Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Just because you declare something isn't helpful doesn't mean that is the case. I think others would find it is helpful to advise that it's best to arrive to an interview carrying only the necessities.
I came to that conclusion because you haven't needed a bag for your interviews, whereas he does. His question was a request for where to get a bag and your response was not in line with the question. I'm not deeming you an unhelpful person overall, it's just that your response is not really a reply to question he asked; it was more of an opinion formed based on little evidence and personal experience (e.g. I've never needed a bag; therefore, it doesn't make sense to me as to why he would need a bag). You have never needed a bag for your interviews, but you are not OP, and OP apparently does. If he is interviewing for a job where he feels something larger than a portfolio is necessary, I suppose I'd have to assume that it is dissimilar to your interviews where it was sufficient. That's all I was getting at.
The last interview I had with a very formal, strict business attire company in the financial services sector, I used a portfolio. I got the job.
Stuff you need to take to an interview: Resumes, pens, cell phone (turned off), house/car keys. There's nothing else. I'd question a person who came in packed like a sherpa, and while I might not dismiss them as a candidate, they sure wouldn't gain any brownie points.
Carrying a briefcase or messenger bag is nothing like a Sherpa and if carrying one would be a negative in your mind you must not have conducted many interviews in your life.
I came to that conclusion because you haven't needed a bag for your interviews, whereas he does. His question was a request for where to get a bag and your response was not in line with the question. I'm not deeming you an unhelpful person overall, it's just that your response is not really a reply to question he asked; it was more of an opinion formed based on little evidence and personal experience (e.g. I've never needed a bag; therefore, it doesn't make sense to me as to why he would need a bag). You have never needed a bag for your interviews, but you are not OP, and OP apparently does. If he is interviewing for a job where he feels something larger than a portfolio is necessary, I suppose I'd have to assume that it is dissimilar to your interviews where it was sufficient. That's all I was getting at.
The OP says he needs a bag, but we don't know if he has evaluated whether or not he needs all the stuff he's planning on carrying. There is nothing wrong with pointing out that it is a good idea to go into an interview with only the bare necessities.
The OP says he needs a bag, but we don't know if he has evaluated whether or not he needs all the stuff he's planning on carrying. There is nothing wrong with pointing out that it is a good idea to go into an interview with only the bare necessities.
Sure, but I guess it came off less like you were offering advice and more like you were insinuating that it's an impossibility for OP to have a need for a bag, based only on your personal experience. If that was not the case, I apologize for misinterpreting. Your insistence on your own circumstance just seemed to convey that OP should not buy a bag because he could not possibly need one. He only needs x,y and z. I only had x, y and z and I got the job. What could he need?
People have suggested things he might need, but those didn't seem to suffice for you as you seemed to disregard them.
I mean, he said supplies. Who knows what that could mean. He could have to bring actual supplies to test into a field. I'm just throwing things out there, but maybe it's an interview with an architectural company. Maybe it's IT. Perhaps he has an artists portfolio already and needs a bag to carry his other things, along with a large portfolio. Maybe in order to interview, he had to solve a very large puzzle that could only be bound in a book the size of an encyclopedia. Maybe you're right and he's over-packing. It's just continuing to push the subject with anecdotal evidence seemed a bit aggressive and not very helpful.
Sure, but I guess it came off less like you were offering advice and more like you were insinuating that it's an impossibility for OP to have a need for a bag, based only on your personal experience. If that was not the case, I apologize for misinterpreting. Your insistence on your own circumstance just seemed to convey that OP should not buy a bag because he could not possibly need one. He only needs x,y and z. I only had x, y and z and I got the job. What could he need?
People have suggested things he might need, but those didn't seem to suffice for you as you seemed to disregard them.
I think you're reading too much into my posts. I never said "I only had x, y and z and I got the job."
And no, I don't believe people have suggested things he might need, other than an umbrella, which I accepted (other than your speculative suggestions in the above post). Outside of highly specialized positions, for a STANDARD interview, it is best to carry the bare minimum.
Again, there is nothing wrong with suggesting the possibility that the OP consider he is carrying too much.
(BTW, it's amusing that you find me aggressive. Feels a little pot/kettle. Perhaps it's time to drop it?)
I think you're reading too much into my posts. I never said "I only had x, y and z and I got the job."
And no, I don't believe people have suggested things he might need, other than an umbrella, which I accepted (other than your speculative suggestions in the above post). Outside of highly specialized positions, for a STANDARD interview, it is best to carry the bare minimum.
Again, there is nothing wrong with suggesting the possibility that the OP consider he is carrying too much.
(BTW, it's amusing that you find me aggressive. Feels a little pot/kettle. Perhaps it's time to drop it?)
How is it best to carry the bare minimum? There is nothing wrong with carrying a bag of some sort
I think I've covered it sufficiently. At this point I think you guys are just trying to bait me into a fight. And yet, I'm being the aggressive one.
You really haven't covered it sufficiently. It is in no way better to go in with just a portfolio over a briefcase or messenger bag with your portfolio with it.
Bait you into a fight? What on earth are you talking about?
I use a black messenger bag. Be sure to switch shoulders though periodically or those bags can really **** up your back and shoulders.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
