Originally Posted by loveyouu

meganfm: I don't really have a set budget and yes I am a student :). I'm not near a Zara and the only Zara's near me are in SF. H&M clothing never fits me they do have some nice clothes. I'm applying to banks and firms basically I want to do something such as a financial advisor things related in that field. How do you feel about pencil skirts? If that's appropriate. I'm the opposite of you because I'm 5'1" and dresses pants are so long on me and makes me look shorter than I already am. simplegrl: I agree express has awesome clothes. I feel that I look funny in heels that aren't 4 inches since I'm so short or not tall as I would call it. I guess I need to go look for some kitten heels? Thank you for your suggestions. I really appreciate them :)

Pencil skirts are great. What do you envision paying for the interview outfit (or 2 - because if there's a call back, you'll have to wear something different)? What stores are available to you in your current location? What is your figure type? Some brands are cut for a certain body type and, while well made, don't fit unless you're straighter or curvier, etc.

Sounds like a fairly formal environment: black or navy blue suit, preferrably a light blue or medium blue button down (or in any color that looks good on you and that you've seen male businessmen wear regularly), small pearl earrings (stud or drop are fine), a nice non-flashy watch, black matte heels under 3" (or you might be able to pull off higher heels with your height - make sure you can walk professionally in them - I'd try to avoid platforms, red soles, anything not super basic), possibly pantyhose. Maybe a pearl necklace or a small pendant necklace (with a pearl pendant, lol).

amidprivilege.com has some great suggestions for realistic business wear, both for interviews and the corporate world.

If you are interviewing for a bank position, make sure to wear a blazer/suit jacket. The more conservative banks require you to wear them as part of your daily "uniform", so going in prepared and looking the part will help from the get go.

If you go in a skirt, wear pantyhose. Again, this is a must with conservative banks. If you wear pants, still wear hose, and if the pants are black, I would wear black hose to match them.

Make sure the shirt you wear under the jacket is appropriate. If it's short sleeved/sleeveless, don't remove the jacket. Only remove your suit jacket if the sleeves go to your wrist. You can normally skip the jacket though if you wear some sort of sweater, again though, with the arm length going to the wrist. I'm unsure where cardigans fit in here, since if they rare sweater-ish, I would say they are fine, but I think it depends on the bank you want to work for. Some of the employees I see that work in banks don't dress all at conservativly, and they wear short sleeved shirts, and en other consvative banks require their employees to wear suits everyday.

Hope this helps, I just got hired with a conservative bank, this was all part of their dress code requirements that they made me read and sign on off on, agreeing with their rules.

^Good advice. And you always want to dress more formally/conservatively for an interview than you would for your daily job if you were hired.

What is your budget?

On that note, here's a question for everyone: Is it appropriate to wear a red, silk shirt underneath a blazer to finance interviews? I've always stuck with safe cotton, collared shirts, but the collars never seem to sit neatly under my blazer, and something about crisp cotton just makes me feel enormous in my suit. (Is it the wrinkling and bunching of the fabric?) I have a red, silk button-up shirt that I love, not only because I look good in it, but also because the silk makes for easy wearing underneath a suit, but I wonder if the color red is a tad inappropriate? Especially for super-conservative banks. For what it's worth, I never take my jacket off.

Originally Posted by Kleio

On that note, here's a question for everyone: Is it appropriate to wear a red, silk shirt underneath a blazer to finance interviews? I've always stuck with safe cotton, collared shirts, but the collars never seem to sit neatly under my blazer, and something about crisp cotton just makes me feel enormous in my suit. (Is it the wrinkling and bunching of the fabric?) I have a red, silk button-up shirt that I love, not only because I look good in it, but also because the silk makes for easy wearing underneath a suit, but I wonder if the color red is a tad inappropriate? Especially for super-conservative banks. For what it's worth, I never take my jacket off.

I would say it's more about cut on the shirt than the color. I wouldn't see red as inappropriate, as long as it's polished and put-together under a suit.

Originally Posted by annie_finance

What is your budget?

annie, this is a pretty old thread that got kicked back up so OP's probably all set now

Originally Posted by Kleio

On that note, here's a question for everyone: Is it appropriate to wear a red, silk shirt underneath a blazer to finance interviews? I've always stuck with safe cotton, collared shirts, but the collars never seem to sit neatly under my blazer, and something about crisp cotton just makes me feel enormous in my suit. (Is it the wrinkling and bunching of the fabric?) I have a red, silk button-up shirt that I love, not only because I look good in it, but also because the silk makes for easy wearing underneath a suit, but I wonder if the color red is a tad inappropriate? Especially for super-conservative banks. For what it's worth, I never take my jacket off.

I think it's perfect. Just keep your other accessories, hair, and makeup more neutral to balance it out. (I assume your suit is black.) I'm a VP in an investment bank and I'd wear something like that to an interview.

Originally Posted by loveyouu

meganfm: I don't really have a set budget and yes I am a student :). I'm not near a Zara and the only Zara's near me are in SF. H&M clothing never fits me they do have some nice clothes. I'm applying to banks and firms basically I want to do something such as a financial advisor things related in that field. How do you feel about pencil skirts? If that's appropriate. I'm the opposite of you because I'm 5'1" and dresses pants are so long on me and makes me look shorter than I already am. simplegrl: I agree express has awesome clothes. I feel that I look funny in heels that aren't 4 inches since I'm so short or not tall as I would call it. I guess I need to go look for some kitten heels? Thank you for your suggestions. I really appreciate them :)

I would dress very conservatively, which means closed toe, low heels, stockings, minimum make up, hair pulled back, manicured fingers, etc.

Lafayette 148 menswear pants and boyfriend jacket. I know the retail price is stupid but the go on sale all the time and can be found at Nordstrom Rack. I regularly find their $250 pants for around $60. And get them tailored. People can tell.

It sounds stupid but I really wanted a job...bought the suit, facconable shirt, Manolo blahnik black patent Mary janes and I got the job. The job came with a promotion and $30k raise in this economy. He actually commented...you look like a project manager. Don't get me wrong, I got the job partly due to my skills but also partly due to wardrobe.

I had never spent $1200 on an interview outfit before but as I see it...that $1200 got me another $30k per year for the next 34 years of my career...over a million dollars.

Don't hate the player, play the game. :)

Originally Posted by PropaFly

Lafayette 148 menswear pants and boyfriend jacket. I know the retail price is stupid but the go on sale all the time and can be found at Nordstrom Rack. I regularly find their $250 pants for around $60. And get them tailored. People can tell. It sounds stupid but I really wanted a job...bought the suit, facconable shirt, Manolo blahnik black patent Mary janes and I got the job. The job came with a promotion and $30k raise in this economy. He actually commented...you look like a project manager. Don't get me wrong, I got the job partly due to my skills but also partly due to wardrobe. I had never spent $1200 on an interview outfit before but as I see it...that $1200 got me another $30k per year for the next 34 years of my career...over a million dollars. Don't hate the player, play the game. :)

I agree that people can absolutely tell when clothes are tailored - your outfit may not have cost you $$$$$, but with a little polish, you can absolutely LOOK like it did!

Appearance DOES count in the workplace!

Originally Posted by Laurie8504

I agree. I think a tube top is realllly inappropriate in any sort of professional environment. Also, i don't think it's been mentioned, but be careful not to layer on too much jewelry. I would stick with stud earrings, a thin necklace (if any), and one ring per hand. I don't feel an interview is the place to show off your personal style, just keep it toned down, yet polished. It's for this reason I keep the tattoo on my forearm covered in an interview...while I love it, I know some people don't like the way they look; I'm completely fine with that and would rather not take my chances "being myself" and lose what could be a great job. Basically, make sure the focus is on your qualifications, not your style.

Agreed!
Interview is surely not a place to show off your style statements. Be formal and follow the basic interview etiquette.Wear shoes and dress you are comfortable in. Use limited jewelry and a professional hairstyle. Have little makeup and use a nice perfume.Your appearance can boost up your selection.

When I was doing job fairs and interviews during business school, I invested in one well-tailored black pant suit, and just changed up the blouse underneath the suit jacket. You could probably show a bit of style with the blouse (maybe stripes, or a solid bold color), but keep the suit and shoes simple and professional.

Also, because I'm klutzy, I kept my heels as low as possible so I wouldn't trip and look like a moron when I got nervous. LOL

I'm not in the same industry (I'm an engineering grad student), and already got some suit separates at Zara just in case I need to look polished for an interview, but I have an additional question: what about the handbag?

I've been thinking that the purse should be at least big enough so that the portfolio/resume and other documents can fit in, but since I'm not that tall (I'm 1m58/5'2", with hips but quite skinny), it always looks like the bag is eating me (I tried a Longchamp le Pliage and a Mulberry Bayswater, and I own a large Alexa).

So I've been considering using a smaller bag instead (a smaller Longchamp or maybe a mini Bays satchel), and having a portfolio in my hands, but I'm not sure it's good enough for an interview, although it may be ok for when I get the job. Any thoughts? TIA!

(Sorry for the thread jacking, btw I didn't want to create another thread, it's also an interview attire issue, isn't it? )

Originally Posted by Eileenw

I'm not in the same industry (I'm an engineering grad student), and already got some suit separates at Zara just in case I need to look polished for an interview, but I have an additional question: what about the handbag? I've been thinking that the purse should be at least big enough so that the portfolio/resume and other documents can fit in, but since I'm not that tall (I'm 1m58/5'2", with hips but quite skinny), it always looks like the bag is eating me (I tried a Longchamp le Pliage and a Mulberry Bayswater, and I own a large Alexa). So I've been considering using a smaller bag instead (a smaller Longchamp or maybe a mini Bays satchel), and having a portfolio in my hands, but I'm not sure it's good enough for an interview, although it may be ok for when I get the job. Any thoughts? TIA! (Sorry for the thread jacking, btw I didn't want to create another thread, it's also an interview attire issue, isn't it? )

That's what I do, because I only have 2 handbags-one is a very small Aldo cross body and the other is my red Balenciaga city, which is too flashy for interviews. I only had to bring my resume, but I put that in a plastic folder and carried that separately from my purse.

I used to carry it inside but I found that things always get a bit crushed! I'd rather carry all my important interview documents in my hand instead.

For interviews I recommend leaving the purse in the car (or at home) and just carrying a portfolio with your documents. The last thing you want to worry about in an interview is where you are going to put your bag