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What to wear to interview?

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Todd

Member
Joined
Nov 26, 2001
Posts
16
I'd assume that a suit would be most appropriate but there are several styles and colors.

I was thinking a black suit with a blue shirt maybe. But how about single or double breasted? Does it really matter what color or type of suit one wears as long as you look at act professional during the interview?

Thanks for any thoughts

BTW the interview is with Piedmont
 
860TT? How much multi?

I can't help on the suit question, since I'm an airline wanna be. But I couldn't help myself from asking how much multi time you have. Also, how did you get your resume to them? I'm guessing someone walked it in for you.

Anyway, good luck with your interview!
 
Always go with the dark blue suit, white shirt, plain/boring/conservative maroon/red tie (red with thin blue stripes or something), dark blue socks, black shoes, black belt, and a tiger-print thong. This is good because the uniforms for almost all airline companys are dark blue, white shirt.
 
I second MJE's opinion, EXCEPT for the thong unless you plan on wearing skin-tight pants. It doesn't look good to have your underwear/boxer lining show. (LOL @ MJE, you almost slipped that by me.) You want to keep it simple, conservative, and professional. I wouldn't suggest trying to look different.
 
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I showed up at an interview a few months ago with a blue suit and a yellow tie. I joked around because I was the only guy out of twenty in there who did not have a RED TIE. But hey...I got the job.
 
Hi!

What the third? guy said...Dark suit, white shirt, red tie, dark shoes-wingtips are probably best. I went to a Delta interview and ALL! 20 interviewees were dressed in this manner.

If you're a little off from this, no big deal. However, the further you stray from the norm, the more they will wonder what you're doing, and the less likely you are to get the job. At one interview I was at (ACA) a guy showed up dressed in a red plaid suit with some really funky tie, shoes and an armful of paperwork (no briefcase, bag, etc.). While he may have gotten the job (I didn't), I'm sure that it didn't help him.

Professional pilots need to be consistent and "down to earth". We are not artists, where individuality is required, so the closer to the "norm" you are the easier it is to get a job.

Good Luck!

Cliff
GB,WI

PS-How do you guys who've been furloughed for years and years do it? I've only been furloughed for 6 months, with at least 12 to go, and I'm going CRAZY! I really want to fly, and I don't have the money to do it myself!
 
Todd said:
I'd assume that a suit would be most appropriate but there are several styles and colors.

I was thinking a black suit with a blue shirt maybe. But how about single or double breasted? Does it really matter what color or type of suit one wears as long as you look at act professional during the interview?

Thanks for any thoughts

BTW the interview is with Piedmont
Click to expand...

This is one of the oldest debates around.
There is much conjecture and urban legend about "fitting the mold". That's crap. As long as you look neat and PROFESSIONAL it doesn't matter what you wear. Does that mean show up looking like Austin Powers? Of course not. Just consider what pilots look like... you want them to visualize you in that motif. Wear something conservative (suit), black or Navy Blue. Style doesn't matter. Wear any tie you want; don't listen to that red tie crap.
The most important thing is to be comfortable. Wear the suit around a bit to get comfortable in it. You don't want to wear it for the first time in your interview.

Your clothes matter little. They aren't going to not hire you because they don't like your suit (unless it's so obnoxious that it says something about your judgement). You wouldn't want to work for a co. that did anyhow, right?

I've been through 5 airline interviews and had 4 job offers from them. The one I didn't get was my first and I tried to tell them what they wanted to hear. They can see right through that.
Most important is to go in and be 100% honest. Avoid "canned" answers like you'll get on "gouge" sites. They've heard them all.
You're interviewing them as well as them you. Don't B.S. them to tell them what you think they want to hear... tell them about you and why they should hire you. If you BS and get hired you may end up working in a corporate culture incompatible with you, and that makes for a very unhappy job.
If you fit their culture, you'll do fine. If you don't it wasn't meant to be... go elsewhere.

Good luck.
 
Exactly.

I think IFly is right on the money.

I have somehow gotten three airline jobs without a blue suit or solid red tie... Mine was *gasp* GREY with thin blue stripes... Not like a zoot suit, mind you, but very conservative. I love that suit. :)

Furthermore, my favorite interview tie has red and blue angular stripes, each about an inch wide.

Look... As long as you are dressed professionally, just about any company worth working for isn't going to hold it against you if you aren't wearing a standard blue airline suit... Except maybe CoEx, and trust me, you aren't going to be interviewed THERE anytime soon. :) Anywhere that won't hire you because of your suit is probably not somewhere you want to work anyway.

As for tiger print thongs, I am partial to a thong that matches my tie. When you are coordinated, even if noone can see it, you feel... Well, pretty. :)

Good luck on your interview.
 
I'm with IFFF. If people spent as much time studying the AIM and their Jepps as they did worrying about the suit they are wearing, they'd be better off.

The color of the tie doesn't matter so much, although I try to wear one that has they airline's colors in it. The truth is, I bet if you asked an interviewer at the end of the day what color tie the first guy was wearing, he'd have no clue. Look professional, Act Professional, and know your stuff.
 
This has little to do with interview attire, but it's a good story.

An acquantance of mine was upgrading to MD-80 captain at AA. All in his class were upgrading from F/O on several different airplanes. There was one 727 CA in the classs.

The first day of class had the former 727 CA saying "we didn't do it that way on the 727" to every other remark from the instructor. The next day, the instructor took the 727 guy into the hall and told him to knock it off because he wasn't in a 727 class...he was in a MD-80 class.

After the written was finished at the end of the course, another student asked about proper attire for the oral. The same instructor answered "Dress as confident as you feel!" The one who asked the question showed up in a tuxedo. His oral was done in an hour. Most others were dressed in coat and tie and passsed 60-90 minute orals.

The 727 guy show up in jeans, sneakers and a t-shirt. According to the story I was told, he had a six-hour oral. I never heard if he passed or not. My apologies to AA guys here...this was told to me about 10 years ago. I imagine things are done somewhat differently now.

BTW, I agree with most of the other posters here. A dark suit, white shirt and conservative tie are safe!

Good luck...Fly safe!
 
Piedmont interview...

I wouldn't worry one second about what to wear. The interview is very relaxed and they want you to be relaxed. Remember, you have to wear it all day, plus the flights home.

Good luck and go study the ATP written.
 
What to wear to an interview

My friend and I were searching for a suit that he could also wear to an airline interview and we were having some difficulty communicating the color of blue we wanted. There are at least 50 colors/ shades of dark blue. Finally I said to the man helping us "We need Airline Blue". He immediately knew what we needed . By the way my friend looks great in the suit.

For a female be sure your bra and thong are the same color. This will help you feel very coordinated...a term I have heard a lot while learing to fly.

Good luck to all of you searching for a job.

Nurse Pilot Barbie
 
I wore a white shirt with a black tie (my uniform tie...gasp!) to an interview. No suit. I was offered the job. Of course it was for non-scheduled 135 ops in a Brakillya...
 
Re: What to wear to an interview

My pop is an attorney and he told me about how annoyed he was at the fresh-from-lawschool interviewees. He said they all dressed identically, spoke with similar tonality, and even shared the same boring hand gestures. Obviously they'd all be prepped to convey an "attorney-like" image. My pop liked and hired the ones that broke from the mold and showed they could think for themselves.

Even though all airline pilots dress alike at work that doesn't mean interviewers want to see clones. Stop worrying about what shade of blue the suit is or how the lines of the tie criss-cross! As has been often repeated, just dress neatly and don't obsess about the details.

I wore a J. Garcia tie with green on it (my favorite color) and a non-descript blue-gray pinstripe suit. I'd lost a few pounds between buying the suit and the interview so it was a bit bulkier than I would've liked, but that's all I had so I went with it. As Garfield says, "Big, fat, hairy deal!"
 
Is this still the norm?

This post is a bit old, is everyone still wearing the same color, etc...
 
Re: Is this still the norm?

Habib said:
This post is a bit old, is everyone still wearing the same color, etc...
Click to expand...

I wore a green suit, white shirt and green pattern tie to my interview. I know it sounds horrible, but it was actually a very nice shade of green and the entire ensamble did look very professional, it just wasn't what everyone else was wearing. I liked the suit so much I wore it in my new hire class photo.

I guess the moral of the story is that they are interviewing you, not your suit. Just wear something "professional" and don't worry about the colors. If they like you, you're hired, if they don't, the color of your tie won't get you the job
 
I wore a J. Garcia tie
Click to expand...

Dude, I love those Garcia ties!

BTW, I.P.Freely, your avatar creeps the sh1t out of me.
 
commonality

go commando

seriously though...
i didn't wear a suit, just pants, shirt, tie, nothing fancy to my 121 inquisition

can't even remember what colors they were, everyone else in the interview class thought i was the 'mole' planted to watch them cause i looked different than all the rest of the automotons
but hey, not to brag, i got the job most of them didn't
 
I wore a regular dark grey suit to my interview, the interviewers never said anything about it or appeared to look at it.
 
Wear the suit that you feel most comfortable in. I had a nice charcoal gray suit that I had worn to several special events, including my wedding and a couple of interviews. When I had another interview coming up, I found that the cat had pulled the suit off the hanger and pissed all over it. (Anyone need a fur stole?) The only other suit I had was double breasted, olive green.

Maybe the green suit would have been fine but I did not feel comfortable in it for an interview so I went to the Men's Wearhouse and got another charcoal gray one for $150. It was stricktly for piece of mind. The last thing I wanted to think about during the interview was how I looked in my suit. Remember, you want to project an aura of confidence. I've seen guys wear all color suits. It's all about how you present yourself.

As far as ties go, a friend suggested to wear the colors of the company your interviewing with. With some exceptions, like Contintental Express, that'll be blue and red.

Bottom line, wear what makes you feel good and confident.
 
Stop wasting anytime even thinking about what tie or shade of blue. Where a suit. Gray, tan, black, blue,brown, olive green, stripe, no breast, triple breast. Do you really think you have a better chance of being hired with a red tie rather than a yellow or green one?
I interviewed with 4 121 operations and saw every combination above and the people with the best personalities and most knowledge got the offers.

When I interviewed at Mesaba which is the job offer I accepted there were 15 of us no 2 matched a good mix of 7 CFI's, 3 135, 3 corporate, 2 Military. 6 of us got offers. Any guesses.

Both military guys, whom I would have put my money on, bombed the sim and were gone. The Frasca must not have flown like the F-18.

In the end myself 3 other cfi's and 1 corp. girl and 1 135 guy had the job.

Long story but, study and get some sim time is moral of the story. Wear any suit you like.
 
Regardless of what suite you decide to wear, remember this.

To the person doing the interview, when they look at you they are looking at you with this in mind, "This is the very best this person can look." With that in mind prepare yourself and your wardrobe accordingly.

Shine your shoes, get a haircut (3 days prior to interview), manicure your nails (no, not polish, just clean and trim), I'm sure you have the idea.

Stand tall, be self assured, not cocky.

Smile, relax, and be polite.

Good Luck
 
I was offered a job with comair about six years ago. Didn't take it because I couldn't afford the $11,000 price tag. My point is I was soo poor at the time, I couldn't afford a suit either. I showed up in khakis (sp?), dress shoes and a nice shirt with tie. EVERYONE else looked like clones from the pilot factory. I guess what I'm saying is I got the job offer because they liked me....not my clothes.
 
OldManPilot said:
.

Stand tall, be self assured, not cocky.



Good Luck
Click to expand...



not cocky??? this is still a predominantly pilot group, isn't it???

*looks around bewildered*




(i'm kidding, of course. somewhat.)
 

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