numi Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I wouldn’t go so far as to say that these threads > are outright “ridiculous,” but I do feel that more > attention is paid to them than is truly warranted > sometimes. While I do enjoy sartorial discussion > in the proper context, the reality is that you > will generally be fine for your interviews as long > as you come across as polished as you can possibly > be. Experienced finance professionals can tell the > difference between a $1,000 suit and a $100 one, > but they won’t hold it against you if that’s the > best you can do. Giving off the right vibe in > interviews has much more to do with confidence and > being comfortable in your own skin, rather than > the label of your clothing. > > In my case, my current professional attire > generally consists of a bespoke suit (charcoal, > navy blue, and/or pinstripes), an ivory or light > blue dress shirt, nice tie (usually Kiton, > Charvet, or Borrelli), and black oxfords (Edward > Green/Alden). I can actually afford these clothes > from time to time now, and I enjoy wearing them, > so I do. Does it really enhance my performance at > an interview? Probably…I don’t think it has > anything to do with the labels themselves, but the > fact that I feel comfortable in them. I am > comfortable with my personal appearance, which > enhances my chances of doing well in an interview > - simple as that. > > While I was in college and didn’t know better (or > have much money), I went to my interviews wearing > a fused navy blue suit, dress shirts that I bought > on sale at Nordstrom’s, Kenneth Cole shoes with > rubber soles, and some ties that I bought at > Century 21 made by Italian designers I’d never > even heard of. I think my entire interview > ensemble cost me less than $400 back then (which > sadly is less than what I paid for a single pair > of dress shoes last month). However, I was still > able to do well in interviews, and I’m sure there > are people who spent even less on clothing that > did even better than I did in terms of job > recruiting. > > My whole point is that there is a certain > preoccupation with fashion and appearance in this > industry, and probably one that is a bit > overblown. I won’t pretend that I don’t notice > labels, because I do notice them and I personally > like them. But clothes don’t make the man. And > while there are a few rules to follow with respect > to interviewing customs, I still believe that as > long as you’re comfortable in whatever you’re > wearing, you’ll be fine. Good post, as usual. Numi, with regards to pinstripe suits, would you recommend or advice against them for college students/recent graduates? The suit I currently have is just a typical conservative suit, nothing special. I’ve had it for awhile now, but was thinking maybe it’s time to buy a new one for interviews. I’ve seen some nice pinstripe suits, but wasn’t sure if it was really worth the cash, and on top of that, if that style would be a little too “liberal” considering my age.
Absolutely agree with Numi. It’s not a fashion show, but properly crafted traditional suits, shirts, and ties are the required uniform pretty much across the board. Don’t worry so much about which labels to buy, look at the quality of the fabric and the precision of the cut and the stitching. That’s it
kp824 --there’s nothing wrong with wearing pinstripe suits to an interview. However, I believe the reason you don’t see them much at the junior ranks is because it’s a lot harder for the untrained eye to identify a set of pinstripes that are appropriate for interviews. Close spacing of pinstripes can help you look young and slim, but too close makes them less conservative, especially for finance. And while more widely spaced pinstripes may be preferably, make them too wide and you end up looking like someone 30 lbs. heavier and twice your age. And make the pinstripes too bold, and you will probably look unsophisticated even if you’re George Clooney or Brad Pitt. The key to pinstripes is proper spacing and subtlety, and I think it’s something that just takes age and experience to identify. You can certainly post links to pictures here or even visit StyleForum.net, but I believe that if you already have your doubts, you’re best off sticking with the solid navy or possibly charcoal suit. vanz1212’s point is also a good one – if you have to worry about one thing, fit is definitely the most important. My college suits may not have been expensive, but they fit well and probably made me look a lot more polished than I was at the time. Finally, I saw some of the discussions about watches earlier. Again, I know there are a lot of people in this industry that love nice watches, but I still wear a $300 Seiko watch that my parents gave me for my high school graduation many years ago. It’s fairly old, but it’s also gotten me through nearly a hundred job interviews over the years, with things working generally out for the better. Call me superstitious, but I like my Seiko watch, so I wear it…and that’s really all there is to it. I’m sure there will be people who think that I don’t “fit in” with the industry because I don’t have an expensive watch, but these people are wrong and probably aren’t the kinds of people I’d care to meet anyway.
yeah seriously whats up with the watch fetish how many of you Rolex/Omega/IWC/etc jokers actually value a timepiece that much and how many are just trying to fit in or play a part im with numi on the Seiko, love my chrono
numi Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > kp824 --there’s nothing wrong with wearing > pinstripe suits to an interview. However, I > believe the reason you don’t see them much at the > junior ranks is because it’s a lot harder for the > untrained eye to identify a set of pinstripes that > are appropriate for interviews. Close spacing of > pinstripes can help you look young and slim, but > too close makes them less conservative, especially > for finance. And while more widely spaced > pinstripes may be preferably, make them too wide > and you end up looking like someone 30 lbs. > heavier and twice your age. And make the > pinstripes too bold, and you will probably look > unsophisticated even if you’re George Clooney or > Brad Pitt. The key to pinstripes is proper spacing > and subtlety, and I think it’s something that just > takes age and experience to identify. You can > certainly post links to pictures here or even > visit StyleForum.net, but I believe that if you > already have your doubts, you’re best off sticking > with the solid navy or possibly charcoal suit. Good stuff, thanks! I’ll probably hold off on buying a pinstripe suit for the time being, but will make sure to post a thread to have my fellow AFers help me out once I change my mind. 
Typical engineering attire in Calgary: -Oversized polo shirt Oversized khaki pants Cellphone belt clip Fleece jacket Running shoes Hehehe!
juventurd Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > buddha Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > Good quality english shirt maker. Turnbull and > > Asser, Hilditch and Key, Thomas Pink, Charles > > Tyrwhitt, Paul Smith. > > > > I like a $200 shirt as much as the next guy, but > is this necessary for a white job interview > button-down? Show me the interviewer who can spot > the difference between one of these and a $20 Paul > Frederick special and I’ll show you an interviewer > who will get uncomfortably close to you in the > little boy’s room. Someone needs to work on their reading comprehension. The original poster asked what is “normal” attire for the industry and I described what is in my wardrobe. I clearly stated at the end that for someone interviewing for a entry level job, don’t worry to much about it, no one expect you to look a certain way…yet. With that said, despite my preference for women, I can most certainly spot the difference between a well made shirt with MOP buttons 2-ply cotton and stripes that line up.
buddha Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > despite my preference for women, I > can most certainly spot the difference between a > well made shirt with MOP buttons 2-ply cotton and > stripes that line up. metrosexual. i can spot em a mile away.
farney Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > yeah seriously whats up with the watch fetish > > how many of you Rolex/Omega/IWC/etc jokers > actually value a timepiece that much and how many > are just trying to fit in or play a part > > > > im with numi on the Seiko, love my chrono I also have a watch which cost over $100 but less than $1000. The problem is if you get on of those watches with an egg sized face, you have to get your shirts made very large on one arm, and then they look silly with anything except that watch.
daj224 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > buddha Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > despite my preference for women, I > > can most certainly spot the difference between > a > > well made shirt with MOP buttons 2-ply cotton > and > > stripes that line up. > > > metrosexual. i can spot em a mile away. Is your ability to identify metrosexuality better than your ability to post random articles from CNBC and Bloomberg despite the fact that everyone here has access themselves?
I didn’t pay anything for my $5000 Brietling watch that was given to me when I became a Skull and Bones member (kidding).
How about wearing an old Timex watch? Would they care?
Is it possible my Casio digital watch may be one of the reason for not getting through any of my interviews? Being an engineer without much liking for rituals, it will take a while to understand the big deal about the business dress.
I still rock the timex, but if you really want to impress the HR weasels try a: Patek Philippe 18k pink gold #3970 w/ Perpetual Chrono and Moon Phase rough price: $118,000 -would second the opinion on pinstripe, you’ve got to have the right eye for them
I’ve always been fond of the slicked back-business man look hair like Gordon Geiko in Wall Street. I just can’t pull if off though, my hair is too course/thick. Is this look still acceptable? If not, it should be. If I could pull it off, I would do it. Due to my hair issues, I always go with a #3 guard on top and a #2 on the sides to keep it nice and short. I’ve seen a lot of business men with shorter hair cuts and think it is perfectly acceptable.
I think you should go with the Trent Steel look from the Simpsons, cool name also.
agree with GoVols, if I could pull of that greasy, high-powered look I so would. Billy Donovan has go to be the poster-child for that look. It makes sense too as he spent about a year working on Wall Street before Rick Pitino asked him to join his staff.