What does your DS 16 wear for interviews?

[AnnCoats]

My 16 year old son is at college and is desperate for a part time job. He's applied for a few waiting-on jobs at local hotels. Need to get him some suitable interview clothes asap as all he has is jeans, t-shirts and hoodies. Would he need a suit or would that be too formal - maybe smart trousers, shirt and tie?

My 17yo ds wears navy chinos (River Island) and a checked shirt and proper black lace up shoes. I don't think a tie is necessary. Good luck to your ds!

Oh and coach him to shake hands, smile and make eye contact! Sounds obvious but these were the things that made a difference for my ds and got him the job over other candidates

They sell very cheap suits in Matalan or Primark or Asda. I bought DS2 one in Asda last week for £29. OK, it's not the best quality, but it looks perfectly fine on.

DS1 has been for interviews with a suit on as that is what he has to wear for school. I don't think it's too formal, but just smart trousers, shirt and tie would be OK, too.

I interview people, and would say that most of our younger - early twenties - candidates come in smart shirt and trousers with a tie. I wouldn't spend money on a suit.

Agree that some basic drilling on greeting the interviewer would be good. Get him used to answering questions, too. Not prepped answers to possible questions but actually the technique of understanding and answering a question.

Thanks for all the advice - he went to town and chose a nice pair of chinos & a smart checked shirt. I've polished up his old black school shoes - got a good shine with plenty of elbow grease! I got him a skinny tie that matches the shirt but he's not decided if he's wearing it yet.

He's also been practising his eye-contact and hand shake with DH which was quite funny to watch.

Got an interview on Monday at Waitrose so fingers crossed.

Thanks again.

Hi I deliver interview coaching to young people and build my sessions around the following:
S: smile- may sound obvious, but some young people find this difficult but some young people over or under do this, so need to practice.
M: make a good impression- discussing all the different ways you can make a good impression, being smartly dressed is one way, and getting there on time, or even better 5 mins early
A: ask questions, have one or two questions ready for the end of the interview, such as, how flexible are the hours of work, are there opportunities
for overtime, how many stores do you have in xxxx area?
R: research do a small amount of research into the company and or what the job involves etc, you don't need to go overboard for a part time job, but it just shows interest and enthusiasm for the job, which will really impress an employer.
T: thank the interviewer : this is where your practice with a eye contact, and a firm handshake comes Iain.
Good luck to your son,
Gemma