7 ms·
> SV dress like slobs Fair, but I'd say most (at least more than other industries) people in tech dress how they want. Businesses everywhere are trending towar
by skizm 7y ago
> SV dress like slobs
Fair, but I'd say most (at least more than other industries) people in tech dress how they want. Businesses everywhere are trending toward more casual wear simply because, given the choice, most people would rather dress down. Tech just jumped right to the logical conclusion faster: dress how you want and how you're going to be most productive as long as you're not disrupting others.
- Balgair 7y agoNah, the dress code in SV/Tech is a pair of dark jeans and a plaid button down in muted weft patterns (ie. not a yellow base), no ties, clasp belts (if at all).
- notyourwork 7y agoAs I head to work I have to disagree with these generalization which would include me as part of your beard oil plaid demographic.
- armenarmen 7y agoI don’t get the down votes, this is basically the national costume of SV/Tech
- tomjakubowski 7y agoHahhhh. In LA tech there's a similar look with a muted pattern print button down, but maybe a short-sleeved work shirt with ditsy prints.
- groby_b 7y agoYeah, no, they don't unless they're established in a position of power. You can dress as you want in SV as long as it's close to the standard. Try going to work in nicer clothes. You'll get plenty of comments. You're the outsider in the group. People question if you belong. No, of course you won't be told that you can't dress that way. You'll still feel it. It will still affect you.
- scarejunba 7y agoPeople do remark but their reaction is usually positive. I guess it's like any norm-violating thing - if you don't violate with confidence, you're going to look like you just don't know better.
- SaltyBackendGuy 7y agoAnecdotal.. But when I first got into the tech industry I went to job interviews (In SF) in a full suit. I was alway told that you want to go to interview "dressed for success". It wasn't until I dressed down to jeans and a long sleeve button up that I actually got an offer. Honestly, I think no matter what environment you're in you have a better chance of success if you play to your audience a bit.
- Reedx 7y agoYeah, wearing a suit for a tech/game job interview will only hurt your odds and it definitely won't help. It's rare when someone interviews in a suit, but when they do it comes up in evaluations and not as a positive indicator.
- Traster 7y agoIt's hilarious that we've come full circle on that. It was dropped because it was absurd that you'd need to wear a suit in order to be a good engineer especially when you never see a customer. It's equally absurd to suggest that wearing a suit makes you any less qualified- but everyone has seen that one movie where Steve Jobs acts like a douche and hey presto! The entirity of SV ends up exactly as judgey as Wall Street but in exactly the opposite direction.
- sushid 7y agoI've only had one interviewee dress in a full suit and he was the worst candidate I ever interviewed in my life. Couldn't write a line of Java although his resume claimed he had over 12 years of experience using mostly Java. Knew nothing about insertion time of arrays which I threw as a freebie when I realized I wasn't going to hire him anyway. It could just show that the candidate is out of touch with the tech scene, which might mean that they're not going to do as well as some other candidates. I do agree it discriminates against those who may not be from the area or from a traditional background, but SV is nowhere as "exactly as judgey as Wall Street." SV as a whole is way more meritocratic and willing to take a chance on smart candidates. Try telling Goldman that you're a hard working candidate who has been studying up econ and finance textbooks on your own and would like an internship. Lastly, discriminating against someone for NOT wearing a $1k sounds a lot worse than wearing one. You can always dress down but not everyone can dress up!
- firstplacelast 7y agoI work for a tech start-up, everyone above me basically has a PhD. I dress down for work because I don’t want to A) feel out of place and B) draw attention from dressing better than my boss. My boss typically wears ratty jeans and a t-shirt (often with graphics on them). I opt for nice jeans and a plain colored shirt most days. Much rather this than have to wear a suit everyday, but I’ve got all sorts of polos, button-downs, and nice khakis I don’t bother to wear (but have worn at previous companies that were larger and more formal). Doesn’t bother me, but I definitely know I alter my choices to fit with group dynamics.