Of course those changes helped them. It has always been this way and will always be. There is little to no relation to social medias. A job interview is a date

Of course those changes helped them. It has always been this way and will always be. There is little to no relation to social medias. A job interview is a date with an employer. You are supposed to look your best, your 110%. You can come dressed as a slob the next month, but by then people will know that you can and are able to dress correctly if the need rise (meeting with an important client). Makeup hides your unhealthy lifestyles. Baggy eyes from working all night look the same as baggy eyes from staying out in bars or gaming all night. It can also hides defects such as acne and bad skin tone that make you look younger or make give out the perception that you are or sick. Remember that they are hiring someone to be part of a team, so you are expected to look the part. As for the script you had them learn and read... I'm confused... Did those people improvise their last interview on the spot? You should always be ready during an interview. You should have been rehearsing your speech so that you are able to deliver it in an eloquent way. Every answers to the typical interview questions should be aced. Programming is a team effort and communication is the key. Nobody wants to hire that loner who is unable to talk about himself for 10 minutes because how would this person be able to vulgarize a problem to the client or other department? This is something that really irks me with the programming community. People tend to think that because we are geeky and outcasts we should get hired without putting any social effort. Social skills are just like any regular skills. You need to read books, follow tutorials and train them. Otherwise you look like a skilless individual and nobody wants to hire that.