Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: dressed to impress

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Posted by Alan Plester (Member # 852) on 02-08-2009, 05:36 AM:

Is it me or what? Went for an open day interview dressed as always for that kind of thing, shirt tie ect, and was surrounded by people who just looked like they could`nt be bothered to even try to make a statement about themselves, hoodies,jeans,tracksuit bottoms,.. Reminded me of a story,some time ago, when a local gas station was advertising for an attendant and some one walked into the office dressed as above,and the boss told him to leave,the person argued that he was only going to pump gas, " Dont care " said the boss " you wont be pumpin gas dressed like that and your not sittin in my office like that either" .
Question, would you as an employer look at potential persons dressed as above?. Dressing as i did, got me two interviews the same day, and on top of one of the forms that the employer was filling in was written " v s d c i c ". Knowing some one that had worked for the company before in the management sector led me to ask the question what if any, those letters meant, Very smart dress code ideal candidate, was the answer I felt good.
Do you think that dress code on first meeting helps? I was always told first impressions count.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 02-08-2009, 10:51 AM:

I'm currently interviewing people for a graphic design position in my department. Most of the candidates come to the meeting dressed decently, but not really to impress. It's just halfway dress casual -a step above jeans and a t-shirt.

Worse, only ONE applicant so far has brought an actual portfolio of work. Most of the candidates are expecting a list of applications they know placed on a résumé is enough. Knowledge of Photoshop? Who gives a shit. Show me some actual artwork you put together. Anyone can learn how to click around in a graphics application. Not everyone has artistic/graphic design talent.

This problem has me wanting to visit Cameron University (our local big college) and chew out the instructors in their art and multimedia design departments. These "geniuses" aren't giving their students the tools they need to be productive in an actual graphic design job. They're not even teaching the kids how to present themselves in a job interview (dress professionally, bring a portfolio, a "tear sheet" and perhaps a résumé).

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 02-08-2009, 11:17 AM:

I always think that even if you're applying for a low position you should dress up a bit. Like if they say that the interviews are "casual dress" you'll be one who stands out. More likely to be remembered.

Bobby,
The problem you're seeing with that school is their focus on being an academic institution rather than a professional school. Happens a lot.

Posted by Jeremy Weigel (Member # 4208) on 02-08-2009, 11:20 PM:

I've turned away many an applicant when they've not come in to interview properly dressed and groomed.

Posted by Barry Floyd (Member # 385) on 02-09-2009, 09:52 AM:

quote: Bobby Henderson
Knowledge of Photoshop? Who gives a shit. Show me some actual artwork you put together. Anyone can learn how to click around in a graphics application. Not everyone has artistic/graphic design talent.

How true Bobby. I'm a draftsman/designer for a Civil Enginnering firm, and have been in this line of work since 1987. Although I happen to use a computer and software to produce my work, those 2 things are merely "tools" that I use to accomplish my tasks. Having the ability to "click around" in a software package is one thing, but there has to be a learned and developed talent by the operator to actually end up with a usable result.
For me it's my responsiblilty to take the ideas and designs of mine and others and convey that on paper in such a way that the average Joe driving a D8 can understand what my engineers want for a final product.

Posted by Barry Floyd (Member # 385) on 02-09-2009, 04:02 PM:

I do all of the hiring and/or firing at my theatre, and I'm pretty picky about who I choose to work for me. Usually once a year in the spring, we'll have a "Now Hiring Day" at the drive-in. I put it up on the marquee and it usually brings in a cattle call of anybody and everybody who's looking for some part-time employment. I'll hand anybody an application who shows up, but won't necessarily hire them. If they can't write ledgibly - it sends a signal to me that they probably can't read very well either. If they don't have a social security number, they go into a totally separate pile. If they dress like a slacker, their work ethic is probably the same. What gets me more than anything are the ones who fill out an application and don't put any type of phone number on there to contact them.

I stress to all of my employees that their attitude and appearance on the job, reflects upon me and my business. If you want to wear facial piercings, visible tatoos, or multicolored hair....AT WORK, I'm probably not the kind of guy you want to work for.

I don't care what my employees do when they're not at work. They can drink whatever, smoke whatever, and do whoever they want when they're not at work, but the second they are scheduled for work, they should be dressed in uniform, and be in a bodily physical condition to be able to fulfill the requirements of their job. If they show up intoxicated or under the influence of anything, they no longer have a job with me.

Nothing against today's youth, but I find my most reliable employees to either be college age students, or older adults looking to supplement their day job income. Teenagers today work for two things... gas money and cell phone money, while the adults usually have a set goal of what they want to accomplish with the money they make at their part-time job. I had one lady in her mid-40's who used to work for us solely to pay her daughter's private school tuition.

When showing up to an interview, you've only got one shot at a first impression, and while a shirt and tie might be fine for the office environment interview, it would probably be overboard in a theatre environment - unless you were applying for a management position.

On another note: I stopped at McDonalds last night on the way home to pick up dinner for the family and while inside a young man came in and asked for an application. The manager told him, "I'm sorry we're out of ENGLISH applications, all we have available are in Spanish. [Confused]

It just reminded me of the comedian I once heard say... "If America is the melting pot.... then melt damn it."

Posted by Scott D. Neff (Member # 185) on 02-09-2009, 04:09 PM:

I think for a theatre environment the smart applicant guages what the staff is wearing and dresses of equal or greater value.

If floor staff wears a polo and black pants, I think a button up with or without tie and black slacks would be just fine. If the floor staff wears vest and bow tie, I think a button up with tie is an absolute must.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 02-09-2009, 05:33 PM:

A theater is an entry-level job. As such, I think a tie is going overboard no matter what the uniform is. It seems... desperate.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 02-09-2009, 11:24 PM:

I guess I don't really care too much how they're dressed when the kids come in to interview. As long as they're:

1. Clean
2. Not tattooed where I can see it
3. Not pierced anywhere on the face (except those little nose studs are OK)
4. Not toting a friend along

...they have a pretty good chance as long as they have a fun personality.

Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 02-10-2009, 12:21 AM:

Ties are difficult. You don't want to outdress your interviewer. My standard interview clothes are a blue button up shirt tucked in to black slacks with a belt and black shoes. I usually leave the tie in the car. If you arrive and others are dressed up, the tie goes on. Otherwise it remains off. A lot of young guys don't know how to select a tie. It should incorporate colors that match your pants and shirt together. In my case it's a black tie with small blue stripes. Finally, I make sure I've shaved and that my hair looks sharp. Smile and be cheerful.

Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 02-10-2009, 01:02 AM:

I usually do mass hirings - 5-10 people at a time as needed to fill the staff. And I normally only hire in late October and late April. And then I usually have to hire 2-3 people at a shot a couple times a year.

About a month before I'm ready to start hiring I'll start asking my good employees if they have friends who are looking for a job. The word usually gets out and I get a decent stack of applications. I pre-screen the apps by asking my employees for their opinions, making sure the app is completely filled in, and any contact I've had with the person as a customer or when they've checked up on their app. For this reason, I usually only schedule 2-3 interviews more than what I intend to hire and I go in with the mindset that the job is theirs to lose.

When it comes to appearance I'm flexible as long as they are clean cut. I realize some of the kids may be coming directly from sports practice or something else.

When I conduct the interview, I'm more looking for what I don't like than what I do like. Most everyone is trying to give me the answers they think I want to hear and they all blur together to the point that hardly anyone ever stands out. What I'm looking for is people who are evasive, who seem to have a chip on their shoulder, who are not articulate, or otherwise give me a bad vibe.

I'm basically trying to get them in the door so I can actually see how they work. I've had enough experiences with people who started good and then became slackers, and vice versa, that I reserve judgment until they've been there a week or so.

Lets face it, most of them are high school kids and this is their first job. They may not have had much instruction in school about how to present yourself for an interview. And the work I'm asking them to do is very low level for minimum wage.

I also tend to shy away from some of the uber students because they often have many other activities and work availability is limited. Plus, I've seen many who can solve the quadratic equation calculate molarity, but can't count change. My ideal candidate is usually a B student who is maybe in a club or sport and will be heading to a community college or a local state university. It's also someone who has to work for their own things because their family can't afford to give them everything.

Posted by Ken Lackner (Member # 1002) on 02-10-2009, 06:25 AM:

quote: Mike Blakesley
3. Not pierced anywhere on the face (except those little nose studs are OK)

Why is a nose stud acceptable but nothing else is? I'm not saying that personally I do or don't like any particular type of piercing. Personally, I would tend to think a nose stud is OK, too. But if you're going to enforce a no-facial-piercings policy, how can you make an exception for one particular type just because you think it's ok?

Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 02-10-2009, 07:44 AM:

A little nose stud is usually fairly inconspicuous. It's the bit hoops, balls, and spikes jutting from various parts of the face that get offensive. Facial piercings are a tough one for me because I generally think they look disgusting. But when you think about it, are they any worse than pierced ears - just in a different location.

We do have a clause in our dress code that we reserve the right to make the judgment on visible body piercings, visible tattoos, and artificial nails.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 02-10-2009, 08:37 AM:

We live in a casual society today....

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 02-10-2009, 04:08 PM:

Good luck hiring anyone who DOESN'T have craploads of piercings and tattoos. We don't seem to be able to. Even our GM has a lip ring (which he removes at work). I wonder what makes people even want to get such piercings... they look like ass!

Posted by Poon Limpapun (Member # 4551) on 02-10-2009, 04:19 PM:

I do group interviews and we do turn people who are dress improperly away.
We have a saying that : Our Professional Theatres doesn't hire Unprofessionally dressed people.

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 02-10-2009, 09:55 PM:

quote: Justin Hamaker
We do have a clause in our dress code that we reserve the right to make the judgment on visible body piercings, visible tattoos, and artificial nails.

Back in the Seattle area they were talking about making a rule against artificial nails for handling food.

Seriously, those things make a hotbed for massive microbial growth. I couldn't care less about how they look professionally. If I was in charge of a theater, those things would disallowed. The health of guests trumps someone wanting to "show their individuality."

Posted by Galen Murphy-Fahlgren (Member # 4535) on 02-11-2009, 12:19 AM:

When I turned in my application at my first theater, I was probably a little under dressed. Decent pair of blue jeans (no engine oil stains or anything) and a fairly subtle Snakes on a Plane t-shirt. My old GM had a sense of humor, and I probably got the interview because of the Snakes on a Plane, but he also gives interviews for things such as "being Scottish." When you have a foot tall stack of applications, you give interviews based on some interest factor. It is a good system. Being named Galen helped too.

For the interview, I wore black pants and a white collared shirt without tie. The uniform was black pants, white collared shirt, vest, crappy bow tie, so it was appropriate.

For my interview for my current position, black pants, burgundy shirt, complementary red tie. When interviewing for a management position, one should look like a manager. I even shaved!

All of my other jobs have been working for former Scoutmasters of mine, so I didn't have interviews. If I were interviewing for a better job than mine, it would be suit and tie all the way. I don't think suit and tie ever looks desperate for a serious job, unless the shirt is wrinkled or the outfit is otherwise distressed looking. Also, depends on the suit. People who wear black suits to interviews are saying that they only own one suit, and they have no fashion sense, so that one suit is black.

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 02-11-2009, 12:39 PM:

The guy gives people interviews based on ethnicity? Is that what you're saying? I sure hope that's not what was meant.

Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 02-11-2009, 12:50 PM:

Most anyone who does interviews is going to have some sort of bias. The trick is not admitting such a bias. But as Galen pointed out, when wading through a stack of applications - many of whom you may not have taken personally, anything that makes someone stand out can make a difference.

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 02-11-2009, 01:02 PM:

There's nothing wrong with finding something that makes a person stick out. That's not at all what I was referring to.

Posted by Galen Murphy-Fahlgren (Member # 4535) on 02-11-2009, 01:37 PM:

No, he gives interviews based on something that catches his eye. This employee is a first generation American, and is an interesting guy. He got an interview because he made a point on his application of his pride in his Scottish heritage. The staff at his theater is very diverse, both ethnically and socially, and he makes it a point of pride to find interesting people who do their jobs well. Most teenagers have about the same work skills (none), and when you have literally 500 applications, you have the option of finding people who aren't boring.

Posted by Barry Floyd (Member # 385) on 02-11-2009, 03:02 PM:

quote: Galen Murphy-Fahlgren
No, he gives interviews based on something that catches his eye.

If I did that, I'd end up with an entire staff of high school cheerleaders and college girls. [Big Grin]

However, my wife actually goes thru the applications with me and weeds out the "possibles" and the "snow balls chance's", leaving me with the task of checking references and setting up interviews.

Posted by Galen Murphy-Fahlgren (Member # 4535) on 02-11-2009, 03:24 PM:

There is no field on their application for cup size...