Interview Attire for a College Student

[DaveB]

I know there has been posts in the past about interview attire but I was hoping to get some more job specific information. I have an interview for an internship with KPMG as an audit intern in a few weeks. I need a suit for the interview, my budget is not alot, a couple hundred dollars and i will most likely have to pay full retail or at best what the outlet mall by me has (Jcrew, Banana Republic, BB and Polo are the onyl stores there that sell suits). I was going to buy one from the B&S forum but I have a lot less time to pick one up than I thought because the national accounting firms are doing summer interviews at my school in the fall so they coincide with their full time recruiting visits.

All I have for a wardrobe right now is a few dress shirts and ties, most of the ties are very narrow as well which I'm guessing is not appropriate. I do not believe expectations from the companies are high, I went to see students who had internships the past summer do their presentations and all four males had navy suits, blue shirts, and gold/yellowish ties on, probably the same thing they wore for their interviews as well.

Suggestions on colors, tie/shirt combos and possibly brands would be greatly appreciated. If body size makes a difference I'm around 6'1, slimish build. Thanks!

 

[nohomo]

Just get the best fitting one without basting from Nordstroms and return after the interview.

 

[poissa]

JoS Bank may be running some sales as well. Look on gilt in the upcoming days, try and score something there. B&S here may work for you as well.

Go conservative, white shirt and solid tie; this combination is simple to execute.

 

[DaveB]

What about color, should I just go with dark navy or would charcoal be ok?

 

[poissa]

Originally Posted by DaveB

What about color, should I just go with dark navy or would charcoal be ok?

These certainly will not fail you. You can elect for pinstripes, I prefer thin ones, to me its still simple and adds character to suits. Initially, if you get pinstripes, I urge you to stick with solid color shirts until you have a sense of mixing textures and such.

If you got to any of the retailers thus far mentioned in the thread, they will happily be able to direct you toward appropriate suits within your budget.

 

[ginlimetonic]

navy pinstripe is a power interview suit. Charcoal is more versatile for any occasion -weddings, funerals, interviews, presentations etc. A normal 3.5" width navy blue tie is great also

 

[rengler22]

Do you, by chance, go to IU - Bloomington?

 

[DaveB]

Nope, SUNY Geneseo

 

[rengler22]

Ah. My firm is currently recruiting there and there is an outlet mall with those exact same stores. Just wondering.

 

[DaveB]

Would a narrow tie be completely inappropriate? I greatly prefer the look of the narrow tie and wouldn't mind getting some reuse of it if I could get away with it for the interview.

 

[aznwolvie]

i think u'll be fine with a charcol suit, white shirt and a regular tie.....so get a tie....

i'd actually advise against pin stripe as kpmg is pretty conservative place....they won't be in power suits - it's not wall st, u're not gordon gekko

good luck on your interview

 

[phillyesq]

Get whatever color suit you like, as long as it is charcoal or navy. You can go with or without pinstripes, but I would recommend without. My college interview suit was a charcoal BB suit, two button, very traditional, and it served me well.

Wear a white shirt, and no button down collar. I would also recommend against a skinny tie. You want a very plain, conservative tie. I would avoid a skinny tie.

Interviews are not the place to show your sense of fashion or creativity. You want to be conservative. Also, make sure that you have appropriate shoes, and that they are shined.

 

[harburn]

Keep it simple. Dark blue suit. Light blue shirt. Blue tie. Black belt and shoes.

 

[amplifiedheat]

Originally Posted by DaveB

Would a narrow tie be completely inappropriate? I greatly prefer the look of the narrow tie and wouldn't mind getting some reuse of it if I could get away with it for the interview.

Fashion dumb. Wear moderate tie. That all.

 

[phillyesq]

Originally Posted by harburn

Keep it simple. Dark blue suit. Light blue shirt. Blue tie. Black belt and shoes.

I wouldn't wear a light blue shirt to an interview. I don't think you should wear anything other than a white shirt.