How much should i spend on a suit, tie, shoes for future IT interviews?

faintingheart

How much should i spend on suit, tie, and shoes for an interview? Where should i go to buy the suit, tie and shoes? (Macy, Jcpenny,...etc?)
Let me know thanks!

mjnk77

If the Macy's near you is going out of business, you could probably find a really good deal right now. I should go to mine and get a nice new suit.

That being said, what kind of position are you applying for? What is the "culture" of the company? The company you are interviewing may want you to dress "business casual" for the interview. You may be able to Google what people wore to the interviews for said company. I wouldn't go crazy buying expensive suits, shoes, etc. But if you really need a nice suit, maybe spend a little more and look at getting one that would work well not only for the interview, but possibly for a wedding or some event. Gray or navy blue in that case. Brown or black dress shoes would both do well. Get a matching belt. It's nice to "dress to impress" but if it's a one and done kind of thing, I wouldn't spend much on it.

Again, Macy's is shutting down stores, so I'd look there. I'm not a fan of Jos A Banks. I don't care how many suits they'll give me. I think they're overpriced. If you have a Burlington Coat Factory, you can find designer stuff but for a cheaper price there.

anhtran35

When I first started I made NOTHING. I bought my suit at TARGET. YES TARGET. It was crap material but only cost $60. Got my dress shirts via Craigslist. People sell name brand dress shirts for $5 or less. Just dry clean everything. Once you start making over 6 figures then you can buy what you want.

mjnk77

anhtran35 wrote: »

When I first started I made NOTHING. I bought my suit at TARGET. YES TARGET. It was crap material but only cost $60. Got my dress shirts via Craigslist. People sell name brand dress shirts for $5 or less. Just dry clean everything. Once you start making over 6 figures then you can buy what you want.

Exactly. Dry clean everything before hand. Don't buy a new shirt and suit and just wear it. Has a strange odor, but the shirt and collar will have odd creases on it.

EANx

Better to spend money on a cheap suit then get it tailored than to spend it on an expensive suit that doesn't fit right. The thing that needs to fit best is the coat across the shoulders. That's one of those things that jut can't be easily changed. Some basic rules for dressing up:

A well-fitting dress shirt, sport coat but no tie is more professional than an ill-fitting suit
Belt, shoes and watch band should be the same color
Never wear an "active" watch when wearing a suit
Always consider separates if you don't find the suit you like

faintingheart

Hello! I'm looking for a Help desk support position. Right now, Culture of company unknown, because I haven't apply for the job until I get my checklist done... My check list has these items included such as suit, tie, belt, shoes, resume, and car. I have to get those things then start applying for Help desk support role. I think you have a good point there, by using the suit for multi event like including weddings. I would get more value back for the buck i spend. I think the Macy in my town is going out of business, I should go there and check for discounts.In my town we also have a Burlington coat factory, thanks for pointing that out i didn't know they had suits for sale. Thanks for the advice Mjnk77.


@Anhtran35 I like your origin my friend. I'm hoping to save so I don't have to do that. What you did was pretty awesome since you didn't had much money when you started out.

faintingheart

@EANx:
That's a good idea, I should consider getting the suit tailored. Hopefully i can find one as cheap as possible. Thanks for the great idea. I will get no tie and sport coat like you advised. Thank you so much!

jeremywatts2005

I go to Kohls they always have some type of deal going on. Get my stuff real cheap there plus if you have a Kohls Card you can get deeper discounts even cheaper than Target and better quality.

faintingheart

@jeremywatts2005
I will consider Kohls as well. Thank you for the idea my friend.

mjnk77

Not a problem. Both Macy's and Burlington Coat Factory have tailors, at least the ones by me do. Burlington is the first place I bought a suit. A 3 piece suit. It served me well for a very long time. I had cuffs on the pants, but I don't wear them like that anymore. Good luck!

faintingheart

@mjnk77
Great advice, thank you so much.

PC509

I hit Macy's during a sale. Bought a nice Calvin Klein jacket and pants. I also went to Burlington and grabbed a few things. I have a couple suits. Probably spent $100 on each one, fully complete.

Get it tailored, and it makes things much better. A $1000 suit that isn't tailored looks worse than a $50 suit tailored.

When I was younger, I picked up a nice suit from the Goodwill. Got it tailored and it did well for a while. Until I wore it to a job interview, broke down, and worked on the car wearing it....

faintingheart

@PC509
When you said get it tailored. Does that mean that the store will make custom suit for me. Or will they just modified the suit for me? Let me know.

mjnk77

Ooo

faintingheart wrote: »

@PC509
When you said get it tailored. Does that mean that the store will make custom suit for me. Or will they just modified the suit for me? Let me know.

They'll hem the pants and jacket so they fit you right.

PC509

They'll modify it to fit your body. It's your personal suit. Around my area, it's around $30 to get a suit tailored. Small town, though.

Not too baggy, not too tight. It's YOUR suit, modified to fit YOU. And it does make a huge difference.

EANx

Tailored means they take a pre-made suit and adjust certain areas to fit you better. They can take in the coat, lengthen the hem, etc. They can not adjust the shoulders. If nothing else, get a coat that fits right across the shoulders.

Made-to-order is a different animal.

cdx

Doesn't matter if you spend $1000 or $100 on a suit, just make sure it is TAILORED or FITS you perfectly. Nothing more embarassing than dudes wearing suits, dress shirts, and/or pants that are too baggy, especially the pants.................

jcundiff

PC509 wrote: »

When I was younger, I picked up a nice suit from the Goodwill. Got it tailored and it did well for a while. Until I wore it to a job interview, broke down, and worked on the car wearing it....

This! Not all Goodwill stores are equal... find one in an affluent part of town... early in my career, I learned how to shop goodwill... find the one in a nicer part of town... some people buy new suits every 6 months to a year and donate the last ones to goodwill... you just have to find that store... my 1st management job was also a starting over period of my life... new wife, new kid, not much money... You would be amazed what you can find for 10-15 bucks at the right store

Cisco Inferno

Doesnt matter how cheap the suit, as long as it fits right.

Go to Ross or TJ Maxx.
$100-150 can get you some brand names that are normally $500+

Went to go to Macy's to try on suits and could not afford it.
Then I found a Tommy Hilfiger suit for $180 that was at Macy's for $500ish. Same model, size, fit etc.

Remedymp

Try K&G.

shochan

I never wear suits to an interview, business casual will get you a job. If you're at interviewing and know your technical stuff you will be fine. Spending money on a suit doesn't guarantee you will get a job, sure it may look nice, but I wouldn't go that far by over dressing IMO. Cheers & HI5!

Fulcrum45

Even if it's a cheap suit, so long as it fits right and your hygiene is on par with today's standards then you should be fine. I have one suit I use for interviewing. Dark blue suit, white shirt with a red tie. Looks very presidential. All that's missing is the American flag lapel

NetworkNewb

shochan wrote: »

Spending money on a suit doesn't guarantee you will get a job

Dang it!!

bigdogz

I find my suits at Men's Warehouse and look for something simple. I go for the solid colors and conservative as fashions come and go.
If you go for the new style that are a tight fit, you may find yourself with a 3 piece suit coat.

kurosaki00

Khols, Marshalls, DSW, Payless Shoestore, TJ Max are great places to get great stuff at good cost.
As other have said, get it tailored properly. Pay a few bucks extra and you will look good and professional.

Once you get the job you want, you can get your Allen Edmonds, or your Ralph Lauren purple label or your designer suit of choice :P

NavyMooseCCNA

TranceSoulBrother wrote: »

When I lived in Qatar, I had a tailor from Sri Lanka who made handmade three piece suits for about $150-180. Handmade Cashmere suits would be about $250-300. $500-600 would buy you something like Armani quality lol. I miss that.

I would agree to go to an inexpensive model and place. Check out Men's Wearhouse as well. They always have some kind of deal for a suit/dress shirt combo. Aldo for nice shoes.
I would also stakeout the parking lot of the company and check out how the employees are dressed, when they come out for lunch or leave to go home. Just a quick drive by to assess the situation.

When I was in Vietnam in 2015, my fiancee, now wife, brought me to a tailor. We got fabric and had a suit made to my measurements. The total price, was $60 USD. It would have easily been over $1,000 USD if I had gotten it done in the States.

paul78

@OP - Just my 2 cents - but you may be better off getting a nice blue blazer and khaki's with a matching tie for your interviews. Especially since you are interviewing for entry level jobs. You may be out of place wearing a suit to most companies. I don't recall wearing a suit to an interview in the last 2 decades. I only wear a suit when I go to onsite to customers. Kudos to you for thinking ahead.

faintingheart

@paul78 Great advice my friend! I got that down on my notes.

@Everyone
Thank you so much for all this great information on this topic. I have written all the notes down and am confident to buy a suit now! Thank you so much my forum friends. I wish you guys well.