Respectable on a budget
Discussion
I disagree with some on here saying its irrelevant and the interviewer shouldn't care.
The last 3 jobs I've had have come with a car allowance. The potential employer wants to know that you are going to the type who spends that on a car rather than seeing it as extra income. These have all been technical pre sales roles, so regularly visiting customers in the car.
If they see you start with something less than 10 years old and in respectable condition, that puts you ahead than if you had a £500 nail to go visiting customers in.
The last 3 jobs I've had have come with a car allowance. The potential employer wants to know that you are going to the type who spends that on a car rather than seeing it as extra income. These have all been technical pre sales roles, so regularly visiting customers in the car.
If they see you start with something less than 10 years old and in respectable condition, that puts you ahead than if you had a £500 nail to go visiting customers in.
Devil2575 said:
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Plus the world has changed. These days billionaires might run around in a Smart car whereas, as some on PH have complained about, poor people lease BMW 135s and Golf Rs.TheBroker said:
I disagree, what you drive can say a lot
Turn up to a Cust site in £100k car and they think you're ripping them off
Turn up to same Cust in a heap of junk and they think you're crap at your job/offer crap product as your clearly not doing well enough
Depending on the job
Turn up at interview in flash car and agreed they may perceive you as passing time
Turn up in a heap of junk and they will perceive you (naturally) as one who doesn't care. You may not but if you are going to represent a company you need to dress (wear uniform/suit) and drive appropriately (look smart and tidy)
Yes but the customer/client relationship is very different from the interviewer/interviewee relationship. I've never been to an interview where the person interviewing me knew what car I'd turned up in. Turn up to a Cust site in £100k car and they think you're ripping them off
Turn up to same Cust in a heap of junk and they think you're crap at your job/offer crap product as your clearly not doing well enough
Depending on the job
Turn up at interview in flash car and agreed they may perceive you as passing time
Turn up in a heap of junk and they will perceive you (naturally) as one who doesn't care. You may not but if you are going to represent a company you need to dress (wear uniform/suit) and drive appropriately (look smart and tidy)
Once you have a job, depending on the industry, it might not be wise to turn up to see a customer in a Bentley or a Trabant, but at interview stage, or when you're meeting someone you don't know, their car tells you nothing.
You wouldn't turn up to an interview wearing a scruffy outfit and not should you, if you can avoid it, don't turn up in a heap of junk. If you only have a beaten up old [insert car here] then it should be at least clean. Anyone who thinks first impressions font count is very wrong! What you drive, wear does say something about you, in other words present yourself as best you can. If you can't clean your car up, rent one for the day, book an extended 48 hr test drive if your cheeky enough, or borrow a car from a friend if you can.
Put it this way, if the employer has two identical candidates, one turns up in a nice smart car and the other turns up in a rust bucket who do you think they will choose? And yes they could well see your car!
For those who then say well I wouldn't want the job on principle because they are judging me by my car, remember principles don't pay the bills, jobs do zany a candidate needs to have as much on their side as possible
Put it this way, if the employer has two identical candidates, one turns up in a nice smart car and the other turns up in a rust bucket who do you think they will choose? And yes they could well see your car!
For those who then say well I wouldn't want the job on principle because they are judging me by my car, remember principles don't pay the bills, jobs do zany a candidate needs to have as much on their side as possible
kambites said:
95% of jobs don't involve tkaing your own car to customer sites, though.
Fair point. Perhaps a secondary concern for the boss is 'can this guy get to work on time each day'. If he's faced with two identical candidates, one with a modern and reliable looking car and one with a clapped out old nail, which one will he choose? Probably the one he perceives isn't going to phone in 3 or 4 times a month saying he's got car trouble and can't make it/ will be late.
Ftw, I'm not saying it's right, or that the old car is not more reliable than the new one, but the perception is still there and always will be.
TheBroker said:
Put it this way, if the employer has two identical candidates, one turns up in a nice smart car and the other turns up in a rust bucket who do you think they will choose? And yes they could well see your car!
If the candidate was out of work at the time of the interview, I'd choose the rust bucket. On the basis that they've realised their situation and has cut their cloth accordingly. HTH.eltax91 said:
If he's faced with two identical candidates,...
In my experience, this simply never happens. I've done a bit of interviewing and I've never once taken into account what car someone drives. If it ever does get taken account, I suspect it's generally a subconscious "he drives a xxxxx, all xxxxx drivers are morons" sort of way in which case your best bet is to turn up in something completely unremarkable like a grey Fiesta. The last job interview I went to as a candidate, I turned up in a rust-bucket of an MGB and I still got the job.
Edited by kambites on Sunday 1st March 10:17
kambites said:
In my experience, this simply never happens. I've done a bit of interviewing and I've never once taken into account what car someone drives. If it ever does get taken account, I suspect it's generally a subconscious "he drives a xxxxx, all xxxxx drivers are morons" sort of way in which case your best bet is to turn up in something completely unremarkable like a grey Fiesta.
The last job interview I went to as a candidate, I turned up in a rust-bucket of an MGB and I still got the job.
The other candidates must have been total dog sThe last job interview I went to as a candidate, I turned up in a rust-bucket of an MGB and I still got the job.
Edited by kambites on Sunday 1st March 10:17
te then. In fairness, it's an interesting point. You say it isn't taken into account, except if Mr Audi driver walks in he's f
ked as you think he's a cock! So even if he's best for the job, he's at a disadvantage? eltax91 said:
kambites said:
In my experience, this simply never happens. I've done a bit of interviewing and I've never once taken into account what car someone drives. If it ever does get taken account, I suspect it's generally a subconscious "he drives a xxxxx, all xxxxx drivers are morons" sort of way in which case your best bet is to turn up in something completely unremarkable like a grey Fiesta.
The last job interview I went to as a candidate, I turned up in a rust-bucket of an MGB and I still got the job.
The other candidates must have been total dog sThe last job interview I went to as a candidate, I turned up in a rust-bucket of an MGB and I still got the job.
Edited by kambites on Sunday 1st March 10:17
te then. In fairness, it's an interesting point. You say it isn't taken into account, except if Mr Audi driver walks in he's f
ked as you think he's a cock! So even if he's best for the job, he's at a disadvantage? Devil2575 said:
Most people don't care what car you drive. Any interviewer who chooses a candidate based on what car they drive isn't doing a very good job.
Indeed. Most interviewers wouldn't look at the car at all, and certainly not closely enough to know the make and/or model. I could see it counting against you if you turn up in a loud, bewinged Impreza (although again it shouldn't if the interviewer is any good) but no-one is going ot care whether you turn up in an Audi or a Ford.
TheBroker said:
Put it this way, if the employer has two identical candidates, one turns up in a nice smart car and the other turns up in a rust bucket who do you think they will choose?
I honestly don't think it would make the slightest difference. In the very rare cases when it might, it's impossible to know which one the interviewer would prefer.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff