Red USC Sweatshirt, Gray Sweatpants, and Red Nike Air Force Ones

Preparing for a job interview is challenging. You must research the company, study topics and concepts that you may not have seen in a while, and most of all, dress to impress.

Studies show that the better you look, the higher your chances are of getting the job. Your physical features are beyond your control, but the clothing you wear is your masterpiece. Dressing in a trim fit Italian suit paired with leather oxfords can make you feel like you are on top of the world. A nice suit can give you the confidence to land any job and secure any bag.

On November 9, 2018, I was flying to Los Angeles (LA), CA, to interview with Deloitte Consulting. Only 4% of applicants receive offers from Deloitte, so you could only imagine how nervous I was since my chances of getting the job were very slim. Beyond the statistics, I was also nervous about the case interview. I did not know what to expect. However, I knew once I put on my navy-blue Saks Fifth Avenue suit, yellow Ralph Lauren shirt, British tan Calvin Klein oxfords with the matching British tan belt, and my navy-blue tie, I would be unstoppable. With that combination, nothing or nobody could stop me; I was going to feel like President Obama walking through the halls of Deloitte’s Downtown LA office.

My flight to LA was not a straight shot. I had a layover in Dallas, Texas. Usually, as soon as I get on a plane, whether the flight is 30 minutes or 30 hours, I go to sleep. Once I boarded my flight from Charlotte, NC, to Dallas, TX, I did what I normally do – sleep. I thought I would sleep for a few hours, wake up, and then be in Dallas. To my surprise, that was not how this flight would pan out.

After sleeping for a couple hours, I noticed that I did not wake up in Dallas. I was nowhere near Dallas. I was still in the air, and I heard the flight attendant say, “There is a storm in Dallas, so we will be diverting to Oklahoma City.” As a consultant, you get used to flight delays, flight cancellations, and bad weather; it’s a part of the job.

Once we landed in Oklahoma City, I received an e-mail from American Airlines stating my 10 PM flight from Dallas to LA was rebooked to 10 AM the next day. Immediately, I became uneasy and I contacted my recruiter. The problem with the 10 AM flight from Dallas to LA is that my interview was at 9 AM in LA. A 10 AM flight would get me to LA at approximately 12 PM. That 10 AM flight was not going to work.

When I spoke to the recruiter, she stated that she would book me on another flight from Dallas to LA as soon as I landed in Dallas. She also warned that I should never book a connecting flight. After a couple of hours, I finally landed in Dallas, and I noticed my original connecting flight was still at the airport. Suddenly, I experienced an adrenaline rush, and I ran through the airport to try to make that flight. I ran, and I ran, and finally, I arrived at my gate.

After explaining my situation to the agent, he finally rebooked me on my original flight (after about 5 minutes of working the system) and handed me my ticket. I grabbed the ticket and ran to the plane. As soon as I reached the boarding doors, a crew member closed the doors in my face. I was mortified!

At this point, I planned to follow the recruiter’s instructions and find another flight. I searched for flights that were leaving for LA that night, but there were none. Spirit Airlines did not even have seats available. I contacted the recruiter and informed her that there were not any flights leaving that night. The recruiter stated that she could reschedule my interview and that these things happen. I was still determined to get to LA and interview the morning of November 9, so I called American Airlines and demanded, in the nicest way possible, to be rebooked on another airline.

After several calls to customer service representatives and standing in line for an hour to speak to an agent in person, I was rebooked on a 6 AM United flight to LA, and my arrival time was 8:10 AM. I was relieved that I was going to make it to my interview after all.

There was one more thing I had to get squared away, my checked bag. There was no way I was going to put my nice navy-blue Saks Fifth Avenue suit in a small carry-on bag. I bought a medium-sized suitcase that folds like a suit bag to accommodate my nice suits. Some airlines allow me to bring that bag on as a carry-on, but American Airlines does not. So, I called American Airlines and asked if it was possible for me to get my bag and check it on to my United flight. American stated that my bag would automatically be transferred to United, and there was more than enough time to ensure my bag would be leaving with me at 6 AM.

As the hours passed, I found an empty section in the airport, and I slept for about 2 hours. I was freezing and uncomfortable, but none of that mattered because I was going to be on time for my interview dressed in my navy-blue Saks Fifth Avenue suit. Five o’clock came, and I woke up and walked to my boarding gate. I got on the plane, and in typical Jerome fashion, I went straight to sleep.

I woke up, and I was in LA. It was around 7:50 AM, and I was at baggage claim waiting for my bag. As the bags started to come out and rotate on the conveyor belt, I did not see my bag, so I ran to the American Airlines terminal because I figured that my bag would be there instead.

Once I got to the Baggage Services area, I gave the agent my bag tag number, and she stated, “Your bag won’t be here until 10:24 AM.” If only you could see the look on my face; I was furious. I knew it wasn’t the agent’s fault, so I had to be an adult and control my unpleasantness. I told the agent that American Airlines assured me that my bag would be in LA when I arrived. The agent responded by saying there was nothing she could do.

I immediately texted my recruiter and told her that I was in LA, but I did not have my bag, which meant I did not have my suit. I told her my bag wouldn’t be in for a few more hours, and I was hoping my interviewers would understand. The recruiter responded by asking if I felt comfortable interviewing in what I had on. I quickly responded, and said, “Yes, but I don’t want to be dinged because I don’t have on a suit.”

Once we confirmed that the interviewers understood my pain, I requested a Lyft, and I was on my way to interview in a red USC sweatshirt, gray jogging pants, and red Nike Air Force Ones (I was also carrying a neck pillow and an MCM backpack). I arrived at the Deloitte office around 9:45 AM. I could feel everyone staring at me. I even saw a few people laughing at me as I entered the elevator. I smiled and laughed back.

Once I got to my floor, I checked in, and I noticed that all the offices and conference rooms were made of glass. Meaning, everyone could see me, and everyone was looking directly at me. After a few minutes, my recruiter came to get me, took my neck pillow, and had someone escort me to my interview room. I was not as prepared as I normally am for interviews. Within the past 24 hours, I slept for about four hours, I hadn’t brushed my teeth or showered, and my mind was not present. Regardless of what I had experienced, I knew I had to deliver with or without my navy-blue Saks Fifth Avenue suit.

I had 4 interviews that morning. I knew I was going to knock out the behavioral interviews, but I was still nervous about the case interview. I had already made up excuses in my head if I didn’t perform well on the case interview: I was sleep deprived, and I was uncomfortable because I was not dressed properly.

After about an hour and a half of interviewing, it was all over. It felt very underwhelming being that I had went through so much to get there. When I left the Deloitte LA office, I knew I had the job. I connected well with my interviewers, I was lively, I articulated myself well, and I killed my case interview. My recruiter reaffirmed my thoughts when she contacted me after my interview and told me that I got the job. I was ecstatic because it meant everything I went through was worthwhile. Most of all, I delivered even though I did not have on my navy-blue Saks Fifth Avenue suit.

The moral of this story is the suit does not make the man; the man makes the suit. Too often, we get a false sense of confidence and power from material things and external forces. Music cannot motivate a body without a mind to consume it. Clothes cannot make you feel confident without a body to fill them and without a mind to convey that confidence. You have the power to unlock forces in your mind to accomplish and achieve anything in this world. The power is in you.

Whether you have on streetwear or an expensive suit, you must rise to the occasion. You cannot be defined by rags or expensive tags.