The dinner before the interview

[JonathanHemlock]

Originally Posted by otc

The guy who said he wouldn't hire anyone who wouldn't wear a sport coat to dinner must have zero employees...

Actually, I have lots of employees and hire lots of folks just out of college. I interview 200 people a year and often invite them to social situations to observe them. This is a competitive marketplace for job seekers, whether they are engineers or pimps or hitmen or bank tellers. Sharp dress is essential. If the kid can't find a sportcoat, he shouldn't fret or kill himself doing so. But he needs to look as good as possible - what you wear to a pre-interview dinner fills in the blanks about you, just like how you answer interview questions, etc etc.

 

[suited]

Originally Posted by LanceW

Since the dinner is tonight, what about ordering drinks?

If the interviewer orders a drink first, I would do the same, limiting myself to two and not finishing the second one. But what if the OP has to order first?

People are over thinking this. Get a water, if you want, order a glass of wine with your dinner. Problem solved.

 

[JayJay]

Originally Posted by suited

People are over thinking this. Get a water, if you want, order a glass of wine with your dinner. Problem solved.
I agree, a glass of wine wouldn't be a mistake, IMO.

 

[otc]

Originally Posted by LanceW

Since the dinner is tonight, what about ordering drinks?

If the interviewer orders a drink first, I would do the same, limiting myself to two and not finishing the second one. But what if the OP has to order first?

Don't try to lie here...if you don't drink, don't order a drink to look like you do.

As for ordering a drink first, since it sounds like a group event, you can just ask the waiter to come back to you. Say you are still thinking and let them go around the table. Odds are someone interviewing for the company will want a drink--hey its on the company's dime and they have to sit here and interact with a bunch of potentially awkward people--they will probably know to take the lead and order a drink right away.

 

[peezie]

Originally Posted by Bounder

You guys apparently missed this. I will give odds that at least half the competition shows up either wearing sports sandals or those "shoes" with the individual toes that LabelKing likes.

This is an easy one. Brown chukka boots, khakis and a striped shirt with a button down collar. No tie. Wear a sports coat -- not blue and definitely not a blazer -- and take it off during dinner. If you don't have any brown chukka boots, wear brown shoes, preferably fairly dark. Do not wear tennis shoes or the like and do not wear black shoes, especially not your one pair of black shoes that you typically wear with your suit.

You will be probably better dressed than the people from the firm but no so overdressed that you look out of place. The point of this dinner is to see if you have any social skills at all -- often an issue with engineers -- and to see how you interact with your peers. You don;t want to be the life of the party but you do want to be charming and friendly. If you can integrate a few wall flowers into the conversation during the course of the evening, they will probably make you a manager.

Good Luck and let us know how it turns out.

NB: DO NOT wear a suit with no tie. That is wrong in this situation on too many levels to count.

This is an incredibly accurate and insightful post. Really.

Although I wonder if an engineer lacking social skills would actually think of something like this, to determine if a candidate has any...

Brown shoes though. Chukkas are too severe, although I understand the point being made.

 

[GucciMonster]

Order a bottle of patron
Take body shots off the students
Situation averted

 

[Liberty Ship]

I'm a hiring manager. Dress to fit in with the company, not your litter mates from engineering school.

When I hire, even when I hire technical types, one thing I'm looking at is how they would represent my company if they have client contact. I don't like to have to make excuses to my partners like, "Well, he's technical." Skills being equal, I default to social skills and dress.

Wear a jacket, at least. This isn't a frat party. It's a career. Time to grow up.

 

[ppllzz]

Originally Posted by Fangio

Long story short I have a dinner tomorrow night followed by a tour and interview on Friday and I am having a hard time pinning down what to wear to the dinner. The dress code for the dinner is business casual which in Austin pretty much means a polo shirt and nice pair of jeans. The restaurant is nicer than say an Olive Garden but is still kind of an anything goes as far as dress code type place. The dinner will be with all candidates so I of course want to be noticed, but not for overdressing. I think the right play here would be a sport coat, but I do not have one. Should I go with a suit and no tie, or just nice slacks and a button down?
im from austin and most of my friends are UT CS/engineering majors. if it was business casual they would wear shirt and slacks, no sportcoat. sportcoats look weird in austin, esp for engineering. my dad also works at IBM in austin and occasionally does hiring/interviewing and i dont think he would ever wear a sportcoat. i dont think he owns a fitting suit.

 

[GBer]

Originally Posted by otc

are you guys kidding me? this guy is interviewing entry level at an engineering firm (and this isn't the actual interview).

Every contact point is an interview. Many companies use the dinner to get an idea of personality and behavior (including dress). What you said is completely WRONG. I do this for interviewing. People who go to these dinners include future colleagues, managers, and higher-ups. Plenty of interview questions are asked at dinners. This is a chance for them to get to know you without the "formal" interview atmosphere. I don't care if they say it's not part of the interview - that would be pure conjecture and pretense. After the dinner, the next day, or later, you get together with the other people who attended the dinner and get feedback on candidates. Who stood out? Who fits into the company culture? Who would you want to work late with? What in the hell was he wearing? That kid was way too drunk. Usually, this is conducted after the interviews. Since this is before the interview, this is a chance to make a good impression and establish rapport with the guy who might interview you the next day.

It of course depends on company culture and department. If he's in construction and will be onsite, yes, boots might be seen. If he's going for Electrical Engineering, expect something more conservative. Is it a large international company or a small local firm?

Austin, as with Texas is CONSERVATIVE. Unless you are going to a bar, you should dress for an interview without the tie. Sport coat is ok, if the company is more casual. Go to a business meeting at Ruth's Chris.

He mentioned he is a Master's grad while others are BS. So he should show his maturity compared to other candidates. That is what would be expected. This can be accomplished (at least in part) by dress.

By all means, whatever you wear, you need to be clean and sharp. It's engineering, isn't it? Dress is a reflection of your character. Don't want a sloppy person. There are so many to choose from in this economy.

 

[JayJay]

Originally Posted by GBer

Every contact point is an interview.
QFT! I know of folks at all levels who have been eliminated from employment consideration because of how they interacted with secretaries and other people deemed by them to not be important.

 

[random-adam]

Dinner was last night. OP, pull out your iphone in the middle of your interview and post a report.

 

[otc]

Originally Posted by GBer

Every contact point is an interview. Many companies use the dinner to get an idea of personality and behavior (including dress). What you said is completely WRONG.

No, what I said was correct. I did not say you shouldn't be playing your A-game, I said it was not the actual interview. You shouldn't show up in your navy suit/white shirt/red tie/black captoes SF-approved interview uniform--you will just be that guy who couldn't follow directions (or the guy who can't let it loose) or doesn't know what business casual means.

Put on a well fitting shirt and pants, make sure your shoes aren't scuffed, your nails are trimmed, hair is clean, teeth brushed and don't think about your clothes for the rest of the night. You are there to show them who you are not to get featured on the sartorialist.

 

[Icarium]

We do lunches are our office for the same reason. You learn alot more about someone at the lunch than at the interview tbh. Interviews can be too canned, too artificial if you know what I mean. If the person wasn't qualified for the job on paper, he/she wouldn't even be having the interview. What we want to know if what kind of person they are.

My brother got his job in big four accounting by schmoozing some partner at the pre-interview dinner. He's nearly a scratch golfer, and apparently the partner was really into golf as well. They hit it off, etc. Guess what the main reason probably was he got offered the job? I'm guessing it's not the resume.

 

[austinite]

Originally Posted by GBer

Austin, as with Texas is CONSERVATIVE.

Are you kidding man? Austin is not conservative in any sense of the word. In terms of clothing it's probably the single most casually dressed major city in the entire country. Maybe you are thinking of Dallas?

I'm a lurker who happens to be an electrical engineer in Austin, so I had to make an account for this thread.

Wear well fitting slacks, a solid colored dress shirt (the most conservative is blue), and black lace ups. Tuck your shirt in. Anything more than this and you will look out of place, and the extra attention is not likely to be positive. If it was cold outside, I would say where a tailored jacket, but this time of year it is not so don't. Your success in the interview will be based on your experience, grades, and your ability to sell yourself, not your clothes.

 

[pnin22]

Suit with tie vs. no tie, you choose.