Pocket squares to a job interview?

[SkinnyGoomba]

Originally Posted by fcuknu

I guess Im too gaudy for finance.... Ill stay in fashion.

lol.

Finance people wear contrast collars/cuffs, collar pins, purple shirts, purple ties, pinstripes, turnback cuffs, double breasted jackets, french cuffs, poofy pocket squares, 18k yellow gold watches, pinky rings, big jeweled precious metal cuff links, ect.

 

[emmanuel]

Go ahead and do it! I dont even see pocket squares as all that fashionable. They are great accesories that we fashionables get to enjoy but I dont think they stand out so much to the careless eye unless its colorful. something traditional wont be so serious.

 

[fcuknu]

Originally Posted by SkinnyGoomba

lol.

Finance people wear contrast collars/cuffs, collar pins, purple shirts, purple ties, pinstripes, turnback cuffs, double breasted jackets, french cuffs, poofy pocket squares, 18k yellow gold watches, pinky rings, big jeweled precious metal cuff links, ect.

I think every reference you made is from the movie wall street

. According to SF if I want to go on a finance interview I should wear a white button down, a charcoal suit, black cap toes, and a solid tie. Beautiful. I must also remember to wear the plain-est socks I have.

 

[SkinnyGoomba]

lol, from both wallstreet and real life.

You know, that if you dont go into the interview in a white Button Down, the plainest red tie you have, a charcoal 2 button that doesn't (under penalty of death) have a ticket pocket, and plain black captoes on a boring last...

then the guy interviewing you in his glen plaid double brested button down, flaunting its ticket pocket, working buttons with one undone on each cuff, contrast collar, bright purple tie, Rolex Day-Date in yellow gold, and big gold pinky ring is going to look at you and say...

NO JOB FOR YOU!

hahaha, thats why i love this place.

 

[beau nash]

It seems like you think that whoever is interviewing you might look negatively on your wearing a pocket square, and I think you might be right. At least the chances of someone thinking you are pretentious if you were one are greater than someone not giving you the job if you don't wear one. I can imagine someone with some dull job in human resources saying, "What's up with that pink thingy in his pocket," before I can imagine someone saying, "He's qualified but his outfit just had no pizazz." FWIW, I wear a pocket square almost every day, with or without a tie, but I don't wear them in front of juries. You'll have plenty of time to sport your sartorial savoir faire AFTER you get the job.

 

[Lawman]

I'm a lawyer in North Carolina. I am on my own now, but used to practice at large firms in Richmond, upstate New York and Charlotte. With those disclosures I will say this:

I would never wear one to an interview with an uppity, prestigious, old-line law firm. The kind of places that have lots of dark wood, oil portraits of deceased partners on the conference room walls and lots of Anglophilic artwork (think horses, hunt scenes and such). Those guys are not typically looking for dandies, or characters or, in general terms, the kind of folks who seem bent on standing out and distinguishing themselves from the rest of the herd. They are looking either for well-connected, well-pedigreed potential rainmakers or brainy workaholics who don't know a vacation from a vacuum cleaner. I can see the wearing of a pocket square being regarded as a kind of eccentric affectation that has no place in a "serious" law firm. Unless, of course, you happen to be among the well-connected and well-pedigreed future rainmaker set. In that case, you should be able to get away with wearing bowties, pocket squares and all manner of ornamentation.

 

[TheFoo]

All I can say is this: I've worn a pocket square to every job interview I've done in my adult life and never had any problems getting a job.

 

[Picasso]

it's not a finance job or law firm, just a regular office job. It's an internal vacancy & they don't have strict dress codes, so I know that the pocket square isn't going to make or break the interview.

every day dress code is smart casual, so I don't get the chance to wear a full suit that often.

 

[JLibourel]

I would also second the advice to wear a plain white linen square in a TV fold. As I have remarked in similar threads, an interviewer who appreciates subtle sartorial elegance will be favorably impressed by it, yet it is not so obtrusive as to be offputting to those who eschew any manifestation of dandyism.

 

[greekonomist]

Originally Posted by mafoofan

All I can say is this: I've worn a pocket square to every job interview I've done in my adult life and never had any problems getting a job.

Yes, but was it the same pocket square?

 

[nordicstyle]

Originally Posted by SkinnyGoomba

lol, from both wallstreet and real life.

You know, that if you dont go into the interview in a white Button Down, the plainest red tie you have, a charcoal 2 button that doesn't (under penalty of death) have a ticket pocket, and plain black captoes on a boring last...

then the guy interviewing you in his glen plaid double brested button down, flaunting its ticket pocket, working buttons with one undone on each cuff, contrast collar, bright purple tie, Rolex Day-Date in yellow gold, and big gold pinky ring is going to look at you and say...

NO JOB FOR YOU!

hahaha, thats why i love this place.

Why would you wanna work for a guy like that anyway?

 

[TC (Houston)]

The best rule of thumb is to dress for the job you are interviewing for. If the people who do what you would be doing are wearing pocket squares (or you are working in a field wear you are rewarded for distinguishing yourself by dressing differently), then there is probably no danger in doing so. If it would be unusual to wear a pocket square, then the risk outweighs the potential reward.

 

[nordicstyle]

Originally Posted by Picasso

ievery day dress code is smart casual, so I don't get the chance to wear a full suit that often.

You're not allowed to wear a suit to work? I have worked in a lot of "casual dress" environments, and what I like about them is that people can--and do--show up in anything from shorts, sandals and a t-shirt to a three piece suit with french cuffs. Each to his/her own. The only "drawback" is that you'll be better noticed if you dress well in such an environment, but you're sounding like that's a bad thing.

 

[forsbergacct2000]

I would not wear it. It's one hour of your life and it is not a very commonly worn accessory. I did not wear them at all before I joined these boards. Some interviewers won't care, and some might get the idea that you are more into your clothes than your work.

Wear it if you want, but for a lot of jobs where you are interviewing with a regular guy, not a fashionista, they won't help, but could hurt. Why take the chance? In this economy, if you are like most people, interviews are hard to get and you need to think about your future, not your clothes. You can always put the square back in after the interview is over.

 

[Kuro]

Originally Posted by fcuknu

I say puff hard or go hard. Purple and fuscia polka dots.