To be fair, on a date anything that makes me look handsomer is fair game. If it makes me look richer that's a bonus. If it signals to my date that I think she'

To be fair, on a date anything that makes me look handsomer is fair game. If it makes me look richer that's a bonus. If it signals to my date that I think she's worth some effort to look nice for, then that's probably a good thing. If wearing a suit gets me more sales, then I'm fine with that too. I like getting paid. Conversely I don't need a fancy car, or clothes, to signal success. I don't drive far. A little sporty hatchback works for me. I wear shorts and sandals to work most days (long pants and shoes if a client is coming to visit.) I've never penalised a candidate for overdressing. If you under-dress though you better have lots of substance underneath. So sure, dressing well compensates for something. But new grads etc NEED to compensate for experience. You may as well show -some- effort.