What to wear for an informal interview

[Loopzy]

My son has an informal interview on Teams for an office based apprenticeship. Please could someone advise what he should wear for this?

Also, does anyone have any good questions he could ask or any tips? He has no idea what to expect, as this is his first interview and is getting quite worked up about it now. The interview will last around 30 minutes.

Many thanks

Shirt and tie. Or at the very least a tidy shirt (rather than polo shirt or y shirt).
Chinos or smart jeans.

Ask about structured training; rotation about different teams/skills/supervisors; the outcomes of any previous apprentices. Tye type of clients the company works for, or suppliers they work with. Any recent key projects (it would help if he could Google and see if he can find out some if their recent works).

I'd advise him to dress as though he already works there, if he knows what staff in the office normally wear. That's most likely to be a shirt and smart trousers.

A smart button down shirt maybe, wouldn’t bother with a tie

No tie, that will look daft. Just a shirt is smart enough and they won’t see his bottom half.

He should ask questions like ‘what will
a typical day look like?’, ‘is there a mentoring program?’ Etc

Do research the company and ask what a typical day would involve. Ask about clients, objectives, values.

Also (having shown interest in the company) ask about the orientation period and wfh. If there are core hours when the entire office is in? Joining a new firm can be really difficult nowadays for young people starting out when no one is in the office!

Good luck!

It's zoom, so a collar but no tie.

Log in early to iron out any tech issues.

Be human & smile when doing the introductions.

Defo ask questions about the role - what might the day to day involve, will there be oppentunity to progress, does the company support training etc.

Get him to do some research so he knows what the company does - any major projects of clients they deal with or were involved in. Think of a question around it if possible 'read that you've just finished XYZ, what will be your next big project?'

Practice 'telling us a little about yourself'

And I'd remember that interviewers get nervous too. Everyone in that room will want him to do well.

Oooh good luck 🤞

Thank you all for the advice and tips, it's much appreciated. I'm really hoping it is office based and not WFH, at least to begin with, as he needs to get out of his bedroom and regain his confidence.

Thanks again.

Absolutely if it's his first job then a collar but no tie. If in doubt, dress in a suit because it's better to be overdressed than underdressed. Good luck to him!

How did it go?

Shirt and trousers, doesn't need to be buttoned up doesn't need a tie.

@IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads I don't know anyone who wears a tie to interviews anymore not even in finance, accounting, reporting etc

@IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads The interview is on Thursday morning. I'm trying to help him feel more relaxed about it, as it won't help if he's worrying about it until then!

I will update after the interview!

Good luck to him, is he used to zoom? If not is there a way to do a practice chat with him so he knows what it’s all like.

Fair enough. I interviewed a school leader recentjy who was! It didn't strike me as being out of place.

‘Informal interview’ is a ridiculous oxymoron - there’s nothing informal about an interview - which ought to be rigorous and searching, with a clearly defined purpose.

It’s a little concerning that your OP gives the impression your son has not, himself, thoroughly researched the company. He should know what to expect - because he should have asked them. When did they tell him it would be ‘informal’? How did they define that - as opposed to a ‘formal’ interview? What did they say they wanted the interview to achieve - and how did they say it would be conducted? These are all things he’s entitled to know in advance.

Practising on Zoom is hardly going to be helpful if the interview is on Teams!

As its at home, get him to stick key words and phrases on the wall behind his computer so he remembers what stuff he needs to drop into the chat.

DS felt the interview went well, thank you for all the helpful tips. We had a practice run the day before, to make sure the camera was at the right level and the lighting was okay. He also stuck post-it notes on the wall behind and had notes at the side in case they fell off! He told the interviewer he was making notes, so it wouldn't look bad if he was looking away. He was very nervous before, as he's never had an interview and missed out on mock interviews and work experience due to covid. We're keeping fingers crossed that he hears something soon!

@Aixellency I'm not sure why you think my son did not thoroughly research the company. He had researched the company, values, products, etc. He did a lot of preparation and afterwards, he felt he had overprepared if anything. It doesn't matter how well prepared you are, you can still feel anxious about the unknown.

For Govt jobs/ local and UK - it's still very common to wear a tie for interviews. It's the norm really.