I'm now in a sulk :(

Zharrt

Zharrt

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Had budgeted up a new D90, a few second hand lenses etc and basically everything I needed to get back in to photography, money safely in the back, bought a couple of the little bits already waithing for the sweet spot of price and availability but then bam, go shopping with my mum yesterday and camong back £400 lighter after being talked into getting a new suit as I am gonna be having some interviews coming up soon.

Hay ho looks like I will be miserable this summer lol
 
Zharrt said:
Had budgeted up a new D90, a few second hand lenses etc and basically everything I needed to get back in to photography, money safely in the back, bought a couple of the little bits already waithing for the sweet spot of price and availability but then bam, go shopping with my mum yesterday and camong back £400 lighter after being talked into getting a new suit as I am gonna be having some interviews coming up soon.

Hay ho looks like I will be miserable this summer lol
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Bummer!

Sounds like your Mum has your best interests at heart, but I hear you. You know what they say, these things happen for a reason, I am sure you will be able to save up again and get the camera you want. In the mean time, keep taking pictures in your head. May seem a poor substitute, but this is what separates us from the snappers. Constantly composing, looking at the light, it's all good practise for when you do get the gear.

Good luck bro!
 
Sod that, Matalan suits for the win given how often i wear one, £50 lol
 
I paid £100 for my wedding suit.. £400... b****r that.
Thankgod my mum has no control over me anymore.

Cant you take it it back and buy one from BHS for £99, doubt she'd notice!!
 
I'm an IT contractor so a new gig every 3-6 months means I go on a lot of interviews, and when your asking for what I charge its best not turning up in a suit that "looks" cheap lol!

I can just about afford to buy the camera, but I will wait until I secure my next contract so hopefully only a month or so delay. Just was looking forward to taking a month off while the kids are on holiday and having a new camera to play with at the same time
 
i dont understand why anyone would want to wear a suit for IT (or at least proper hands on IT ;)).. we re-cabled the server room a couple weeks ago for example and would of trashed one..
 
You can't beat a sharp suit for making an impression at an interview! Guess your Mum knows best!
 
neil_g said:
i dont understand why anyone would want to wear a suit for IT (or at least proper hands on IT ;)).. we re-cabled the server room a couple weeks ago for example and would of trashed one..
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My sentiments exactly, I used to wear an old pair of trousers that looked ok for crawling about running network cables and cleaning out machines, getting covered in dust ect.

:)
 
I think you should "divorce" your mother on grounds of psychological cruelty.

Good luck with the interviews.
 
Zharrt said:
I'm an IT contractor so a new gig every 3-6 months means I go on a lot of interviews, and when your asking for what I charge its best not turning up in a suit that "looks" cheap lol!
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lol I'm in the same line of work but always go to interviews in leather jacket and black trousers. For work itself I usually wear jeans - its never impacted how much I charge as I decided they pay me for my knowledge and not my sartorial elegance :lol: Take the suit back and get a cheaper one and buy the d90 - you know you want to :D
 
My other half is an IT contractor. He sometimes manages to find a shirt to go with his jeans. Think his only suit stopped fitting him about ten years back!
 
I work in an area where you meet clients regularly, and as long as the shirt and tie are well matched, then the Asda suit for £50 will look just as good as the Armani (or in my case, John Lewis) one.
 
zeitghost said:
lol I'm in the same line of work but always go to interviews in leather jacket and black trousers. For work itself I usually wear jeans - its never impacted how much I charge as I decided they pay me for my knowledge and not my sartorial elegance :lol: Take the suit back and get a cheaper one and buy the d90 - you know you want to :D
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Its too random a name to be, are you on CUK?
 
£400 for a suit.. time to find you local Slaters..
 
Zharrt said:
I'm an IT contractor so a new gig every 3-6 months means I go on a lot of interviews, and when your asking for what I charge its best not turning up in a suit that "looks" cheap lol!

I can just about afford to buy the camera, but I will wait until I secure my next contract so hopefully only a month or so delay. Just was looking forward to taking a month off while the kids are on holiday and having a new camera to play with at the same time
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Newsflash : No-one gives a crap how expensive your suit looks. You're an IT contractor there to provide a service, not look pretty.
 
mid_gen said:
Newsflash : No-one gives a crap how expensive your suit looks. You're an IT contractor there to provide a service, not look pretty.
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News flash - walk into an interview in the City of London (especially the Banking world) with that attitude and you'll be going nowhere very very quickly.
 
DemiLion said:
News flash - walk into an interview in the City of London (especially the Banking world) with that attitude and you'll be going nowhere very very quickly.
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I work at one of the big banks, and until last year I was contracting in the City. On the business side, sure people care about appearances, but as a contractor, particularly in IT (where let's be honest, the smart people work), whether you are in a 50 quid suit or a 5,000 quid suit makes not a blind bit of difference.
 
The thing is, no matter how much you disagree, if you take care over your appearence then the assumption is you'll take care over your work. You're not only being employed for your knowledge but also your personality and how you'll fit in.

I'd be surprised if the £400 didn't include shoes, tie, shirts etc.

"Oohh. Suits you sir"
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Byker28i said:
The thing is, no matter how much you disagree, if you take care over your appearence then the assumption is you'll take care over your work. You're not only being employed for your knowledge but also your personality and how you'll fit in.
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My sentiments exactly, it still staggers me when I used to conduct interviews the number of people who turned up as if they were applying for McDonalds rather than a position within the IT Department of a Local Government Organisation.

Byker28i said:
I'd be surprised if the £400 didn't include shoes, tie, shirts etc.
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Nope lol, but it did include a second pair of trousers.
 
Zharrt said:
My sentiments exactly, it still staggers me when I used to conduct interviews the number of people who turned up as if they were applying for McDonalds rather than a position within the IT Department of a Local Government Organisation.
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im screwed then, current attire: skate shoes, camo shorts and a polo top.. :lol:
 
Byker28i said:
The thing is, no matter how much you disagree, if you take care over your appearence then the assumption is you'll take care over your work. You're not only being employed for your knowledge but also your personality and how you'll fit in.

I'd be surprised if the £400 didn't include shoes, tie, shirts etc.

"Oohh. Suits you sir"
_39784915_tosh_suitsyousir203b.jpg
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Of course being presentable helps...it's not essential though. The best IT contractors (also earning the most money) I've worked with are the beard, sandals, baseball cap types :) You're a contractor, not an employee, as long as you meet a basic level of non-scruffiness when you turn up for an interview, that's all you need.
 
How to dress on interview can vary by the position.. but dressing smartly never hurt your chances. Once you've been offered an interview the employer is at least considering you as suitable and has been caught by your application. If you have technical skills you'll stand or fall by those, but for a more general position a suit really can make a difference.

Most people screw up job-hunting well before interview, 90% of cvs and application I come across are appalling. The best bit of advice I ever received, and it really does change the way you go about applying if you think about it, is:
The first person that reads you cv/application does not want to give you the job. They want to reject your application for any possible reason so that they can get the stack of 200 applications received down to a shortlist of 5 they can give to their boss, and do it before the kettle boils.​
To an extent this also applies during interview, if it comes down to three equally strong candidates you don't want to be the one not seen to have made an effort for the interview.
 
mid_gen said:
Of course being presentable helps...it's not essential though. The best IT contractors (also earning the most money) I've worked with are the beard, sandals, baseball cap types :) You're a contractor, not an employee, as long as you meet a basic level of non-scruffiness when you turn up for an interview, that's all you need.
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+1 - I did try a beard though and it didnt work but I've been contracting for about 14 years now and think the number of suited contractors I've met can be counted on one hand (and yes that includes contracts in the city, MoD, government etc). My ex always used to turn up for interviews in jeans (and sadly he was on double my day rate at the time) - they were clean jeans and not ripped though.

tbh though you spent £400 on a suit - on contractor rates you should make this back in either a few days even on an approx 80% retention (once you take out taxes etc).
 
£400 is indeed a lot on a suit. I bought my 1st new suit in about 15 years the other week, and picked up a very nice suit from a Next outlet store for only £85. This included a nice matching shirt and tie. It could easily pass as a £500 suit and unless you saw the label inside, you wouldn't know the difference.

Sorry but you have no sympathy from me (I know you dont want any but these types of paragraphs always sound better when they start like that :lol:), £400 on a few threads or on camera gear? Hmmmmm... Not saying you shouldn't have bought a suit full stop, its always best for interviews at least, but you could have been wiser with your money!
 
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First interview I had was a telephone interview that I conducted whilst wearing a pair of shorts and flip flops :lol:
 
Lol!
 
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