[kamlesh]

as usual i beg to differ on some issues!

i can tell my personal exp. i appeared for interviews twice. first time i went in brigh yellow tie and next time in bright red. marks scored 186 and 215.

so need not be colorless in interviews.

wear what one comfortable in and what one can defend.

its all matter of confidence

[riteshmisra]

A 1st attempt IAS guy had given me this "gem". Have 3 pair of handkerchiefs. 1st to wipe your shoes just befor the interview ( chandu i think u had also told something about tissue paper), 2nd sprinkle some facial powder on it for your face, it is supposed to make you look fresher,
throw this hanky away too
3rd, use it normally .

actually i forgot this tip for my own interview, luckily did not matter, i got 240, what did i wear, well i played it safe,
a pair of grey trousers,
a sky blue shirt,
grey tie,
grey socks,
black shoes, with laces.

(after getting thru, i use slip ons)
anyways, wear what u want, but feel good about it,
i know someone who in the blistering delhi suit was wearing a suit, he was asked about it, and he replied that it was an important day in his life, he was hopeful of making it to IAS, and he wanted to remember the day by wearing his best clothes which he was wearing
result
he made it to IAS in 1st attempt, getting 185 out of 250, but with a different Board, he may have been seen as overconfident
so ultimately friends, there is no fixed rule, but better to take the tried and tested path, (which i did), all the best

[kushal]

ok! I have researched this topic with some web finds and some experience.

The tie is the most crucial component of the outfit because it is the most prominent and can be worn correctly or incorrectly and it signals your competency immediately for the UPSC interview.

Most men learned to tie the Four-in-Hand knot from their fathers. It worked fine as a young man and still has its place, but wearing a Four-in-Hand knot to a job interview would be a poor choice. In most cases it looks small, lopsided and amateurish on a grown man. A better suggestion would be the Pratt Knot, a very easy to tie.

The Pratt Knot is a medium-sized, symmetrical knot appropriate for most shirt collars and should be in everyone's repertoire. Here is how to tie a Pratt Knot.
Tie-a-Tie.net | Pratt Knot

1. Place the tie around your neck with the inside of your tie, the side with the label, facing OUTWARD, i.e. backward. Place it so the wide end in your right hand and the narrow end in your left hand.
2. Cross wide end under the narrow end and end on the left side.
3. Continue by bring the wide end of the tie up over the narrow end and down through the loop around your neck, remaining on the left side.
4. Next cross the wide end in front of the tie from left to right ending on the right.
5. Now come up through the neck loop and down through the loop made by the previous cross at the front of the tie.
6. Tighten carefully and draw up to collar.
7. The tip of the tie should just cover your belt buckle. If it is too long or too short, reverse these steps to untie the tie and shorten or lengthen it accordingly.

If this knot seems too difficult, try the windsor knot. It would be difficult to describe the knot, but I found in google search one of the best website showing how to make a windsor knot and others. Have a look:

• To Tie A Tie .com - Instructions on How to Tie a Tie. Learn about Various Necktie Knots
• How to Tie a Tie – Video Instructions to Make a Full Windsor Knot.
• Tie-a-Tie.net | Learn How to Tie a Tie

I have submitted the link to the link segment too!

[harshabanad]

Hello forum and officers!!
May I ask questions?....
1) If I am not wearing a tie,should my collar button( the first button) be open or closed?And why?And if the first button is open, is it okay to wear a sweat shirt beneath the formal shirt?

2) Is a brown shoe preferred over the black one?

3) For candidates who are getting bald, is it okay if they shaved their heads?

4)Is it okay for men to sport spundles( to sport a mature look)?

5) Apart from the dress code, if a candidate has won some event( like garlanding the princess, tug of war, etc etc) in his 2nd, 3rd 4th or 5th grade, should he make know the interview board about his achievement by carrying relevant certificates?

6) And lastly, if a candidate is a Sitar player, is it normal to carry the instrument for a live performance or should he carry a camcorder?

[riteshmisra]

Collar button can be open if you find it more comfortable. Sweat shirt is a no-no beneath the formal shirt

brown shoe will be preferred over the black one depending on the colour of your trousers, no definite and exact answer for this.

It desnt matter if bald candidates shave thier heads or not, more importnatly they shd be self confident

What are spundles?

You are not allowed to go to the interview room with certifcates. Dont raise the topic on yr own, but if it comes across naturally during the interview then u can mention yr achievment

camcorder, sitar etc not allowed, same answer as above

[kushal]

Today had a great laugh.

Just returned from the party, and one of the officer narrated a great story about a tie.

The chairman Board, started asking the candidate to take out the tie and tie the knot of the tie again during the interview session itself.

Hearing this, one of the other candidate who took the help of 'papa' to tie the knot took it off and put that in the back pocket of his pant.

Guess what, when he finished the interview, the Tie became his tail! Hehehe! (It came out half way from his pocket)

But Guess again; he cleared the exam

Moral of the story, even if you do not know how to tie the tie, keep it in the back pocket. (Just kiddin)

[Sreekar]

Nice one Kushal. It really made me laugh as well. Thanks for sharing.

-Sreekar

[mainh_rachna]

Sir i want to know what should be the formal attire for the female candidates.
What should an unmarriedgirl wear? A saree or a simple salwaar- kamiz.

The candidate should tie her hairor she can leave them open.
What is the ratio of male n female person in a panel?

[mainh_rachna]

I am oe of the candidate who is appearing for the Engineering Service Exam-2007 which is scheduled to be held in June-2007.
I am confident about the technical portion.
But any one can please suggest me a good book for General English which includes Synonyms, antonyms, idioms etc.

[kushal]

Did you read the article here:

http://www.indianofficer.com/forums/...e&articleid=11

Regarding hair I would not be able to comment much as of now, however, I would ask some lady officers if they can throw some light.

There is no panel of Male and female ratio in Interview. It can only be derived by statistics. In my board, where we had 3 females candidates, our board comprised of only 5 male Interviewer.