Do I need to wear a suit?

Loobysaver

I haven't got one and don't really feel comfortable wearing one.

The sort of jobs I am going for are office/clerical/admin.

Will it be frowned upon if I wear trousers and a blouse instead?

liney

I assume that by mentioning a blouse, you are female. Females in office environments often do not wear a suit even when their male counterparts do. However, I would definately wear a suit for an initial interview and after that it would depend upon the office culture.

I would also bear in mind that well versed saying: Dress for the job you want, not the job you have...

magenta22

Men: Should wear a suit for an interview. You can always unbutton the jacket once in the meeting room for comfort.

Women: Dress smart.

persa

Loobysaver wrote: »

I haven't got one and don't really feel comfortable wearing one.

The sort of jobs I am going for are office/clerical/admin.

Will it be frowned upon if I wear trousers and a blouse instead?

If you're happy wearing trousers and a blouse, what's the difference between wearing a trouser suit and not really wearing the jacket? (Apart from the cost issue, obviously.) Most suited ladies either hang their suit jackets up or leave them on their back of their chairs for the majority of the day, only putting them on when they're going into a meeting or if the temperature gets nippy.

TBH, you could probably get away with not wearing a suit in most workplaces - us ladies get away with a lot - but I wouldn't take the risk at interview or in my first week. Best to dress as smartly as possible, then scope out the other women when you start work, to figure out where the boundaries of acceptability lie.

Also worth looking at the men - if they're wearing suits and ties, generally we should be wearing a suit. If they're wearing suits without ties, that's their equivalent of smart casual, so we could get away with smart clothes which aren't suits. If the men are wearing jeans - wear whatever you like, as long as you wouldn't feel embarrassed wearing it in front of your mother.

Hope you get a nice office job soon so can put the above into practice! Best of luck.

Nicki

Trousers and a blouse are so easy to get subtly wrong when trying to create a good first impression at interview. For example, there is relatively little difference between these two outfits

http://www.asos.com/Oasis/Oasis-Flannel-Trousers/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=1788885&cid=2640&sh=0&pge=7&pgesize=20&sort=-1&clr=Camel

http://www.asos.com/ASOS/ASOS-Wide-Leg-Trousers-With-Tab-Side/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=1702559&cid=2640&sh=0&pge=0&pgesize=20&sort=-1&clr=Black

but one looks far more professional and appropriate than the other. In fact if you look at the whole collection just on this website, there are only about 3 pairs of trousers which would be suitable for smart office wear without a jacket IMO though I have seen plenty of, especially younger, women try to make other choices work, but not looking right in the office culture. One important thing to consider is whether your role will ever be client facing. A PA or secretary in a professional office who may have to serve coffee to visiting guests can get away with much less than someone who will never get out of the back office.

Andy_L

Wear a jacket/suit. you can always take the jacket off if you have it: you can't put it on if you don't

Loobysaver

Cost is the main issue. I already work in an office but don't have to wear a suit so was planning on wearing my normal office wear which is smart black trousers and blouse.

I have a few interviews lined up in the next week or so, the 1st being tomorrow. I nipped down town earlier and there were absolutely no suits in either New Look, Dorothy Perkins, Asda or Peacocks so it looks like I will have no choice tomorrow. I just hope it doesn't go against me.

paddyrg

You do not need a suit, just make sure you wash and iron your clothes well, look tidy and professional, then see what other people at the office are wearing when you go for interview. It may be that the dress code is suits all round, it may be jeans and T-shirt, but for an interview 'business smart' is appropriate.

LadyMissA

Loobysaver wrote: »

Cost is the main issue. I already work in an office but don't have to wear a suit so was planning on wearing my normal office wear which is smart black trousers and blouse.

I have a few interviews lined up in the next week or so, the 1st being tomorrow. I nipped down town earlier and there were absolutely no suits in either New Look, Dorothy Perkins, Asda or Peacocks so it looks like I will have no choice tomorrow. I just hope it doesn't go against me.

If you are worried have you not thought of getting a suit jacket like from Next and you can match that in with smart black trousers and a white blouse (or another colour)?

http://www.next.co.uk/x482052s3#944954x48

Something like that maybe and you can machine wash it!

Vampgirl

As someone who has just interviewed a few people (and made an offer to one of them) I would say that rules here are definitely different for men and women. For men a suit is a must for an interview but, as has previously been said, for women there is much more leeway and a suit is not at all essential so long as they are dressed appropriately. In fact we eventually offered the role to a woman who wasn't wearing a suit: I can't actually remember precisely what she was wearing except that she looked very smart and professional!

To me what you wear isn't as important as the overall image you present: I would much rather see a woman dressed very smartly but not in a suit, than someone in a suit that hadn't been ironed or someone who hadn't bothered to brush their hair. The fact I can't remember what yesterday's interviewee was wearing isn't really a reflection on my memory (I can remember perfectly well what she looked like and how she responded to questions), rather it shows that she judged her outfit well and that she fitted in to the office environment. After all, you only tend to remember the ones that get it wrong ;-)

persa

LadyMissA wrote: »

If you are worried have you not thought of getting a suit jacket like from Next and you can match that in with smart black trousers and a white blouse (or another colour)?

http://www.next.co.uk/x482052s3#944954x48

Something like that maybe and you can machine wash it!

You can sometimes find smart blazers to buy that aren't part of a suit set, so they don't looked mismatched IFYWIM? Something like that could be a good investment if you can't afford to buy any complete suits. Agree that machine washable is always handy - life is so much more pleasant now that I don't have to handwash every one of my suits...

TBH, Looby, if it's cold where you are, you could maybe get away with a smart coat worn over a blouse and trousers - in the summer when you don't need a heavy coat etc, I think wearing a suit jacket is more expected. If your trousers are quite smart looking, you might come across as 'it would have been too bulky to wear the suit jacket under this coat, so I just wore the suit trousers' rather than 'I don't own a suit.'