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AIBU?

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Original poster

To expect apprentices to look smart?

133 replies

sproodlemummy · 31/07/2018 10:06

Currently interviewing for apprentices at our company, have so far seen 6 boys ranging from the age of 16-19. All except 1 of them has turned up in Jeans & T-Shirt!! WFT????

AIBU to expect them to look smarter?? Their parents drop them off so they are very aware of how they are dressed. My parents wouldn't have left me leave the house without a suit on for an interview.

The environment in which they could be working is not a suit based workplace, but still i'd like to see them make a bit of effort.

Is it a sign of the times and I'm just becoming am already and old fart???

OP posts:
LookAtIt · 31/07/2018 11:05

YABU but I think the 5 lads dressed in jeans and a tshirt were being unreasonable too! There is a middle ground.

Why don’t you inform people you are interviewing that you expect them to dress up for the interview. I’d include instructions along with the interview time. If you are a casually dressed company then I can understand why they might think it’s ok to wear something casual.

I wouldn’t ask for them to wear suits. It’s pointless and expensive. It’s also a barrier for disadvantaged applicants and we wouldn’t want that , would we?😁

Buying suits for teens is especially pointless as they are still growing. Even if they have stopped growing in height they often fill out a little as they reach their 20’s

PurpleDaisies · 31/07/2018 11:06

Don’t be ridiculous. They can wear their old school uniform, sixth form uniform, funeral/prom/special occasion suit, dad’s suit jacket, friend’s shirt and tie, etc.

Again, the assumption is that their social circle will have these things. Not everyone is from that sort of background and it’s bad that these teens lose out to their more advantaged peers based on dress code rather than ability.

chickenowner · 31/07/2018 11:08

Well if it isn’t a suit based work place why would they wear a suit?

Because it's a job interview?

PurpleDaisies · 31/07/2018 11:09

They’re finishing school and beginning their careers, at some point a suit is going to be necessary.
Is it? My friend who is a skilled steel worker has never needed a suit. He still has a successful career. Apparently (clean and smart) jeans and t shorts are standard in their engineering firm interviews.

Original poster
sproodlemummy · 31/07/2018 11:11

Let me be clear, if an interviewee turned up in Jeans but had a cracking interview & came across really well then the fact that he had worn jeans wouldn't be detrimental towards him at all.

It was a general observation that all but one candidate had worn jeans. I do agree that a suit is a OTT but smart trousers/black jeans and a shirt would be nice to see and I do feel as though Schools and Colleges should be setting these expectations.

Yes we are based in an engineering environment but we are the opposite of a greasy workshop and deal in cutting edge technology and plan to totally invest in our apprentices. We definitely see that this is the way forward in this industry. As a company we will be investing in this candidate in order for them to be a fully qualified Engineer. One of our apprentices has just completed his HNC in Mechanical Engineering at a cost of over £10k to the company, plus day release for the last 2 years. We will continue to support him if he wants to further his qualifications. Given all of this and the time and money we will potentially be investing in this person it would be nice if they turned up having made a bit of an effort with what they are wearing.

OP posts:
Bekabeech · 31/07/2018 11:11

YANBU - I would expect at least smart Chinos and Shirt. That doesn't have to cost much. If they have an interview and have a suit Timpson's will dry clean it for free. My DS was on his 2nd suit by 16, and was expected to wear one to his school every day (it was a pain).
Jeans and a T shirt isn't okay - and not only are their parents letting them down turning up like that, but their schools were - my DC's Comprehensive gives all pupils a mock interview and plenty of guidance on things like how to dress for an interview.

AlexanderHamilton · 31/07/2018 11:12

A 17 year old at an FE college won't have old school uniform that fits and many won't have a parent whose clothers fit them either. A friend of ds's as ked recently if he could borrow a black shirtfor a concert. Only he's a big lad and my dh is rather slim. My ds's funeral/special occasion wear is a pair of smart black jeans and a polo shirt.

PurpleDaisies · 31/07/2018 11:13

Given all of this and the time and money we will potentially be investing in this person it would be nice if they turned up having made a bit of an effort with what they are wearing.

How do you know they haven’t?

Kokeshi123 · 31/07/2018 11:13

Don't most sixth formers who are not wearing uniform have to wear "business smart" clothes? Even if they do not have a full on suit, a collared long sleeved shirt, long trousers that are NOT jeans and leather shoes ought to be doable, in that case. Is there really anyone who does not have a tie and is not able to borrow one off someone?

claireblueskies · 31/07/2018 11:13

I think you're being a bit unreasonable.

It's a manual, low-paid job that will not require them to subsequently wear a suit. Given the cost barrier, weather and the fact that no one in that line of work wears a suit, their clothing wouldn't put me off.

FWIW, I interview students for jobs in professional services, where people do often wear suits, but my company is much more laid back. Casual attire still wouldn't put me off (as long as it wasn't extreme!) and I would be more interested in how sharp their minds were, their attitudes to learning and what experience if any they had already managed to acquire elsewhere.

I would be harsher towards an adult job seeker because I would expect them to access help for obtaining a suit - I know it's tricky to get this from the job centre, but there are charities in my city that suit up people who can't afford smart clothing. Finding this out and getting a suit requires a bit of initiative and that's something that I value in my line of work.

PurpleDaisies · 31/07/2018 11:15

Is there really anyone who does not have a tie and is not able to borrow one off someone?

Try working in a deprived area. Hmm

ScrumpyCrack · 31/07/2018 11:16

An assumption that 16-17 year olds have been to school isn’t an assumption on their social circle.

‘That sort of background’ = school?

It’s about professionalism. We’re not talking about a 3 piece expensive suit, just a pair of smart trousers and a shirt. How can someone get to the age of 17 and never have the need for a pair of dark trousers and a shirt? Be it for school, sixth form, from hand-me-downs, etc?

Why so many assumptions that they’re all below the poverty line? How are they getting to the OP’s office? How are they expecting to get there every weekday and buy their lunch?

AlexanderHamilton · 31/07/2018 11:17

Kokeshi - would n our area most schools don’t have 6th forms. The two local 6th form/FE colleges have no dress code whatsoever. When I went there back in the day I wore jeans & leggings.

Dd’s College has a uniform of black jogging bottoms & black top.

Kokeshi123 · 31/07/2018 11:17

It's a manual, low-paid job that will not require them to subsequently wear a suit.

Ahem---the OP just said that:

...we are the opposite of a greasy workshop and deal in cutting edge technology and plan to totally invest in our apprentices. We definitely see that this is the way forward in this industry. As a company we will be investing in this candidate in order for them to be a fully qualified Engineer. One of our apprentices has just completed his HNC in Mechanical Engineering at a cost of over £10k to the company, plus day release for the last 2 years. We will continue to support him if he wants to further his qualifications.

The lads are not going to breaking rocks or digging ditches for a living, in other words.

PurpleDaisies · 31/07/2018 11:18

How are they expecting to get there every weekday and buy their lunch?

Don’t these jobs come with, er, wages?

ScrumpyCrack · 31/07/2018 11:18

Don’t these jobs come with, er, wages?

In advance?

Kokeshi123 · 31/07/2018 11:19

I'm going to remember this thread every time someone is heard moaning about the pointlessness of uniforms and school dress codes. At the very least, they ensure that teenagers have someone passable to wear when they turn up to a job interview.

Kokeshi123 · 31/07/2018 11:20

someTHING, ugh.

greendale17 · 31/07/2018 11:20

I would expect shirt and a tie, smart trousers, shoes as a minimum whatever the workplace.

PurpleDaisies · 31/07/2018 11:22

In advance?

Ffs. Are you for real?

Someone who is poor might be able to scrape by until pay day in the expectation that they will improve their situation by having a job. Spending money they don’t have on smart clothes in case they might be successful at interview is not the same at all.

Wonderwine · 31/07/2018 11:24

I went for my first interview in a suit I bought from a charity shop for about £5.
I agree teens won't necessarily have a suit, but they need to make some effort. Smart chinos/black jeans and a collared shirt from Primark cost about £12 in total.
It's a background thing though - if parents or school don't tell them that's what they should do, then how do they know?

senua · 31/07/2018 11:24

These days, there are several (sometimes hundreds of) applicants for every job. It is up to the applicant to put on their best show. If they can't be bothered to do that then they deserve the consequences.

LockedOutOfMN · 31/07/2018 11:25

I would not judge them on their clothes. I would expect them to be clean and have combed their hair, cut their fingernails. I would expect them to turn up on time and show a clear interest in - even a passion for - the job.

Jaxhog · 31/07/2018 11:25

For goodness sake, how hard is it to turn up with freshly pressed trousers or skirt and a shirt? Even a supermarket sells these. While I agree that some families can't afford this - most can. It shows interest and respect for the job.

Don't schools and parents know to tell them this?

Clairetree1 · 31/07/2018 11:26

you are being completely unreasonable,

you expect them to come in clothes worth £150 ish, or there about?

at an age when clothes will most likely fit them for a few months at least?

Borrow??? borrow from whom? if they have a friend rich enough to own a £150 set of clothes and not to worry about lending it out, what are the chances they would be the same size and shape?