<p>I posted this on the engineering forum but wanted to know what the people on the cafe thought. </p>
<p>Interview season is starting and I have a question I hope some can answer here. My D is starting to get interviews. </p>
<p>How would you handle attire for engineering students. She will have some on campus interviews and there I think she will wear a suit, if we can find one to fit. She is slim with very long arms, finding a jacket is near impossible. But she will also have some onsite interviews. If she’s traipsing around a factory, should she wear pants and flat shoes. Seems crazy to be in a factory in a skirt and heels.</p>
<p>I hope some engineering managers have some insight. Do you notice if an interviewee has an expensive outfit on? Do you notice their shoes? How much do you notice what someone has on? She will be nice and neat and professional looking.</p>
<p>Our budget is limited and it seems crazy to spend a ton of money on a suit that she will wear once. It’s not like a suit for a man, you will wear that over and over again and you have flat shoes on so site visits are easier.</p>
<p>Also what about a bag. Do you think she needs a briefcase or something like that? She does have a portfolio and I not sure what she would put in a briefcase for an interview.</p>
<p>Thank you so much. I hope I’m not sounding ignorant. </p>
<p>I see that everything is 40% off at Ann Taylor, we might try there. Her fall break is this weekend so we will have very limited time to try and find her something. There is an Ann Taylor outlet which is out of the way but we could go there if anyone thinks that we would have better luck (and if the prices are much better than the mall store)</p>
<p>I would definitely advise investing in a decent suit. My son has done some on campus interviews and wore a suit, tie and dress shoes. He stood out from most of the other students, even though they were all given guidelines for appropriate dress. And his professional appearance was mentioned by a couple of the interviewers. For on site interviews, I would think a business pants suit, with appropriate flats shoes, would be fine. When my son went on one on site interview, he was told by the person who interviewed him to dress casually, as they would be out and about the facility. My son wore business casually, erring on the side of overdressed, and was fine. He was very grateful that he had worn comfortable shoes! As far as a briefcase, my son used a smaller portfolio. He didn’t really have anything he needed to carry a briefcase for, so the portfolio seemed appropriate. Best of luck to your daughter!</p>
<p>I don’t think you need a skirt-suit, although if you can pick up all 3 pieces, that would be good. A nice pants suit, or dark pants and blazer, would be fine. Flat shoes works. I like Limited’s selection of work attire.</p>
<p>If you are going to a mall, chances are that there is an Express store. Ignore the glitter and neon colors and check their selection of coordinating dress pants, skirts and blazers. Their dress shirts impress me more than the current selection at Ann Taylor. The Limited is great, too, especially when it comes to smaller sizes. Nordstrom has two resonably priced “house brands”, Caslon and Classiques Entier (sp?) that make interview-appropriate clothing.</p>
<p>Thanks, we will try to find a pants suit. We tried last year but she is very hard to fit. Tiny, with impossibly long arms and legs. Petite sizes worked in a skirt but pants and jackets were hard. She did say she’s gained some weight so maybe that will help.</p>
<p>I will try to get her to buy a nice pair of flats which I know she will wear once she starts working.</p>
<p>Some of the problem is that we bought a white button down shirt last year which she is insisting on wearing. It’s ok but I think she would look better in a jacket with a nice silk shell which I bought last year but for some reason she doesn’t like. Sigh!</p>
<p>At the beginning of the summer she swam in anything from the Limited. She can fit into Express, Ann Taylor and some Banana Republic. I don’t think Express is right for an interview and the short length is too short and the regular way too long. We will be visiting family but maybe we can find a tailor on short notice.</p>
<p>BB, we were cross posting. Do you think Express is ok for an interview?</p>
<p>I would advise a suit for anyone doing a job interview, unless it is at a landscape firm & they are going to trek around outdoors. Dressing like a professional for interviews is always a good idea–sometimes it will make you stand out above the other candidates too. Is the price of the suit worth having gotten the job?</p>
<p>Years ago a guy named John something published a book called Dress for Success – he was nearly single handedly responsible for all the navy suits & little ribbon ties on women in the 1980s. His method was to dress actors in various types of outfits and parade them past unsuspecting executives, would be peers, engineers, doctors etc and then see which ones had made the most favorable impressions. </p>
<p>With the engineering types, the more serious looking the better, and they were also partial to shirts that had a small check, like a tattersall check, in the weave! Guess because it looked like a graph lol. </p>
<p>Frankly, I do not think one thing has changed regarding perceptions of women. Remember all the BS Hillary Clinton had to endure over how low her blouse was cut, and pantsuits, only 3 years ago? </p>
<p>Perceptions of men have not changed either. I noticed B Obama never waivered from the white shirt and tie when on the campaign trail. Other candidates could put on jeans and a sweatshirt or denim jacket; the second he did, if he had, he would have been seen as the black guy down the street, the one without the college education.</p>
<p>And stay away from the low cut, too tight look (if you can find anything in the stores). </p>
<p>It might seem crazy to buy a suit “she will wear only once”–but will she? If you get her a nice professional suit that she can accessorize for various occasions: she has her go-to-a-funeral outfit — she has her interview suit — she has her make-a-presentation-at-the-superiors’-meeting suit — don’t worry; it will see her through quite a few things! And if it helps her get that job, in these times, it wil have been worth every penny.</p>
<p>I would avoid buying a matched suit; it really isn’t necessary. Unless your D finds a suit that fits her very well - and she feels comfortable wearing it, I would suggest a conservative “business-y” dress, or a skirt and cardigan. Dressy slacks and a blouse or sweater would also be fine. I like charcoal or light gray slacks with a neutral blouse or top and a brighter jacket. She can wear separates many times, rather than a matched suit. Flats or a low heel is also much more appropriate and practical than high heels. Here are a few suggested “looks:”</p>
<p>I work in biotech. The current selection of dress separates at Express is perfectly fine for a college grad to be on a tight budget interviewing for an entry level position in my field. But if your budget allows, take a look at Hugo Boss and Theory brands (Bloomies, Nordstrom, etc.). They make fantastic slim cut clothing in modern, sleek style appealing to younger professionals. Theory pants are quite long, and jacket sleeves cam be easily altered. I have to side with your D on the shirt selection - IMO, a collared blouse will look better than a silk shell on a younger person.</p>
<p>I agree with BB that you can’t go wrong with a white button front shirt. Maybe add a necklace (nothing too funky, but an accent piece). Maybe it depends on the region of the country, too. Here in the south, a matched suit would not be the order of the day at all for all but a few professions. </p>
<p>If she is tiny, I can’t believe she can wear Ann Taylor. If Ann is the same as Loft, the vanity sizing issue is a problem. I am a solid size 2 in most brands, and the Loft stuff is huge on me. Same with New York & Co. </p>
<p>I just got a great black interview blazer at Gap, believe it or not.</p>
<p>Ok you won me over on the collared shirt. It does fit well, she is flat chested so nothing pops out and it has some stretch. I’m thinking maybe a nice wide belt to finish it off.</p>
<p>She has a nice gray skirt and a nice jersey long cardigan, would that work for an interview?</p>
<p>Gourmetmom, love the links that you posted. That tweed dress is wow! Gives me some ideas of what we can look for.</p>
<p>MOWC, we bought her some professional stuff last year at the Ann Taylor outlet. Do you think that the sizes at the outlet are smaller than in the stores. She fit into the 00 petite, if I remember right the regular 00 was too big. </p>
<p>It seems like every time I see my D these days, we have to shop for things to wear to an interview, work etc. </p>
<p>We are going to visit my sister and family this weekend. I told my D to bring the stuff she has that would work for an interview and we will go through it. My sister and her husband wanted me to buy my S a very expensive suit for interviews. I just don’t have the money to spend a $1000 on an outfit right now. I know my sister means well but her H is in a business where how you look is important. My D is not interviewing for jobs on Wall Street, but jobs in industry which I think is different. Maybe I’m wrong. I live in an area of the country that is very casual. Sometimes I feel that there is a unwritten law that I never got the memo on.</p>
<p>Thanks again for everyone’s advice. I really appreciate it.</p>
<p>Deb, my D is an accounting major and we went through this last fall for her internship interviews.</p>
<p>Don’t spend $1000 on a suit. My D - who is tall but very thin (also wears a 00 in Ann Taylor) - found a nice gray 3-piece suit (slacks, skirt and blazer) at Banana Republic. I think the total cost was around $350 or $400, and the staff was very helpful. We had a harder time with flats and heels (heels for the skirt) but that was because my D is the fussiest shoe shopper in the world.</p>
<p>I don’t know - I personally would not wear the cardigan to the interview but would err on the side of conservatism and wear the blazer. In fact, I think that when in doubt - dress “up” not “down.” D did land an internship with one of the Big 4 accounting firms, and when I asked her what lessons she learned from the experience, she said “Always dress better than you think you have to.”</p>
<p>I am a hiring manager in the tech area and I think anything that passes business muster would be okay. It is about coming in looking professional and showing respect for the interview more then anything else, and quite frankly people hiring in engineering are not likely to notice if you are wearing Anne Taylor or something more expensive or more humble, especially the males, take it from me:). There are places where wearing the ‘right thing’ might be important, in things like marketing or investment banking I suspect you would see the fine eye put on wearing the right clothes, shoes and accessories. </p>
<p>My biggest piece of advice? Wear something nice but also something that is comfortable to the interviewee. If your D feels better in a blazer, nice blouse and slacks rather then a suit, that should be okay, and feeling comfortable is important IME as interviewer and interviewee.
As far as shoes go, if you D loves heels, fine, but she could wear a nice pair of flats and be just as well of IMO.</p>
<p>And even in engineering and tech, often home to the ultimate in ‘what were they thinking’, you can never be over-dressed (true story, related to me by someone at a silicon valley firm years go. Someone said they were going to causal Fridays at a meeting, and someone said 'more casual then now? What does that mean, no underwear?) on an interview. Even if the firm is business casual (or less), it never hurts to take it up a notch, as others have pointed out…but you don’t need to break the bank, either, on that I guarantee very few interviewers will care or notice.</p>
<p>You may need to plan to have her interview clothes altered. </p>
<p>My son is a recent engineer grad (2010). Suits (for men and women) were the uniform for the interviews. You will see students in class in their suits on interview days.</p>
<p>I don’t think the cardigan approach is one I would recommend. The suit needn’t be expensive (our son’s didn’t cost anywhere near $1000 and he got a good job!). If it is altered to fit properly, it will give the right impression.</p>
<p>ETA: a slim dress with matching jacket will work, too.</p>
I don’t notice if an interviewee has an ‘expensive outfit’ on and the cost of the outfit wouldn’t even enter the equation for me. If I even thought about expense I’d expect a student to have something inexpensive on. Frankly, I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between many ‘expensive’ and ‘inexpensive’ clothes since many of them look identical. Engineers aren’t known for their sartorial savviness.</p>
<p>I’d probably notice the shoes if they were unusual but generally wouldn’t care as long as they weren’t flip-flops or tennies or something to an interview. I think high heels are ridiculous so I wouldn’t give any bonus points for wearing those but that’s just me.</p>
<p>I think it’s weird when a female dresses in what looks to me like a man’s suit but that’s just me. Regardless, I don’t think a ‘suit’ for male or female is necessary generally for an engineering position but rather the nice and neat and respectful look. I think it’s very unusual for engineers to be wearing suits nowadays but it would vary with the company and particular job function, so it doesn’t take much for an interviewee to dress a notch up from the norm for the location and dressing a notch up is often noticed as a sign of respect for the position. </p>
<p>When I interview some of the people will wear suits, which is fine with me, most will wear the ‘nice and neat and professional looking’ attire, which is equally fine with me, and sometimes I get someone who shows up in old jeans, tennies, and a t-shirt, which isn’t fine with me. However, with the latter, I give them a break since I realize they’re a new grad who may be clueless in this regard, as well as broke, so it’s not a deal breaker for me and I’ll still do the interview and pay attention to them.</p>
<p>I do notice what the person has on and I expect it to be: “nice and neat and professional looking” - there - you have it perfect.</p>
<p>Since my Ds have taken me to Express to hang around while they’re buying clothes I know that they buy some of their nice and neat looking professional attire there (but not ‘suits’) and they’ve had no trouble doing well in engineering (CS) job interviews and I think they tend to dress nicer than the norm for their engineering focused companies.</p>
<p>I like when young people come in well groomed but I do like to see alittle personality. The guy with the blazer and slacks with an interesting color of shirt or the women with an interesting piece of jewelry…shows self confidence as long as the color or the jewelry isn’t too distracting more of a a first impression type of thing. But that goes to dressing in a way that you feel comfortable and for some women it’s black bottoms and top, it’s the new corporate uniform and you see them everyday. But really the bottom line is to feel comfortable in the clothes so that the person is comfortable in the interview. Most people can’t tell how expensive clothing is but would notice wrinkles or ill fitting (too tight usually) clothes. Do not wear jeans even if it’s a jeans kind of place. I think most interviewers appreciate people that step it up one notch. Keep your hair out of your face and check in the mirror once before you go out the door. </p>
<p>You know the funniest thing is I was interviewing someone a month ago and they had feathers or a feather in their hair and I could NOT stop looking at that feather and I kept thinking about Steven Tyler on American Idol and the fact that he had feathers in his hair. I was wondering if people put them in themselves or if they have to go to the salon and have them woven in. I don’t know why, but it made me stop and realize that people can do things that are distracting. There were moments when I wasn’t listening to the person because I kept thinking how odd it was that someone would come to an interview with feathers in their hair and I wondered what they were like on a day to day basis and if they would fit in. Not so much that they might wear feathers after they were hired but that they had worn them to an interview. I couldn’t decide whether it was a bold move or not so smart because it was distracting me and I wasn’t listening. So you never know who you’re going to interview and what might distract them or what they are thinking about or what kind of day it is or if you are the tenth person to interview that day. If the person had known I’m sure they would have wished that I was focused more on what was coming out of their mouth and I really wished that person would have left the feather at home just for that day and worn an interesting necklace because although I’ve not forgotten the person, I never formulated a solid opinion one way or the other. Just my story for the night.</p>
<p>^^^and this is why a student interviewing on campus will not want to break the mold (unless for a creative position). Dress at least as well as the other applicants do (not expense, but level of polish). You don’t want to stand out because of your dress or feathers (!); you want to stand out because of your personality and accomplishments.</p>
<p>At our son’s school, all those participating in the on-campus interview process first had to attend some sessions, in which many issues were addressed, including how to dress.</p>
<p>My daughter is an engineering major and two years ago at this time we were shopping for the big job expo her school was holding in October. She is 5’2’', small, and blonde. She wanted to project an image of a capable, confident young woman who was the person that company should hire for a summer internship. </p>
<p>We went to Ann Taylor because they have petites and 00. I think the important thing is to have something that fits well and makes your daughter feel comfortable and confident while wearing it. My daughter ended up with a grey skirt/jacket and a pretty pinkish/reddish print silk shell. She said the color of the shell made her feel like she wasn’t so boring. It made her feel like a million bucks and was well worth the investment. Ann Taylor actually can have some pretty good sales.</p>
<p>My D also loves Ann Taylor & is another size 00 petite there. She has a tough time finding things the correct size, so we have to go and have her try on a lot of things to figure out what looks right and fits properly. She was able to find an inexpensive, nicely cut, fitted black blazer, vest and straight skirt (all separates) at Macy’s in the juniors section, after striking out nearly everywhere else. All the pieces were on sale and with the coupons, they were even less. I think we spent significantly less than $200. She can & has worn the pieces separately and with various blouses.</p>
<p>As has been posted, engineers aren’t being sought for their attire, as long as it’s not distracting & presents a neat, professional appearance, she should be fine in whatever she feels confident in. S wore varying attire. A few times he wore a suit or blazer, but many times, I believe he wore dress shirt and khakis (he never asked me & I never inquired). He did get several internships and 3 great job offers, so he must have dressed appropriately enough.</p>