4 ms·

It's probably not the default? I'd guess that most men don't wear suits to interviews. I didn't wear a suit when I was applying to be a baker. Or when I worked

It's probably not the default? I'd guess that most men don't wear suits to interviews. I didn't wear a suit when I was applying to be a baker. Or when I worked at Costco. Or any of the software jobs I've had. Or even when applying to be a manager. A button down and a decent pair of jeans, maybe. But I can think of 0 times I've worn a suit to an interview.

penagwin 8y ago
Eh, I agree that it really depends on the job/area/people/etc, not the default everywhere for sure, I'd interview without a suit and just nice dress clothes. Anyway, the point remains the same though, tattoos are still expected to be covered.
- Pfhreak 8y ago
  The Northwest tech scene must be radically different, because I have zero expectations that someone cover their tattoos for an interview. The interviewed person should first and foremost be comfortable. What if wearing a suit makes someone uncomfortable or self conscious? What if hiding their arm/neck tattoos makes them less confident or worry about being judged? Why would I want a candidate to be thinking about that rather than the interview? Honestly, why should I care if they show up covered head to toe in ink, or cross dressing, or whatever else makes them most comfortable? Obviously there's a limit -- you can't show up to the interview naked -- but all this about managing other people's appearances disappoints me so much.
  - EliRivers 8y ago
    I want to see that a candidate is capable of thinking ahead and planning what they wear in order to present themselves favourably, or at the very least not present themselves as a mess. These are easy points to win and when a candidate can't be bothered to put in five minutes' thought to win them, it's not a great start. Had a candidate a couple of months ago with pants so baggy the crotch hung around his thighs and the whole apparatus appeared to be in danger of falling down (no belt, of course), and when he stood up to write on the board, his choice of underwear brand was apparent.
    - penagwin 8y ago
      I don't want to challenge how you decide who to hire. I just wanted to voice my point of view here. I have a terrible sense of "what looks nice" off the bat, have depression, anxiety, possibly on the spectrum according to my doctor, and I live alone. Things like this I'm scared of, while to an interview I 100% make sure everything fits properly, etc. I don't always have a great sense as to what I look like, so I'm scared of other people's decisions based on how I look, act, etc.
      - EliRivers 8y ago
        Good for you. A number of candidates devote no thought to how their appearance might be judged and turn up dressed in a way that wins them no points. Sounds like you do better than them.
alistairSH 8y ago
Regional? A suit is the norm in DC for most industries, including software. I've only interviewed one candidate (in DC) who dressed casually. Two or three in suits w/out a tie or a blazer and dress pants. The rest were in a standard suit with a tie. Bangalore was the opposite end of the spectrum. Not only casual attire but a casual attitude to the interview in general (cell phone on the bus, in the park, etc). I don't know if that would hold for local, in-person interviews, but was true for video interviews (development team is split 50/50 between DC metro and Bangalore, with managers in both locations). At my employer, arm or neck tattoos would be noticed, but probably not impact a developers job prospects. Management might be a different story. My wife is in banking and a suit is 100% expected at interviews. And tattoos covered. And piercings anywhere but the ear removed. A face or neck tattoo would likely be an immediate disqualifier for a job at HQ and probably also in their call centers or branches. Of course, they also dress true business casual every day (no jeans, men wear jackets, etc).
- FiddlyPack 8y ago
  ...huh. Interviewing in VA/MD, only once had a candidate wear a suit. Nice shirt and blazer with jeans/slacks seems to be the norm. I wonder if it’s micro-regional to DC? Or something about the specific software industry you are in?
  - alistairSH 8y ago
    Weird. No idea. I work for a large software company, ERP software, but in a niche market. Offices in Reston, Bangalore, and a few other places.
  - setr 8y ago
    My understanding has been that most large companies, especially those older than like 15-20 years, in the east coast follow suit-culture for white-collar work; the minimum being business casual for daily work (not eg meetings with execs). This difference being the quintessential culture shift compared to california (aka silicon valley) dress code, with shorts and shirt being a very direct reaction to it But this is based on hearsay and history; I’m not old enough to experience it myself ;)

penagwin 8y ago

Eh, I agree that it really depends on the job/area/people/etc, not the default everywhere for sure, I'd interview without a suit and just nice dress clothes. Anyway, the point remains the same though, tattoos are still expected to be covered.

Pfhreak 8y ago
The Northwest tech scene must be radically different, because I have zero expectations that someone cover their tattoos for an interview. The interviewed person should first and foremost be comfortable. What if wearing a suit makes someone uncomfortable or self conscious? What if hiding their arm/neck tattoos makes them less confident or worry about being judged? Why would I want a candidate to be thinking about that rather than the interview? Honestly, why should I care if they show up covered head to toe in ink, or cross dressing, or whatever else makes them most comfortable? Obviously there's a limit -- you can't show up to the interview naked -- but all this about managing other people's appearances disappoints me so much.
- EliRivers 8y ago
  I want to see that a candidate is capable of thinking ahead and planning what they wear in order to present themselves favourably, or at the very least not present themselves as a mess. These are easy points to win and when a candidate can't be bothered to put in five minutes' thought to win them, it's not a great start. Had a candidate a couple of months ago with pants so baggy the crotch hung around his thighs and the whole apparatus appeared to be in danger of falling down (no belt, of course), and when he stood up to write on the board, his choice of underwear brand was apparent.
  - penagwin 8y ago
    I don't want to challenge how you decide who to hire. I just wanted to voice my point of view here. I have a terrible sense of "what looks nice" off the bat, have depression, anxiety, possibly on the spectrum according to my doctor, and I live alone. Things like this I'm scared of, while to an interview I 100% make sure everything fits properly, etc. I don't always have a great sense as to what I look like, so I'm scared of other people's decisions based on how I look, act, etc.
    - EliRivers 8y ago
      Good for you. A number of candidates devote no thought to how their appearance might be judged and turn up dressed in a way that wins them no points. Sounds like you do better than them.

alistairSH 8y ago

Regional? A suit is the norm in DC for most industries, including software. I've only interviewed one candidate (in DC) who dressed casually. Two or three in suits w/out a tie or a blazer and dress pants. The rest were in a standard suit with a tie. Bangalore was the opposite end of the spectrum. Not only casual attire but a casual attitude to the interview in general (cell phone on the bus, in the park, etc). I don't know if that would hold for local, in-person interviews, but was true for video interviews (development team is split 50/50 between DC metro and Bangalore, with managers in both locations). At my employer, arm or neck tattoos would be noticed, but probably not impact a developers job prospects. Management might be a different story. My wife is in banking and a suit is 100% expected at interviews. And tattoos covered. And piercings anywhere but the ear removed. A face or neck tattoo would likely be an immediate disqualifier for a job at HQ and probably also in their call centers or branches. Of course, they also dress true business casual every day (no jeans, men wear jackets, etc).

FiddlyPack 8y ago
...huh. Interviewing in VA/MD, only once had a candidate wear a suit. Nice shirt and blazer with jeans/slacks seems to be the norm. I wonder if it’s micro-regional to DC? Or something about the specific software industry you are in?
- alistairSH 8y ago
  Weird. No idea. I work for a large software company, ERP software, but in a niche market. Offices in Reston, Bangalore, and a few other places.
- setr 8y ago
  My understanding has been that most large companies, especially those older than like 15-20 years, in the east coast follow suit-culture for white-collar work; the minimum being business casual for daily work (not eg meetings with execs). This difference being the quintessential culture shift compared to california (aka silicon valley) dress code, with shorts and shirt being a very direct reaction to it But this is based on hearsay and history; I’m not old enough to experience it myself ;)