Dress Code for interviews

irelandfan

Got two interviews for plc on Monday and I was wondering what would be appropriate to wear I'm a male btw:):):).

Darius.Tr

Yup I'm having an interview on monday too, I'm not planning on wearing a suit...Black jeans and black/white shirt I guess, or something like that not sure yet.

irelandfan

Do you reckon a pair of slacks would be too much???

prionnsias

A shirt and a pair of slacks would be fine. A shirt would be better than a t-shirt. Just try and look like you made a bit of an effort.

irelandfan

Okay cool thanks for the help guys :).

spurious

'Smart casual' would do it, though if you wear a suit they're not going to use that to not offer you the place.
Tidy and clean is good.

alfstewart

As someone who is starting interviewing for plc students tomorrow I can tell you what we want to see:
Shirt (tie a bonus, wont not wearing one wont cost you a place)
Trousers (jeans look like a lack of effort)
Shoes and not runners
Clean shaven
No more jewelry than a watch

A suit is generally not necessary, but it does show that you're taking the interview seriously.

Long Term Louth

alfstewart wrote: »

As someone who is starting interviewing for plc students tomorrow I can tell you what we want to see:
Shirt (tie a bonus, wont not wearing one wont cost you a place)
Trousers (jeans look like a lack of effort)
Shoes and not runners
Clean shaven
No more jewelry than a watch

A suit is generally not necessary, but it does show that you're taking the interview seriously.

It appears you will be judging people on their demeanour rather than their educational capabilities, does clean shaven apply to males only, or do you include females in your highly contentious requirements?

When you refer to what we want to see, do you speak for all Fetac/Plc personell or do you speak alone?

looksee

People are accepted on plc courses based mostly on the way they present themselves, as their education capabilities (beyond basics) are not the priority. However this does not, in my opinion, mean that you have to dress formally.

It does mean you have to look as though you are sufficiently interested in the course to have done more than fall out of bed into whatever you could find on the floor.

This means being clean and tidy. If someone comes in a tee shirt I would not mark them down, unless it was dirty and crumpled.

Other interviewers feel like the previous poster, that dress should be more formal. Either way, you are not going to lose your place over it. It is just an element in an overall presentation.

This includes: being on time, having all the paperwork with you, preferably including a photocopy as well as the original of your leaving cert results. Knowing something about the course you are applying for. Making an effort to talk in an interested manner about your work experience, interests etc.

Bear in mind though that different courses imply different things. If you are going to do a customer service related course, or a course that requires personal standards, eg nursing or childcare, beauty, hairdressing etc then it would be a good idea to be smart.

I interview for more creative type courses and I have no problem with people coming in with multicoloured hair or piercings or unconventional clothes, always provided they are clean, and show an interest in what they are applying for.

Long Term Louth

Delighted to hear that the previous poster does not speak for all interviewers when citing, What we want to see.

TeachMealog

Interview for a course, I would suggest clean Smart Casual (and thats not an oxymoron ).
Just a shirt and trousers or dark jeans..
"slacks" is a word I haven't heard in a while.

Not the Dubs shirt worn yesterday, or your wedding/funeral suit.

alfstewart

Long Term Louth wrote: »

It appears you will be judging people on their demeanour rather than their educational capabilities, does clean shaven apply to males only, or do you include females in your highly contentious requirements?

When you refer to what we want to see, do you speak for all Fetac/Plc personell or do you speak alone?

I've had applicants appear in front of me in shorts & a vest...versus someone who irons a shirt and makes an effort. Would the person who made an effort or the one who fell out of bed and into the first item of clothing they found get the job if that was what was on offer....in most (albeit not 100%) of cases it says a lot about the applicants preparation for interview. If they want to convey that they're serious about competing for a scarce course place they will show they have prepared themselves and are taking it seriously.
Would you seriously advise someone who sought out the information not to present as best as possible? A casual attitude to career opportunities seems to be a legacy of the celtic tiger and the lack of competition for career opportunities. Time to get over it and up the game!

mydearwatson

A friend of mine recently did an interview for a job as a school caretaker.

There was a huge number of applicants for the job, as it was a well-paid, permanent, pensionable job, with good hours.

He wore a well-fitting dark-coloured suit, with a nice shirt and tie. He met a couple of the other applicants while waiting for the interview. One of them was wearing very scruffy dirty "builder" clothes - his interview lasted about five minutes. The others were wearing jeans/slacks and a shirt.

My friend got the job, and the main guy on the panel told him afterwards that they were really impressed that he had made such an effort with dressing for the interview - it showed he was very serious about getting the job.

Personally I think that it's unlikely you're ever going to miss out on a job by being overdressed in the interview. Dressing better than other applicants will definitely make you stand out, and in a good way.

Just something to bear in mind!

Long Term Louth

alfstewart wrote: »

I've had applicants appear in front of me in shorts & a vest...versus someone who irons a shirt and makes an effort. Would the person who made an effort or the one who fell out of bed and into the first item of clothing they found get the job if that was what was on offer....in most (albeit not 100%) of cases it says a lot about the applicants preparation for interview. If they want to convey that they're serious about competing for a scarce course place they will show they have prepared themselves and are taking it seriously.
Would you seriously advise someone who sought out the information not to present as best as possible? A casual attitude to career opportunities seems to be a legacy of the celtic tiger and the lack of competition for career opportunities. Time to get over it and up the game!

I offered no advice on how one should/should not present and was merely seeking clarification as to who was involved in We Want To See.


Lets not get too carried away here, we are speaking about an opportunity to attend a Fetac/Plc course (excellent courses though they are, completed one myself 2 years ago), not a job interview which may determine the remiander of someones life, a dress suit would seem to me to be OTT. I would be more interested in a persons attitude to the associated course, educational capabilities and overall potential, their ironing achievements would be at the lower end of my list.

Glad to see you highlighted the apparent casual attitude during the Celtic Tiger, ironic dont you think, that those now known to be responsible for its demise, all wore suits?

Further Ed.

Colleges, whether FE or HE, that use an interviews as part of the selection process must have a clear and transparent marking system in place. All admissions policies are subject to the FETAC principles of Access, Transfer and Progression as well as Equality legislation.

Do bear in mind that PLC/FE colleges must have admissions policies and procedures in place and this also includes an Appeal Process. So if you do feel that you have grounds for appeal as a result of an interview then the PLC/FE college must provide you with details of the appeals process. A FE/PLC college is subject to the same requirements as a secondary school not an IoT or University.

PurpleVintage

Well I had my interview on Monday, and since I don't own anything formal and cannot afford to be wasting money on suits I just used what I had in my closet.

I wore Black Converse (high tops), black skinny elastic jeans (not denim material). Over it I wore a summer tank top, dark blue and cream, stripped and with little flowers all over it, and over that I wore a neon blue coat, which I actually had all buttoned up because I was cold. And I had a mini orange side bag where I kept my money. No make up, hair was normal, no jewelry whatsoever..

In the end I got accepted so I guess they werent expecting me to look all dolled up? I honestly think it's how you present yourself, if you're nice, pleasant to talk to and smile and seem interested, as opposed to grumpy, arrogant and dismissive attitude.

Best of luck, I wud tell you to stick to black and light colors (preferably cream, gray and white), cause that looks alot softer on the eyes, and they're able to concentrate on your face as opposed to what you're wearing ^^.

looksee

Contgratulations on getting your course! I hope you get great enjoyment and value out of it. You hit the right note with the clothing. I have been interviewing for the last two days, and I realised that unless someone was very scruffy I did not really notice what they wore.

I was more impressed by a pleasant, open manner, a willingness to talk - as against having to squeeze every word out of them, and a bit of enthusiasm. So that, even though I was not interviewing for music or sound subjects, if someone said they played in a band and I asked them what sort of music they played, they responded as though they enjoyed their music and were willing to talk about it.

As I said, this was for a creative subject, people interviewing for, say, business studies might have been looking for something else, but mostly interviewers are, I think, looking for a sense of interest in the subject.