hikingprof
Junior member
Posts: 88
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« on: December 31, 2009, 03:20:43 PM » |
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Happy New Year, all! I have an interview coming up later this month at an "informal-feeling" (based on the conference interview and email exchanges) SLAC. The day before the job talk, decanal meetings, etc., I fly in and then have dinner with the SC.
Given such a situation, do you think I should wear a suit for the dinner, or save it for the next day? I am male and have one suit, though I could alternate shirts and ties to make it look different. I could also wear a nice sport coat, like I would for teaching. For what it is worth, I'm already an assist. prof elsewhere, so I am trying to project myself as more or less a (respectful) equal.
Yes, I realize this falls into the paperclip vs. staple realm of questioning, but such is my mental state right now!
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svenc
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« Reply #1 on: December 31, 2009, 03:26:10 PM » |
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I say sports coat for the dinner, and save the suit for the interview the next day. But don't go any less formal than the sports coat at the dinner (equal or no, it's still an interview).
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In foris veritas.
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antiphon1
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« Reply #2 on: December 31, 2009, 03:26:31 PM » |
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I'd say the sports jacket for dinner and the suit for the interview. You might ask where you are going to dinner before you make a decision.
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helpful
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« Reply #3 on: December 31, 2009, 03:38:14 PM » |
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Depends on the discipline.
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hikingprof
Junior member
Posts: 88
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« Reply #4 on: December 31, 2009, 03:40:56 PM » |
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I'd say the sports jacket for dinner and the suit for the interview. You might ask where you are going to dinner before you make a decision.
This makes sense. Also, I don't tend to see many men wearing suits in restaurants, even formal places. If you have an easy-going kind of rapport with the SC/SCC, could you just ask directly if the sportscoat would be appropriate? Thanks all, for the good advice. I think I will ask the SCC about the attire for the restaurant. |
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msparticularity
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« Reply #5 on: December 31, 2009, 04:00:17 PM » |
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I think you could hardly go wrong with khakis, a shirt and tie, and a sportcoat. SCs are notoriously weird about giving good guidance on matters of attire; they always say something like, "Oh, anything is fine," but the fact remains that there may be people present who would find a dressed-down approach inappropriate. Better safe than sorry, and all the other usual cliches, in other words.
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"Once admit that the sole verifiable or fruitful object of knowledge is the particular set of changes that generate the object of study...and no intelligible question can be asked about what, by assumption, lies outside." John Dewey
"Be particular." Jill Conner Browne
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madhatter
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Posts: 5,673
Just killing time
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« Reply #6 on: December 31, 2009, 05:24:48 PM » |
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Suit and tie or sports coat and tie. Don't ask about the dress code for the restaurant. You are not dressing for the restaurant; you are dressing for the interview.
The only exception would be if they were taking you to a crawfish boil or something and warned you to wear casual clothes and a bib.
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"I may be an evil scientist, but it doesn't take a degree purchased from the Internet with your ex-wife's money to know how special and important you are to me." -- Dr. Doofenschmirtz
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larryc
Hu hatin'
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 18,285
Eschew the hu.
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« Reply #7 on: December 31, 2009, 05:28:10 PM » |
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What Madhatter said.
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svenc
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« Reply #8 on: December 31, 2009, 05:28:20 PM » |
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You are not dressing for the restaurant; you are dressing for the interview.
Ding-ding-ding! Well put, ol' hat. |
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In foris veritas.
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obprof
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« Reply #9 on: December 31, 2009, 05:29:04 PM » |
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Definitely wear a jacket (either the suit or the sport coat) to the dinner and on the plane.
You will look much nicer (jackets are always flattering).
IF the restaurant seems to be very casual, then just take it off.
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hikingprof
Junior member
Posts: 88
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« Reply #10 on: December 31, 2009, 06:00:44 PM » |
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You are not dressing for the restaurant; you are dressing for the interview.
Ding-ding-ding! Well put, ol' hat. True, of course. Asking about the restaurant seems like subterfuge. |
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macaroon
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« Reply #11 on: December 31, 2009, 06:16:31 PM » |
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Jacket - and wear it on the plane.
I dressed a bit more casual on the plane than I did at the interview, but every time you board a plane, you have to keep in mind that you may be wearing that same outfit for the next week. So, I wore something slightly less formal than my suit, but slightly more comfortable and more versatile.
As madhatter says, though, there is a chance that they might take you someplace where you need a bib. I packed a very casual outfit (jeans and a long-sleeve Tshirt) in case I got taken someplace like that. On two interviews, I DID get taken someplace where business casual would have stood out. In both cases, the SC warned me and then gave me time to change at my hotel.
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prytania3
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« Reply #12 on: December 31, 2009, 07:16:50 PM » |
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The old stand-by preppy-wear khakis, Brooks shirt, blue blazer, and tie is almost always appropriate for any restaurant where an SC can afford to take you.
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Clowns, I tell you. Clowns.
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pink_
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« Reply #13 on: January 01, 2010, 09:35:12 PM » |
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Yes, wear a sport coat & tie to dinner.
And for heavens sake, pack your suit in your carry-on!
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Horses don't have seatbelts. Listen to Pink, she's smart.
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t_r_b
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« Reply #14 on: January 01, 2010, 10:33:38 PM » |
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When I saw this thread title, I read it as "Suet for dinner." I immediately thought "wow - there is a school out there that dines candidates even more cheaply than mine!"
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If you want to be zen, then stay in the freaking moment.
A lot of the people posting on this thread need to go out and get kohlrabi.
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