Do the best that you can

[DippityShurff]

We just had an interview board for applicants interested in starting in our jail.  These applicants come from a wide variety of backgrounds including law enforcement.  Most are not in the field at this time though.

I noticed a few weeks back at the testing phase that there was one young man in particular, a jail officer in another county.  He showed up in his Agency's uniform to take the test.  He looked as if he had slept in his uniform.  After some inquiry, it turned out that he had just worked all night and after a bit of consideration, we figured that he could have just been involved in whatever task that would have totally trashed his uniform.

Same guy shows up for the interview board.  Uniform looks exactly the same as it did during the testing phase.  Turns out this time, he was going to work.

Please, look your best.  You may not own a Hickey Freeman suit, but if what you are wearing is pressed and clean, you will geometrically improve your chances of moving to the next step.

I know that I harp a bit, but small things can make a big difference.

Good luck

[G Scalabr]

Well said.

Defendants in traffic trials could also benefit for your advice. One of our local judges will actually bounce knuckleheads who show up to court in a tank-top and cutoff jeans or other inappropriate attire.

Whether you are attending an interview or a traffic trial, what you wear implicitly conveys the amount of respect you have for the process.

You can never go wrong in a dark (navy or charcoal) pinstripe suit, white shirt (wrinkle free is great--not only are they easy to care for, but you will not wrinkle throughout the day), conservative tie (small, symmetrical prints are nice) and shiny cap-toe shoes.

Speaking of Hickey Freeman...

When I met Drew Richardson some six years ago, he was in one of the sharpest looking suits I have ever seen. When we sat down to dinner, I had to ask... Brioni? Armani? Zegna?

To my astonishment, his reply was "Land's End." I was given a genuine Giorgio Armani suit when I graduated college. The sheen of the material (the lack of which is a dead give away on a "cheap suit") on the Land's End is comparable.

Better yet, unlike the Armani, they come in separates. If you have big shoulders without a corresponding gut, you avoid the difficult and expensive proposition of having your pants re-cut.

At less than $250.00, you can't go wrong.

[DippityShurff]

Gino, for the record, I don't own any Hickey Freeman suits..too rich for my meager salary.  That $250.00 range is my range though and I will now look at Lands End.

Be safe,