Enrollment / Swearing In Ceremony [MERGED]

[dbp1901]

Hello everyone,
Thanks for helping out. Everyone dressed very casual. CFAT went well, now i have an interview in a week. So the question now is, would wearing  suit to the interview seem like trying to hard? Or is it normal to wear a suit for this kind of interview?

 

[PuckChaser]

Its a job interview. What you wear is gonna project who you are and how much you care about getting into the CF. You don't need to wear a suit, but you shouldn't be dressed below business casual.

 

[jwtg]

Hello everyone,
Thanks for helping out. Everyone dressed very casual. CFAT went well, now i have an interview in a week. So the question now is, would wearing  suit to the interview seem like trying to hard? Or is it normal to wear a suit for this kind of interview?

1) No, you will not look like you're trying too hard.  You'll look professional, and you're interviewing to become a professional.  A suit is not over-dressed for a CF interview.  I wore one and I got in.

2) I'm sure that when you ask for 'normal' you're going to get a bunch of different answers from people who got through their own interview wearing whatever they wore.  My experiences: I wore a suit and got in.  My dad (retired senior officer) told me that I should wear a suit.  A retired NCO I worked with told me that I should wear a suit.  From my seat, a suit is normal.  I'm sure experience varies.

You question seems to be simply: Is a suit too much or is it appropriate?  It is definitely not too much, and it is definitely appropriate; however, there may be other things that are also acceptable.

Good luck.

 

[KanD]

G'day,
I simply wanted to add my suggestion regarding appropriate attire whilst sitting for your CFAT. I passed the CFAT earlier today in Montreal. I would have dressed differently if I had known how the day was to unfold.

I wore clean jeans with a tucked in dress shirt (all ironed) in the hopes not to look like an actual graduate student. After the CFAT, my file caused a bit of confusion, requiring me to follow the Captain in charge across multiple floors, visiting multiple clerks, whom I will most likely be seeing again for the remainder of the process. Thus, expect the unexpected, play it safe and wear something half decent (I second the khakis/dress pants). A suit would be overkill for the CFAT IMHO.

Just a friendly suggestion, take full advantage of the bathroom break offered to you before the start of the CFAT. My mind started calculating the theoretical capacity of my bladder, and how many minutes I had left before it would burst rather than the math required on screen.

 

[CountDC]

lol - things have changed, bet I wouldn't get in today.

I wore my sh** kicking boots, jeans, leather jacket, beasties, earring, full facial hair and a nice haircut - down to just above the butt - to my first military interview for the reserves.  Wonder why I was the only one sent immediately for fingerprinting (even my brother wasn't sent)??  Sure made an impression - the recruiting officer remembers me and the interview to this day and the instructors on my basic mainly left me alone as they thought I was crazy and were afraid to trigger me (of course they waited until grad to tell me).

For the CT interview I looked much different - nice green uniform, shaved and short hair.  Guess that is why they sent me to the navy. ^-^

 

[Habs]

I wore khakis and a collared shirt, and I was over dressed compared to everyone else... I'd recommend at least wearing that, however, a suit may be overkill.

 

[MedCorps]

For the CFAT make sure you man-scape... just in case.

MC

 

[seawolf]

For the CFAT make sure you man-scape... just in case.

MC

And for women candidates what do you suggest? 

 

[PMedMoe]

And for women candidates what do you suggest? 

The female equivalent of man-scaping, of course. 

 

[TheraF]

I would also like to see suggestions for women.
I would assume again professional, no clevage, nothing too short or revealing, no stilloettos etc
But is a dress okay? Should I go dress pants instead? Hair up?

 

[The_Falcon]

I would also like to see suggestions for women.
I would assume again professional, no clevage, nothing too short or revealing, no stilloettos etc
But is a dress okay? Should I go dress pants instead? Hair up?

Wear clean clothes, don't smell, and don't look like a slob.  Really no one in the RC cares what you wear.

 

[GnyHwy]

Business casual is good, or dress as you would if you were going to golf course, and you're not Happy Gilmore.

 

[Shiggalowe]

Business casual is good, or dress as you would if you were going to golf course, and you're not Happy Gilmore.

Well, I feel silly for even considering it then. I guess it's a good thing I left the bruins jersey hanging up and wore a nice dress shirt

Edit: I already took my CFAT, doy 

 

[Jarnhamar]

I'd wear running shoes with blue jeans and a golf shirt.

 

[GnyHwy]

I'd wear running shoes with blue jeans and a golf shirt.

Well, if your going to wear the blue jeans, you might aswell go all the way and sport the Motley Crue T as well.

 

[GnyHwy]

Wear something that is somewhere in between these two guys.

 

[Jarnhamar]

Well, if your going to wear the blue jeans, you might aswell go all the way and sport the Motley Crue T as well.

naw you can look professional and serious without looking like you went out that weekend and bought the nicest clothes you could afford

I always got a kick out of dressing up (overdressing) for interviews, it's like your first exposure to an employer is portraying yourself to be someone you're not.

 

[bcbarman]

"Overdressing" is a moot point.  I don't care if you are going to sweep floors or swim sewage ditches at the job you are interviewing for, you put your best foot forward.  I have done hiring in both the CF as a recruiter and in the civvy world as a manager, and the mantra is true. You dress for the job you want.

People that take the 15 minutes!!! to comb their hair, put on a tie and de-lint their jacket will take the 5 minutes at the end of a shift to make sure that their work is done.  The person that looks in the mirror to ensure there is no mustard stain on their shirt will proof read a report or email (or online post) to ensure that the spelling is correct and it is addressed to the right people.

Its all about taking pride in what you do. If what you do is dig ditches, take pride in that dig.  We have all worked or gone to school with someone that does not take pride in their accomplishments, and the work is sloppy, half a$$ or not done at all.

Your best foot may not be shiny, but make sure it's clean

 

[Jarnhamar]

People that take the 15 minutes!!! to comb their hair, put on a tie and de-lint their jacket will take the 5 minutes at the end of a shift to make sure that their work is done.  The person that looks in the mirror to ensure there is no mustard stain on their shirt will proof read a report or email (or online post) to ensure that the spelling is correct and it is addressed to the right people.

I respect your opinion as a recruiter but I just can't see someone wearing a tie and jacket being an indicator of their work ethic.  I've seen complete scumbags in a court room wear a suit to try and portray a good image.  Now I'd agree looking like a dirtball isn't going to win you any favors by any stretch of the imagination but I think you're examples aren't really fact based.

 

[Pusser]

I respect your opinion as a recruiter but I just can't see someone wearing a tie and jacket being an indicator of their work ethic.  I've seen complete scumbags in a court room wear a suit to try and portray a good image.  Now I'd agree looking like a dirtball isn't going to win you any favors by any stretch of the imagination but I think you're examples aren't really fact based.

You're right, wearing a jacket and tie is not necessarily an indicator of a good work ethic, but I would argue that more often than not, the absence of such attention to detail is an indicator of a poor work ethic.  There are certainly a few "garet troopers" (Barry Sadler's term for soldiers who are all spit and polish, yet useless on operations) out there, but I've never met a guy who was a glue pot on parade who was a fantastic "field soldier."