Attire and Competetiveness

[Hawn13]

So I have my interview with my Senator's service academy representatives in December. Obviously I know I need to wear business attire. I was thinking dress shoes, black slacks, an oxford shirt with a tie. How's that sound?

Also how competitive is Hawaii? -- just curious :roll eyes:

Thanks for the advice / help! And Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[tug_boat]

Make An Investment....

Make an investment...on yourself. Buy or rent a nice business suit and black dress shoes. This suit is not for the movies but just for interviews. When I only had a pot and pan, the only things I owned, I did have a new suit just for interviews. Nice white or light blue shirt with conservative tie. You want the interviewers to focus on you and what you have to say instead of the mustard stain shouting out, he had a hot dog five minutes ago. If you want an example look at what the news casters wear on TV.

Look Sharp, Act Sharp, Be Sharp


Push Forward, Press Hard

 

[melindayching]

So I have my interview with my Senator's service academy representatives in December. Obviously I know I need to wear business attire. I was thinking dress shoes, black slacks, an oxford shirt with a tie. How's that sound?

Also how competitive is Hawaii? -- just curious :roll eyes:

Thanks for the advice / help! And Happy Thanksgiving!

Definitely wear a suit for your interviews; even in Hawaii the congressmen/women expect you to look sharp. When my daughter went in for her interview, the guys were wearing suits.

Regarding competitiveness in HI, you should have a good talk with your ALO regarding the number of slots that your congressmen have to give. It is unclear to me from last year which appointees were charged to which MOC, but there are at least 6 C4Cs from HI who are doing great their first year as cadets (no dropouts or turnbacks) and I don't know how many are graduating, but that may have an impact on available slots. Good luck,and PM me if you have any questions about the HI process. My daughter is a C4C from HI.

 

[Lewis95]

I had an interview 2 weeks ago with my Maryland senator and I got my letter that I got a nomination the other day! Every student I saw including me wore a nice collared shirt with a nice black jacket and tie (nothing too fancy) and nice slacks belt and dress shoes.

Don't wear anything clashy or eye catching. Don't Wear a Jrotc uniform because its viewed as really cocky and overly confident looking.

Plan your thoughts out, think about your greatest strengths and weaknesses. What I did was I brainstormed all my thoughts and visualized what I was going to say 20 mins before the interview In my car. Have a firm handshake, be memorable. Make it clear why you want to go to USAFA!!! Don't be late!!!!

best of luck.

 

[usna1985]

If you don't own a suit, do NOT go out and buy one. First, you'll be uncomfortable. Second, it's an expense that you don't need to incur. Third, MOC nom committees don't expect a suit -- they expect you to dress nicely and "nicely" may depend on part where you live. Remember, the nom committees live where you live.

I would suggest a coat and tie with pressed slacks (pressed khakis are ok). Not mandatory, but nice and likely to make a good impression. If you don't own a jacket/coat, go with a long-sleeved dress shirt and tie with pressed trousers. If you don't own those, you can buy any cheaply at a discount store or even find them at a secondhand store.

The bottom line is that you want to give the impression that you are taking this interview seriously. . . that it is THE important event in your day. Folks who show up in gym gear, athletic shoes, torn jeans, etc. give the impression (correctly or incorrectly) that they don't care.

 

[Run5K]

I don't own a dark suit, can't buy a decent one in my size in my small town, and didn't want to look like an extra in a wedding party. I wore a nice pair of pressed khaki pants, light blue dress shirt, gold tie and blue blazer.

Every other male candidate in the holding pen wore dark funeral/wedding suits. I was the only candidate who went khaki/blue blazer. I felt comfortable, and the Navy Captain on at my interview loved the color combo, unintentional thought it was!

 

[flieger83]

I sit on one of these boards.

We see all kinds...

Here's what I'll tell you all of the members of my MOC's (soon to be a US Senator) look for:

a. Neat, clean, "fit for the occasion" attire
b. Confidence
c. Honesty
d. A true desire to be there and a willingness to answer any question we have

Notice I did NOT say a suit or dress or JROTC/CAP or ??

Some families don't have the money for a suit; fine, then show up in what is commonly referred to as "church clothes." We had an outstanding interview a couple of weeks ago with a young man in nice shoes, slacks, a white shirt and tie. He "looked the part." We had another young man come in a suit that cost more than I make in one paycheck: it looked artificial on him and he clearly was NOT comfortable in it.

MOST, but not all, of the candidates (male) had a jacket...shirt with tie, nice slacks, and shoes. Nothing too fancy, etc.

We did have a couple come in JROTC uniforms. We had all discussed this prior to the interviews. We were/are okay with this; it gives us a visible impression of how the person looks in uniform and, at least for USAFA, the ALO is required to comment on how the candidate will look in uniform.

But...we all looked VERY CLOSELY at those uniforms to see that they were worn correctly!! One JROTC cadet had his ribbons incorrectly ordered. I asked if he knew that, and he seemed to not really know the proper order they went in. That's a lack of attention to detail. Not a good thing, and certainly NOT the impression he was trying to leave us. So...unless you really have a "I need to be seen in uniform" internal yearning, I'd leave it at home. Or wear it perfectly!

All in all...

Come ready for an interview that could change your entire life.

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83

 

[Raptor16]

I don't mean to hijack the thread, but those who have experience or sit on boards such as flieger, do you have any recommendations for women? I was planning on wearing a grey skirt suit but I'm now wondering if this is the appropriate attire?
Thanks! Amelia

 

[flieger83]

I don't mean to hijack the thread, but those who have experience or sit on boards such as flieger, do you have any recommendations for women? I was planning on wearing a grey skirt suit but I'm now wondering if this is the appropriate attire?
Thanks! Amelia

That would be perfectly acceptable!!

My apologies for making the thread "male" centric...we also interview young ladies. And the same 'general' rules apply.
A grey skirt suit...would be very nice. Don't go crazy though...wear what you are comfortable with. Don't go all "oh, I need this makeup, that, etc...etc..."

Be YOU...and the rest will work!!

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83

 

[Raptor16]

Thanks! And most of the tips carry over. I just wanted to make sure

 

[Hawn13]

Thanks for all the great tips and advice. I feel much more confident knowing that my clothes won't be an issue. And thanks for the competetivenss advice as well.