Originally Posted by learningtofly
As usual we have to agree to disagree. I've worked as a contractor for any number of blue chip organisations over my extensive work career (40 years+) and never once at interview or meeting has anyone ever commented or enquired about my watch, which most of the time would be barely visible under a shirt cuff anyway. I assume their interest in my capabilities was rather more important and relevant that what was on my wrist, which is how it should be.
The only negative comment i once had about myself was actually my car, which one client considered 'a bit flash'. Solution, park it away from his building and walk a little. It's the same for a watch, either keep it totally discrete or simply don't wear one.
Too much thinking and analysis has been applied to this when it’s completely unnecessary.
I would wear the Seadweller or either GMT. If your asked about it tell a white lie, like it was a gift from your father or it was left to you.
Im not sure what kind of job your going for of course, but presumably you will be in a suit. Unless your going to wear george as asda and clarks shoes, in which case your watch may look a little out of place, then why not. They are not gold models, or even bi colour.
If they are willing to judge you on your watch do you really want the job anyway?
You will never be asked, but WIS tend to assume that everyone else is interested in their watches so by all means be prepared with a self-effacing, charming yet not too smug, modest and yet but also confident answer.
On another forum somewhere, the length of one's tie or the style of shirt cuff is the most important thing in the world when it comes to interview presentation, and watches are irrelevant. As ever, it's all about balance...
...but what do I know; I don't even like watches!
The point is: any idiot over the age of about 9 can dress up in a suit and tie, and polish their shoes. I'm not suggesting that showing up in shorts and flip-flops is OK, but super-smart clothes and watches are pretty irrelevant in an interview situation. IMO.
You mean like this one? :lol:
One thing i think people are overlooking is that it's not just a flash watch that sets people off, it's if they're pretentious or overly confident with it, in my work i've seen a fair few with expensive watches, such as rolexes, and in the main, they're professional, and there's a story behind their watch, i.e. one guy got it as an engagement gift from his soon to be wife, another got it as a 21st birthday present and so on. This type of thing isn't going to make people think negatively, but i've also met a consultant who was loud and brash, big shiny suit and a rolex daytona being flashed, i remember him as the flash muppet with the daytona, but the others just remember him as the flash muppet.
In short, it's how you present yourself in how you act and what you say that'll say more than the suit, watch, etc, if someone does focus on the watch, then a good story about it always works, unless of course you've robbed a granny of her life savings to buy a rolex
Good interview advice, that
______
Jim.
Coco Chanel said 'if you dress badly, people notice your clothes; if you dress well, people notice you'.
And another quote I like, from Ralph Waldo Emerson - 'The sense of being perfectly well dressed gives a feeling of tranquility that religion is powerless to bestow'.
Ralph Waldo Emerson..... fashion industry???
I'm getting a vision where I am Captain Mainwaring and you are Private Pike.
That'll do nicely.
This is precisely the point. To someone who visits forums dedicated to the minutiae of business dress, he will be remembered as the flash muppet with the big, boxy Brioni or whatever the suit was, with its horrid vents and voluminous cut. To others, who frequent forums on ties and cravats, perhaps they will have feigned horror at his loud, backlit Duchamp. All of them will ignore the other elements and go for what they're interested in, in order to support or challenge their prejudices.This type of thing isn't going to make people think negatively, but i've also met a consultant who was loud and brash, big shiny suit and a rolex daytona being flashed, i remember him as the flash muppet with the daytona, but the others just remember him as the flash muppet.
I will no more equate his choice of watch to his personality, and therefore that watch to a broader personality type, as I would equate his choice of steak preparation with that characteristic. Otherwise, if he likes medium-rare with Bearnaise, it should mean all people with the same taste in meat are the same sort of person as him, and should change their tastes to avoid the association?
...but what do I know; I don't even like watches!
1. Well fitting suit (not a poly-blend)
2. Crisp shirt (cotton of course)
3. Tastefull tie (silk of course - poly and comedy ties not allowed!)
4. Whichever watch that makes you feel right for the day. It will be hidden by your sleeve anyway.
IMHO looking the part for an interview is all part of the 'game' - conscious of subconcious - we all judge on appearance. You only get one chance to make a first impression.
My vote would be the Omega by the way.
Good luck and I hope the interview goes well.
I remember once turning up to a meeting wearing a non-date vintage oyster - at 36mm, midsize by today's standards, and no cyclops so certainly quite subtle, even hard to identify for most. It must have been the right choice as the guy we met turned out to be wearing a vintage explorer from the same era. I can only assume we had similar taste, perhaps he thought the same. If there's a moral of the story, I guess it's that you never know what to expect! Maybe just be yourself?
Last edited by Itsguy; 24th August 2012 at 13:27.
That's about right, Neil
Cheers,
Neil.
Well considering this has been my first thread on this forum there has been a great number of replies, which just goes to show, many people have opinions on this.
For the record, the GMTII has been on the wrist all week, both 2nd interviews have gone well and should be through to the next stage on both jobs. Another 2 positions in the pipeline and first interviews should be next week.
Also for the record, the chap interviewing me today had a submariner on (although a little lose on the wrist for my liking) and once again, I certainly saw his eyes drift down to the GMT a couple of times.
As part of the interview process I also had the privalige of an insider tour of one of the finest buildings I've ever had the pleasure to visit - in all my years in the property business. Without giving too much away, think Richard Rogers and insurance.
I had an Interview today........think i blew it by being too smart, The woman interviewing me was wearing worn out fake uggs and a wooly jumper....
I'm there suited and booted, wore my Omega PO8500.............I struggled to take her seriously. I nailed every question/curveball.
I think it's just as important the person the other side of the table makes an effort.
Well that's Poundland for you.....lol
Two great quotes. The first one especially. Fashion is one thing, but grace is beyond style.
This thread demonstrates one thing perfectly - those who have no dress sense tend to focus obsessively on details relevant only to themselves at the expense of actually grasping the basics.
You went to some length to tell us - in your post #102?
For the OP.....
For an Important interview - wear your lucky underpants and forget about watches.......
A
My wife and daughter are always having a go at my dress sense, and how "everything I've got looks the bloody same" I always give them the same reply, "style never goes out of fashion"
As a number of others have mentioned I think you are less likely to have any "negative marks" against you from not wearing a watch than from actually wearing one in an interview. If you have any doubts about it being "too flash" you probably already know that it is.
How on earth do you come to that conclusion from my postI was simply delivering my take on your perceptions. Based on my life experiences to date, of which by age default there are a great number, the piece of metal on your wrist matters not a jot. In someone else’s head (only a wis imo) it may be important, in mine it's totally irrelevant. None of my clients have ever commented on or judged me by a bloody watch is all i said.
I made and make no assumptions about you at all. I suggest you re-read my previous post. My response was a generalisation and aimed largely at the OP who seems, imo, to be stressing over something completely unnecessary.
If you want to agonise over which suit, shirt, tie, shoes and watch you wear to a meeting that is your prerogative. My take is that it's largely a waste of time. Simply arrive on time and 'tidy'. If you want to act the smart arse fine, your would be client will judge you. If you act overly 'joe cool' your client will also judge 'you'. Be yourself in the most natural and uncontrived way, i.e. normal, and 'you' will probably do OK.
For the avoidance of doubt, 'you' in this context is not meant in the personal singular.
If you are worried about, don't wear a watch. Can't go wrong then, can you?
Oi, I own a real estate agency and I drive a Mini, wear Jeans and T-shirts and sport an SD.....;-)
Now seriously, I have been interviewing my share of people in my former job as OPS Manager at Shell, and I'll have to tell you that the interview is nothing about being objectiv.
The facts, you have on the CV (résumé). If the facts are right, an interview is set.
At the interview everything is subjectiv, and I am afraid to say the first impression, in the majority of cases, is what counts! You cannot learn to know a person in 30min or an hour interview. There will be stereotyping, because it is faster!
What car does he drive, how is he dressed, general fitness appearance, clean shoes, hands, hair, teeth, smell, smokes or not, does he look you in the eye, handshake, watch, jewellery...this is all before you start to speak.
Good ( in my book): drives a well maintained, regular car, worth new approx a year's salary I am offering on the job at hand(I put the accent more on well maintained and clean than on fabric), sports a decent suit (preferably dark) in his/her correct size, white shirt and simple tie (no Mickey Mouse), the shoes are clean and waxed, Hands,nails, hair, teeth are clean, the watch should not be worth more than a month salary I am offering and should not shout (think modern Breitling), handshake ferm and not sweaty and he/she should lokk me straight in the eyes when introducing...
Im going to hazard a wild guess here and say pacchi's employees think he is a control freak but he doesnt understand why this might be....
Tbh most of those things are things that people notice, consciously or not, in any situation, but to have worked them up into little rules seems a bit Batemanesque.
it just proves that all interviews are a lottery.
As a IT contractor of nearly 20 years, i am still amazed and frustrated at some of the very bizarre things you get asked at interviews.
i can also recall several occasions over the years where the client has rejected my cv back to the agency as "unsuitable " and then i get an interview via a different agency using the same cv, same rates and conditions .....
Colin or Patrick Bateman?
______
Jim.
Very corporate-think. ;-)
Not a criticism necessarily, just an observation.
'Stepford Husbands' was the phrase that jumped into my head.
Personally i'd go with the SD or '78 GMT. Neither are too flashy IMHO. Alternatively, how about no watch at all?!
Hehe, very good.
This is an interesting thread even though we are beginning to repeat some things!
I do a lot of interviewing, sometimes for senior managerial and operational posts in a public service, and sometimes for highly specialist technical/academic posts: I've had training in this several times, and appearance does matter, but it very much depends on the job role & sector.
A few points strike me that I don't think have been fully made before -
For an interview, the first directives are to wear what you feel comfortable in, and which projects what you feel to be an appropriate image. These go for the whole ensemble - suit/woolie jumper, Loakes/desert boots etc. This is mainly because you need to able not to worry about the effect that any of your stuff is having - you must forget about it and just focus 100% on your interview performance. That's all that matters really: 99% of the world doesn't give a toss about your watch, as long as it's not something wacko (unless you're in media). If you wear something flash it only carries risks.
If it turns out that the interviewer was influenced adversely, then do you really want to work in that organization, and would you fit in?
You might consider listing something about watches in the 'downtime/hobbies' section of an application form or your CV. Or maybe not. Again it would depend on the impression you were trying to create.
If you do, then I suggest you wear something pale-but-interesting (the Omega would be ideal). A ratty Swatch might make them think you were taking the pi$$ (unless it was perhaps a rare early model which you could briefly talk about if asked).
Public services & big commercial organizations have more defined training for interviewers, more tick-box type assessments, and more tightly defined expectations where appearance has less impact (but not zero impact). However, in small firms in the private sector the personal whim of the interviewer is much more important (and, by the way, there is loads of scientific evidence to show these personal whims are highly inaccurate and only weakly predictive of future performance).
If you normally wear a watch and you leave it off for the interview, I think many people would find themselves glancing down at their empty wrist when nervous, and this would look a bit odd. If you don't have something modest and slightly dull to put on, I'd suggest buying a basic, non-bling, business-style quartz Seiko just for interviews - you could rely on it being accurate, for one thing.
Overall, nobody ever failed to get a job because they wore an Omega.
I have heard a few unusual traits from people i have worked for re their interviewing criteria.
One IT manager i worked for long term once told me he would never employ anyone who had sweaty hands detected at handshake time - he dismissed my suggestion that interviewees may be nervous and declared with supreme confidence that people with a sweaty handshake are nervous becasue they are trying to hide something !!.
I think the one factor not mentioned in this post is that it is quite unusual these days for one person to be the decision maker re interviews for precisely the reasons of personal objectivity already discussed here. In my experience it is usual now for there to be at least 3 people involved over the course of 2 interviews and they are usually required to confer about their selected candidates to produce a short-list.
So it should really come down to what you say and what you have done previously and any one persons opinion of your watch is not that likely to count too much.
You could, of course, put down antiquarian horology as a personal interest on your CV - the watch might just work for you in a positive way then.
>> antiquarian horology <<
Assuming you could spell and pronounce it, that is!
(I feel a cue for a Pythonesque sketch, with Eric Idle coming in to be interviewed by John Cleese. His wrist is weighed down with a vast church clock movement...)
Reminds me of a business adage about buying IBM...
But it's probably true, as long as it's not too big. Speaks volumes about the qualities of the interviewers, though.
...but what do I know; I don't even like watches!
have you seen John Cleese in the film "Clockwise" from the 1980's , where he plays a headteacher obsessed with punctuality in all aspects of his life ?
Yes, I adapted the old adage!
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