Which Interview Outfit Is Better? With PICS - Page 4

When I was interning at Wells Fargo (not a bank, the corporate side in Minneapolis) it was an unsaid rule that you did not wear a double cuff shirt unless you were upper management. I can only imagine that wearing a FC shirt to an interview at WF would not go well.

The point about losing the accessories is that they're a distraction. You are there to interview for a job, you don't want the interviewer thinking about the pocket square or tie bar when talking to you. It likely won't be a deal breaker if you interview well but why go in with all the unneeded items?

in energy, working stateside, ive never - ever - ever - once seen PS or FCs or tiebars on anyone. even in the legal and finance department, with executive officers, at investor conferences, etc..

you dont want to be that guy.

during my stint in the uk, folks wore it more liberally, even with just sweaters and cords

focus on your interview, not your minutiae of dress...

This is SF, I think we are all "that guy"

Yes, but we need to hide it until we have job security

I guess you need to decide which is more important. Impressing Internet Clothing Board people with your accessories or maximizing your chances of connecting with an interviewer on a business level.

Many men think that other men who go too much for accessories like tie clips and pocket squares are a bit frivolous and too interested in their own clothing. I'm not going to pretend to know whether it's 10% of the men who think this way or 80%.

If your interview is with one of these men and he thinks you are fussy with your clothes that will distract him. I'll admit that if he doesn't care, it won't matter, but if he does - - -

The pocket square and tie clip won't help you, but there is a percentage of people who will think less of you for wearing them. Why risk messing with your connection with accessories that won't help you in regard to the people who won't be unfavorably affected?
Edited by forsbergacct2000 - 9/15/11 at 10:47am

I'm still missing the problem with a simple tie clip. Yes, the ps and cufflinks may affect your chances, but the tie clip has a clear utilitarian purpose. And if it is clean/plain/thin, noone is going to be focusing on it. Even guys that hate flashy dressers like to dress clean - noone is going to fuss about a tie clip. I have never heard even the most conservative, plain dressers poke fun of a guy in a simple tie clip. In fact, I would go so far as to say that a clean tie clip displays that you care about your appearance, but in a conservative, not too flashy manner.

If your prospective boss is really so ADHD that he/she can't focus because of a thin strip of metal, you probably don't want to work for them.

I'm with you on this one. I too look at the tie clip as being utilitarian in nature. The OP could just wear the tie clip a bit lower on the tie so that it's obscured by the jacket while buttoned and if he unbuttons his tie to sit down it would probably be obscured from view by the table. The tie clip doesn't need to be seen to be useful. Just my 2¢.

He asked for opinions and we provided them. Obviously, dress differs with office and its personalities. The point is, he doesn't work there yet. Why not interview first, and then on his first day he can accessorize? A key point about style/dressing is knowing your audience and dressing to the occasion. A job interview really isn't the time to acessorize a lot. And, yes, for men tie clip/french cuffs and pocket square are acessorizing a lot. Thank god he's not wearing brown shoes.

But my issue here: I think four accessories are universally OK for any work environment because of their utilitarian purpose. These include: 1) a clean watch, 2) a plain belt, 3) a simple tie clip, and 4) a wedding band. I don't think anyone is going to think twice about any of these things, provided they aren't individually showy, because of the utility they offer to the wearer. I'd question job satisfaction in a work environment that judged people on one of the four. Cufflinks and a pocket square are clearly attempts at achieving a stylistic objective and should probably be reserved until you understand your audience.

Surely the boss ought to 'up his game', not the interviewee 'down his game' in case the boss is dressed poorly?

During an interview? Definitely "down" it.

The longer you are there the more you can implement into your outfit.

This. You don't want them talking about you afterward as saying, "well, that one guy seemed pretty good...you know, the fop wearing those panties in his breast pocket." That said, If I were interviewing you I'd give you extra points for it.

If he were wearing a flamboyant square or had a flamboyant fold, then ok, but we're talking about a tv fold on a white square here. I think it's fine, personally...but I guess if you wanna go super safe then leave it out.

Next level sprezz, by nonchalantly grabbing her panties on your way out the door and stuffing them in your chest pocket because you forgot your PS. Good work, sir!