What Colour Suit to wear to an Interview?...
What Colour Suit to wear to an Interview?...
Author
Discussion

D1on

Original Poster:

818 posts

215 months

Thursday 7th February 2013
quotequote all
If you have a Job Interview...

What colour suit, shirt and tie do you prefer to wear?...

Fittster

20,120 posts

242 months

Thursday 7th February 2013
quotequote all
Plain blue or grey.

Being PH "And make sure it's from Davies and Son".

johnfm

13,751 posts

279 months

Thursday 7th February 2013
quotequote all
White shirt, red tie, dark blue or charcoal suit, black shoes with laces.

No shiny suits.

No black suits.

No one button suits.

No brown shoes.

No slip on shoes.

No pointy shoes.

No massive samosa tie knots.

No massive spiky gelled hair.

Unless the job is as an estate agent!



Edited by johnfm on Thursday 7th February 01:34

Fittster

20,120 posts

242 months

Thursday 7th February 2013
quotequote all
johnfm said:
White shirt, red, dark blue or charcoal suit, black shoes with laces.

No one button suits.
I'd pass on the red suit unless you're after a job working as Santa.

And send all your Huntsman to Oxfam right now.

Edited by Fittster on Thursday 7th February 01:38

Ray Luxury-Yacht

8,918 posts

245 months

Thursday 7th February 2013
quotequote all
I'm kinda pleased with my 100% success rate at interviews over the years, i.e. every job interview I've ever been invited to so far in my career, I've always got the job!

When it was for senior management roles, I always wore subdued colours - dark blue or black, plain suits, with a plain white or blue shirt, with a tie that's maybe slightly more exciting with a bit of a pattern, but nothing too exciting.

When I applied for two roles in sales over the years - one role as a Business Development Manager, and one as a Recruitment Dept. Manager, I wore slightly more lairy, what I might call 'sales wker' suits - ones with those slightly annoying 'wide boy' pin stripes, that only pushy, sales-y kind of people wear! They seemed to do the job too!

I also have a light-brown, linen suit...but I can't forsee a situation when I'd be able to wear that to any kind of interview...shame, cos I like it! It normally comes out if I go to some random horse-racing event at Ascot or something.

One of my favourite ties was bought from the shop at the Lamborghini factory in Sant' Agata in Italy. It's a lovely, thickly-woven Italian silk tie, in dark Navy blue. In the middle, it has an embroidered raging bull logo, which isn't immediately obvious unless you really looked cloesly at it.

I've worn it to quite a few interviews, and to my delight on one occasion, the interviewer was mid-flow in a question, and then his gaze alighted on my tie, and he stopped what he was saying and then said 'oh, sorry for the random question - but I've just noticed your tie - is that a Lamborghini logo on it?'

I laughed and told him where it had come from - and it turned out he was a complete petrolhead, and the interview descended into a long discussion about cars. So, there you have it - a 'car tie' helped me with an interview, and I got the job! Happy days!

Better still, it turned out that this chap, who became my MD, was personal friends with the chap who started the Red Bull drinks company! So one or two F1 corporate days also came my way as well...


johnfm

13,751 posts

279 months

Thursday 7th February 2013
quotequote all
Fittster said:
I'd pass on the red suit unless you're after a job working as Santa.
Heh, fecking iPad. Red tie! Red tie!!

rog007

5,828 posts

253 months

Thursday 7th February 2013
quotequote all
All good advice there. The underlying theory about dress for both interviews and at work is about fittung in to the culture of this new organisation you wish to join. This then serves as a timely reminder to do your homework on the new orgNisstion to make sure you'll be a strategic fit. This insight should also help with dress if there are some codes within the organisation.

In general terms, and adding to the above tips:

Dark socks
Check all stickers removed from soles of shoes if new
Remove marketing tags that can sometimes be found on sleeves of suit jackets
Wear a matching colour trouser belt
Keep jewellery and piercings to a minimum (unless you're sure they'll be appreciated as a result of your homework on the company)
Have a haircut and a shave
Make sure trouser length is correct (too short and your white hairy calves will be on show when you sit down)
and look in a mirror before you go in.

Good luck!

TheTiger

15 posts

164 months

Wednesday 13th February 2013
quotequote all
Brown shoes not acceptable with a blue suit?

steveT350C

6,728 posts

190 months

Wednesday 13th February 2013
quotequote all
Ray Luxury-Yacht said:
I'm kinda pleased with my 100% success rate at interviews over the years, i.e. every job interview I've ever been invited to so far in my career, I've always got the job!

When it was for senior management roles, I always wore subdued colours - dark blue or black, plain suits, with a plain white or blue shirt, with a tie that's maybe slightly more exciting with a bit of a pattern, but nothing too exciting.

When I applied for two roles in sales over the years - one role as a Business Development Manager, and one as a Recruitment Dept. Manager, I wore slightly more lairy, what I might call 'sales wker' suits - ones with those slightly annoying 'wide boy' pin stripes, that only pushy, sales-y kind of people wear! They seemed to do the job too!

I also have a light-brown, linen suit...but I can't forsee a situation when I'd be able to wear that to any kind of interview...shame, cos I like it! It normally comes out if I go to some random horse-racing event at Ascot or something.

One of my favourite ties was bought from the shop at the Lamborghini factory in Sant' Agata in Italy. It's a lovely, thickly-woven Italian silk tie, in dark Navy blue. In the middle, it has an embroidered raging bull logo, which isn't immediately obvious unless you really looked cloesly at it.

I've worn it to quite a few interviews, and to my delight on one occasion, the interviewer was mid-flow in a question, and then his gaze alighted on my tie, and he stopped what he was saying and then said 'oh, sorry for the random question - but I've just noticed your tie - is that a Lamborghini logo on it?'

I laughed and told him where it had come from - and it turned out he was a complete petrolhead, and the interview descended into a long discussion about cars. So, there you have it - a 'car tie' helped me with an interview, and I got the job! Happy days!

Better still, it turned out that this chap, who became my MD, was personal friends with the chap who started the Red Bull drinks company! So one or two F1 corporate days also came my way as well...
Great advice, and great story!

'Tailor' your suit / shirt / tie combo to the job.

Dare I say it, six interviews over 20 years, got them all.

Good luck!

Stedman

7,458 posts

221 months

Wednesday 13th February 2013
quotequote all
Slim fitting grey suit with a grey tie. Crispest of the crisp white shirts.

(with white shoes hehe)

BoRED S2upid

21,035 posts

269 months

Wednesday 13th February 2013
quotequote all
White.

z4chris99

12,515 posts

208 months

Wednesday 13th February 2013
quotequote all
TheTiger said:
Brown shoes not acceptable with a blue suit?
no.

and if the suit is light blue unless you are an estate agent / recruitment / club promotor, you shouldn't wear it

z4chris99

12,515 posts

208 months

Wednesday 13th February 2013
quotequote all
my interview suit is:

dark charcoal 2 button suit
white shirt, a good twill
red tie silk
white pocket square
silver cuff links
Asprey watch
silver collar stiffeners
black shoes


Mobile Chicane

21,984 posts

241 months

Wednesday 13th February 2013
quotequote all
Shiny and bright electric blue.

I was at a conference today where 32 apps dev companies have 7 minutes to present their wares to an audience of potential buyers, in the hope of luring them to a more detailed conversation later.

First up was a guy who looked like Austin Powers on a bad hair day. The suit drew gasps. Guess whose stand was the busiest afterwards?

rog007

5,828 posts

253 months

Thursday 14th February 2013
quotequote all
Mobile Chicane said:
Shiny and bright electric blue.

I was at a conference today where 32 apps dev companies have 7 minutes to present their wares to an audience of potential buyers, in the hope of luring them to a more detailed conversation later.

First up was a guy who looked like Austin Powers on a bad hair day. The suit drew gasps. Guess whose stand was the busiest afterwards?
Absolutely; horses for courses! I assume he had the personality to match?

Gargamel

16,347 posts

290 months

Thursday 14th February 2013
quotequote all
z4chris99 said:
my interview suit is:

dark charcoal 2 button suit
white shirt, a good twill
red tie silk
white pocket square
silver cuff links
Asprey watch
silver collar stiffeners
black shoes
Bit over the top for an HR post at the local cahncil ?

z4chris99

12,515 posts

208 months

Thursday 14th February 2013
quotequote all
Gargamel said:
Bit over the top for an HR post at the local cahncil ?
public sector don't you just need to grunt your name, show you are totally st at your job and have the ability to waste public money???

what you wear won't matter

Gargamel

16,347 posts

290 months

Thursday 14th February 2013
quotequote all
I am sure they do valuable work


devnull

3,859 posts

186 months

Saturday 16th February 2013
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What the sodding hell is wrong with a black suit? I agree with the shiny suit comments, but srsly?

johnfm

13,751 posts

279 months

Saturday 16th February 2013
quotequote all
Black suit is evening wear.