Reply With QuoteIt will make no difference. Better he is comfortable on the day.
hi all. a friend of mine in his late thirties is going for a job interview soon in the engineering sector and i had a discussion with him regards his watch which is a old gshock, i said he should wear something better eg omega ect, as he may be judged on it. he has no intrest in watches but i feel he may be letting himself down. am i wrong or do some people judge you to certain extent by the watch you wear
It will make no difference. Better he is comfortable on the day.
"Bite my shiny metal ass."
- Bender Bending Rodríguez
If it's a decent g-shock it wouldn't bother me... if it was a ratty one I might be a bit disappointed in a candidate for an engineering post.
What are the options though? Can he borrow something else?
Mmmm tricky that one. I think he shoułd stay true to himself.
As an aside, I remember being on a train with a boss of mine and he was a pretty new boss, and he looked at me and said "exactly how many rolexes do you own?" Where do you go with that?
If the interviewer would judge your friend on the watch he wears then he is a dick. If your friend is happy to work for a dick , I guess that's fine. TBH the safest thing is to wear no watch at all then perhaps a dick will judge him on his shoes or something.
If the interviewer is into watches it may lead to an awkward conversation, when i have interviewed i have never been too bothered as long as they have made an effort
It's very easy to over-analyse this type of thing. Employers are looking for an employee that suits their needs; it's unlikely they won't go through depending what's on their wrist.
As an (ex) engineer, I can attest to the fact that it is one of the few sectors that really isn't too fussed with trinkets, watches, the right shoes, labels for clothes and so forth. Sure, there are a few, but mostly not at all.
It is a sector where real dweebs can progress (technically).
Good luck to him, tell him not to worry. If he does meet a Bulgari-wearing manager (yes, I have seen one) A G-shock is a thoroughly defendable engineering decision of what to wear.
D
I would imagine that 99.99% of the general population would neither notice nor care what watch your friend is wearing. Unlike us, normal people tend not to be at all watch aware (or weirdo watch obsessives as my wife charmingly describes us)
Nobody cares
Hello by the way
Gray
G shock is ok, as long as it looks decent. Wearing an Omega and feeling uncomfortable about it is not good. He should be wearing something that makes him feel good/confident.
I couldn't have put it more elequantly myself.Originally Posted by java
For an engineering job a G-Shock is surely ideal.
But he should really wear whatever it is that is most comfortable for him. If he normally wears his G-Shock then that is what he should wear.
Surely any competent interviewer for an engineering position will be most concerned with technical ability and personality (so as to fit the job/team/business), rather than what watch the candidate is wearing.
Let's say YOU (dear reader), as someone who is evidently interested in watches, are interviewing someone for a job in your workplace. Is there any particular watch an interviewee could wear that would affect your opinion of their suitability for the role?
For instance, if they turned up wearing something like this?
Or this?
Neither of those would put me off in and of themselves. It is ability and personality that count, to my mind.
They might become conversation pieces in an interview but if the candidate can handle the conversation in a persuasive manner then all the better for him.
Last edited by markrlondon; 17th July 2014 at 21:28. Reason: Fixed stupid typo
thanks for the replys ,i thought that he may look , and i know that this sounds terrible, a guy with money problems, or drink problems or worse a lack of success in his career all of which are untrue.
!!!
I interviewed someone earlier in the week who appeared to wearing an Explorer - I found it rather distracting and had to focus harder then usual on the Q&A
Agreeing with the OP. Clearly only drunkards wear g shocks.. Might as well arrive for the interview without pants on.
Depends on what the job is. An Omega would look a bit strange on a fitter or a turner. A G-shock would look spot on.
I am sure that what ever watch he wears to the interview will have no bearing on his suitability for the job application.
Jesus.
I love the idea that when I wear my G-Shock, people might be thinking I'm a desperate alcoholic.
I'm not sure I could set the time on a G-Shock sober. Don't know how a drunk would manage.
Don't forget penniless failure.... (Unsuccessful)
No - just someone who doesn't care about watches... Have you ever read High Fidelity by Nick Hornby BTW ?
I've just bought my first G-shock, oh no it's all down hill from here.
I saw the film. Can't remember any opinions about watches in it though? Is there an analogy?
i will let him know that its not such a big deal as i first taught and tell him to wear his own watch. glad to see that not everyone thinks the same as me
Oh well, there they'd have me bang to rights.
You're a good friend and are obviously just looking out for him. One thing you may want to check is that he hasn't taken your advice and 'upgraded' to a new Casio F-91W... whilst his new watch may look less shabby. it is known to alert those in the know to possible far more sinister activities than "drink problems" and "lack of success in his career".
I'd also make sure he doesn't borrow a rich WIS friends Rolex Dominos edition. The interviewer may think he was Pizza Making Employee of the Month, rather than owner/manager of the year. No one wants an Engineer who did his internship slinging pizza dough, or worse, riding a moped like a maniac to ensure the pizza gets to the destination whilst it is still lukewarm.
Last edited by AM94; 17th July 2014 at 22:35.
Ah. This one again.
General consensus - after a page or so - is generally that, if you've gone to the trouble of wearing a suit and decent shoes then itd be a shame to risk spoiling it with a tatty or stupidly big watch - as has been said, better to wear none at all...
As has already also been said - if your watch ruins your interview then your interviewer is a dick.
I was talking to the manager of some brickies last week.
He was wearing a shiny new Omega PO on the construction site (mostly for office work).
But it looked so wrong.
Sometimes a G-shock is the best choice.
I was wearing my PRS-4 Broadarrow for the meeting.
I got the consultancy work, but it had nothing to do with the choice of wristwatch.
Absolutely. In reality, no-one cares, and even the odd person that does wouldn't judge anyone*.
*Unless it's a 50mm quad-face Diesel or something. In which case they've asked for it - judge away.
A watch inkeeping.with your current job's paygrade might be a sensible idea if you are on the way up - wouldn't it be impolite to wear a watch more expensive than that worn by the prospective line manager.
At a recent VAT inspection I caught one of the inspectors checking out my wristwatch - It was one of Eddie's and everything went fine.
I quite enjoy matching the watch to the occasion, company or mood - its an enjoyable part of this interest for me and I suspect for many others.
I appreciate this is a watch forum but the question was what to wear for a job interview and is a G Shock appropriate, if he is that concerned about what watch to wear why bother wearing one at all?
Stick it in your pocket or leave it in your car outside until the interview is over.
You have made the common WIS mistake of assuming that everyone shares your passion and the disproportionate importance you place on wristwear. Do remember that on other forums around the world, the cut of one's suit or shirt collar, sleeve length, haircut, colour coding and cufflinks is all to be considered with gravity, and much more important than, say, preparing for the interview, practicing your responses based on questions typically asked, doing lots of research into the company you're interviewing at. All that sort of stuff. "Wearing an Omega" will not be sufficient I'm afraid !
...but what do I know; I don't even like watches!
Absolutely, and if it was me, then I would be wearing a bit of Meccano around my wrist with some stressed steel miniature cabling holding an old steel pocket watch in-situ; bound to impress an engineering company interviewer IMO.
As much as I love watches, it had never crossed my mind over the years about what watch to wear at an interview, in fact most interviews I turned up for my watch was probably safely covered under my shirt cuff.
This might impress them
It would impress the hell of me ;)This might impress them
My old Citizen had all sorts of mathematical functions that could be performed from the bezel - all navigation and speed / fuel use / distance stuff. Never used it... had no idea how!
I might find it distracting if the engineering job candidate were wearing this G-shock
For an engineering job interview a G-Shock is perfect. It's not like it's some kind of high flying finance job or anything.
Engineering firms are about getting the job done. G-Shock certainly says that to me.
But make sure you know how to use the slide rule. ;-)This might impress them
I'm a rude soandso. I've rarely been interviewed by someone with a more expensive, and certainly not better, watch than mine and it's never stopped me getting the job. I manage to leave without backing out and doffing my cap too. Everyone has a boss - I just hope forpetesake that you don't work in a company where the CEO chooses to wear some cheap tacky black plastic thing (like a g shock)
Gray
I can't really speak about interviews, but I found myself staring at someones PAM constantly at a meeting recently trying to figure out what model it was. I still haven't figured out what it was, It had the look of a PAM000, but had like a gloss brown finish to the case which I haven't been able to find through google.
Probably a 'looky looky man' special. :-)
SGR
The chap wearing it is a partner in one of the large audit firms, so I'd say its real enough. Must be a special edition or something.
Most people don't care much about watches. As long as its appropriate to the environment it doesn't matter what it is.
A g shock is often a good choice in an environment where theres some flexibility on dress (ie most!). To most people it says "watch" and to a somebody interested in watches it say "g shock" which, as we know is no bad thing but won't often open up a conversation about watches.
Based on all the engineers I know, I agree. If he doesn't care about watches don't have him go blow his money on an Omega, just point him to something quality but of good value... Tissot? Or Mondaine is loved by a lot of engineers and design folk, it seems.
If the applicant was going for a Sales job then yes, it would matter what he or she was wearing on their wrist. In Sales, EVERYTHING matters, and a wristwatch is part of the presentation. Engineering you may get away with it - dedicated geek over style-meister. And, unless you are the M.D.s son-in-law you need to fit in and look like their expectation of a perfect employee.
You get to the interview on your CV but from then on, it is all about presentation and image. Clothes, watch, pen ............ they all create an impression of the applicant as a human being. There are people who make a living from preparing people for job interviews and trust me, they teach you all about presenting yourself in the most favourable manner, including your appearance. Even the wrong colour suit or tie can end your chances.
As an aside I recall going on a first date many years ago, wearing what I considered to be a trendy, distinguished digital watch. Part way through the evening the lady said "Is that the only watch you have? You have a better watch normally?" .............. she was always "too busy" for a 2nd date.
First impressions are important, why make then work against you. The watch shouldn't be important but neutral - it would be notable if the watch seemed overly important.
I have my own business, go to work in workwear and try to look professional - but my customers judge the physical work I and my subcontractors produce.
Admittedly I don't operate in a sophisticated work environment or had a job interview for 25 years!
Edit: None of us know what job this chap is going for, but we do know that his G Shock is on his mind. To eliminate this as a distraction perhaps he should blow £100 on a Seiko 5 or something business-like - he doesn't need to spend Omega money.
Last edited by forpetesake; 18th July 2014 at 09:17.
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