Tie bar and pocket square for interview

[Teej]

So I'm going to a 2 day interview early next week. There is a networking dinner the first night and then a day of interviews the next day. I have two suits and was thinking that I should wear one of them for the dinner and the other one the next day. I was also thinking of wearing a pocket square and tie bar. Do you think that the pocket square and tie bar are good for an interview or is it too much? I am always worried about out dressing my interviewer. The invitation does say business professional/formal.

[Verloren]

I agree with your concern about out-dressing the interviewer. Personally, I would avoid tie bars, pocket squares, and cufflinks for an interview. Just a conservative watch as far as accessories go.

That said, the industry, the office, the level of the position etc are some factors that would need to be considered.

[Teej]

It's for a large bank. Its for a management training program that will end up with being a bank manager probably. It's for graduating seniors or right out of college people (me) so I wouldn't be surprised to be one of the better dressers there.

[SDot]

If anything, maybe the pocket square. But only a solid color...think white. I wouldn't wear cuff links or a tie bar.

[Teej]

Oh it will definitely be a white pocket square if I decide to wear one.

[Longshanks]

Feel free to discount my advice as I have little experience with job interviews:

I'd be inclined to say, do the tie bar (assuming it's a simple, silver bar and nothing gaudy or elaborate) and skip the pocket square. You wear a tie bar to hold your tie in place, it's essentially utilitarian. You wear a pocket square for the sake of wearing a pocket square, it's fundamentally for the purpose of adding to an outfit.

If I had to choose one that said "industrious and focused on solving problems (among other qualities that employers tend to be looking for)" it would be the tie bar in my mind.

Nevertheless, I do agree that doing both would likely result in out-dressing your interviewer.

[MaxMan]

If anything, maybe the pocket square. But only a solid color...think white. I wouldn't wear cuff links or a tie bar.

i have to agree with Sdot, unless you are interviewing for a marketing firm. The interviewer may see the clip and square as pretentious, as opposed to the classy look i bet your going for. Id choose one or the other, tie bar or square, and im edging towards all white square, nothing fancy. Also take into account corporate culture, is this your first encounter with company or have you seen what management wears.

[printyra]

For a job interview, absolutely not... unless you are interviewing for something in the fashion industry.

No cuff links, no tie bar, no pocket square. No patterned shirts. No colorful or fancy ties. Not even brown shoes. Dont even wear cologne.

Be as tamed as possible. Just because one is dressed in a toned-down, tame manner, does not mean they are dressed poorly by any means.

Grey suit, black shoes, white/light blue shirt, toned down tie, no cologne. Your goal should be not to offend the interviewer and only make yourself look like a good candidate to hire. What if the interviewer doesnt care much for your sense of style? What if they dont like your cologne? What if they think you are dressed pretentious?

You dont want things like that to be the reason you didnt get hired.

[printyra]

You can dress all fancy and stylish once you get the job.

[JBarwick]

I worked for a large bank before my current position and depending on which part of the bank you were with, jeans were a normal thing and the SVP said go for it. But a suit is a must.

I would say no to a pocket square or tie bar but you can have a pattern on your shirt. I work for a super conservative healthcare company now and work a purple gingham shirt, solid purple tie and a charcoal suit to my interview.

Also you don't want to be excluded based on how you dress so keep that in mind. The networking dinner will be a big factor when they decide on you as a candidate. Keep in solid and take lead from the people whom work for the company.

[printyra]

I would say what you wear to work and what you wear to the interview are two different things. Go safe and conservative for the interview and do whatever you want for the job.

[bigdadda]

For a job interview, absolutely not... unless you are interviewing for something in the fashion industry.

No cuff links, no tie bar, no pocket square. No patterned shirts. No colorful or fancy ties. Not even brown shoes. Dont even wear cologne.

Be as tamed as possible. Just because one is dressed in a toned-down, tame manner, does not mean they are dressed poorly by any means.

Grey suit, black shoes, white/light blue shirt, toned down tie, no cologne. Your goal should be not to offend the interviewer and only make yourself look like a good candidate to hire. What if the interviewer doesnt care much for your sense of style? What if they dont like your cologne? What if they think you are dressed pretentious?

You dont want things like that to be the reason you didnt get hired.

I cannot stress enough how much I agree with this advice. The goal of the interview is to fit in, not stand out. I speak from experience as I interview candidates on a monthly basis.

[SDot]

I agree that the best way to go is with none of the accessories mentioned. But if I were to wear one, as said, it would be the pocket square. Do not at all agree with the comment about not wearing brown shoes, that's just crazy.

Shirt: solid white spread collar
Suit: navy
Belt: brown
Shoes: brown

OR

Shirt: solid white spread collar
Suit: charcoal or black
Belt: black
Shoes: black

For ties, stay away from patterns and think more solid or as close to solid as possible.

[darth_ninja]

If I were you, I'd wear both to the dinner and remove them if they seem out of place. "Oh, this? Yeah, this is just a hankie I keep in an interior pocket."

And then from that, I'd take cues from everyone else's dress standards (maybe you'll meet your interviewer?) and base the next day's outfit off that.

[Teej]

For a job interview, absolutely not... unless you are interviewing for something in the fashion industry.

No cuff links, no tie bar, no pocket square. No patterned shirts. No colorful or fancy ties. Not even brown shoes. Dont even wear cologne.

Be as tamed as possible. Just because one is dressed in a toned-down, tame manner, does not mean they are dressed poorly by any means.

Grey suit, black shoes, white/light blue shirt, toned down tie, no cologne. Your goal should be not to offend the interviewer and only make yourself look like a good candidate to hire. What if the interviewer doesnt care much for your sense of style? What if they dont like your cologne? What if they think you are dressed pretentious?

You dont want things like that to be the reason you didnt get hired.

I didn't plan on wearing cologne. I already knew that rule. I know that I should wear a conservative tie. I do have a couple so that's not an issue. I don't see what is wrong with brown shoes though, I think that is taking it a bit too far. Black dress shoes with my grey suit and cordovan color shoes with my navy suit. I wasn't planning on wearing cufflinks either. I never mentioned them so I don't know why people keep talking about them.