

Avoid places like Zara and Burton for formal wear and get a decent quality suit.

Disagree.

My OH has a suit from Burton which fits him absolutely perfectly and looks incredibly smart. If you're lucky enough to get a good fit with a Burton suit it can look perfect.

Fuhrer

cosmic wrote: »

Disagree.

My OH has a suit from Burton which fits him absolutely perfectly and looks incredibly smart. If you're lucky enough to get a good fit with a Burton suit it can look perfect.

It can also make you look like a Chav wearing a suit for court.

Babs27

I've interviewed loads of people in your age bracket and where people get it wrong is when they don't tuck in their shirt or have their top button of their shirt undone and the tie half undone..sounds simple but you wouldn't believe how many lads do that.. it just looks sloppy.

You'd be forgiven for wearing a shirt, slacks and a tie. Keep the colour pallette simple, use what you have already. If you've a nice fitting plain shirt go with that and match tie and slacks around that...wear shoes too, not runners etc. If you want a nice touch use cufflinks too! At the end of the day you'll most likely be interviewed across a table where the interviewer will only be seeing your shirt and tie after you sit down.:p

Don't wear a blue shirt or any colour were sweat patches will show..:eek:

I wouldn't recommend splashing out on an expensive suit now.. the weather is warming up so you'd be too uncomfortable in the interview and probably have to take the jacket off anyway. Save getting the suit till you have the job and then want to go for a promotion.

If you want tips for the interview its self drop me a mail here. Oh and BEST OF LUCK!!!

cosmic

Fuhrer wrote: »

It can also make you look like a Chav wearing a suit for court.

If you're so inclined...

Sugar Free

Babs27 wrote: »

I wouldn't recommend splashing out on an expensive suit now.. the weather is warming up so you'd be too uncomfortable in the interview and probably have to take the jacket off anyway. Save getting the suit till you have the job and then want to go for a promotion.

I don't want to veer off into a discussion more suited for the work and jobs forum and respect that you have experience in interviewing people.

My area of work is definitely on the casual side of business casual. Nevertheless, taking off your suit jacket before or during an interview or assessment would be a massive no no and would certainly be a big black mark by your name.

@cosmic, each to their own. I personally dislike the more contemporary style of suit stocked in Burton and am skeptical of their quality. However, it's important that the person feels confident when they're wearing it and if their suits achieve that, then all the better.