6 ms·

"...did you wear a suit" I guess it might depend on the industry, but at most interviews I have done, the expectation has been to just wear jeans and whatever.

by Bahamut 12y ago

"...did you wear a suit" I guess it might depend on the industry, but at most interviews I have done, the expectation has been to just wear jeans and whatever. I usually go with jeans and a polo shirt for safety.

peteretep 12y ago
Which city are you in? I wonder if it's a cultural difference. In the UK, I'd always recommend dressing smart.
- mike-cardwell 12y ago
  In the UK, I went for a Perl programmer job interview a few years ago in a suit and was told I was overdressed. I then went back to the same company for another interview a couple of years later, in jeans and a polo-shirt and nobody said anything, but I was looked up and down and it was pretty clear to me I was underdressed that time. I wasn't offered either of the positions. No idea if the way I dressed had any bearing on it.
- lentil_soup 12y ago
  I think it's more of an industry thing, I've worked in the UK in the games industry and dressing up was definitely not needed. I actually dressed up once for an interview with Peter Molyneux and the first thing he said before even shaking hands was "oh, you dressed up" with a very confused face.
- alkonaut 12y ago
  Example: UK and Nordic business dress codes are miles apart. In the UK every traveling sales person wears a suit. It's especially obvious when we have internal meetings where they dress up for work and can't wait to switch to casual before we go to a restaurant. Meanwhile the swedes all wear jeans to the meeting and dress as smart as possiblr for the restaurant. For interviews I'd always just dress smart but not wear a suit unless I believe there will be at least one more person in the office wearing a suit. Dress for confidence. Being overdressed and uncomfortable (if you aren't used to wearing suits) isn't a confidence booster. Just be clean and at least as smart looking as the person interviewing.
magoon 12y ago
It may seem like you were dressed OK, but do you really know? Does anybody ever say "we can't hire that guy, he dressed up?"
- MrScruff 12y ago
  They wouldn't say that, they'd say 'I'm not sure if this person is a good cultural fit for our company'.
  - bshimmin 12y ago
    I really don't think so. If you went to a first interview in a suit and everyone were dressed extremely casually (flip-flop casually) and then you dressed the same for a second interview, definitely questions might be asked. But on the whole in the UK I would say it's pretty common to dress smartly for a first interview unless you have specific information (eg. from a recruiter or hiring manager) that you should not do that. If I were interviewing in finance, I would definitely wear a suit. If I were interviewing at a startup or a digital agency, or equivalent, I would wear smart trousers (maybe smart jeans) and a shirt. That's playing it safe. Sometimes I interview people who are wearing jeans and a t-shirt and generally look pretty scruffy - I know that they know that that is probably the attire most of their potential future colleagues will be wearing, but it certainly doesn't impress me much. But maybe I'm just old-fashioned. I thought there was a lot of good advice in those slides, incidentally.
    - outworlder 12y ago
      Doesn't hurt to just ask, to whoever your contact is, "hey, is there a dress code?"
      - bshimmin 12y ago
        Absolutely right. If I turned up to a job interview in a suit and everyone else was in beach attire, I'd absolutely ask about the dress code and make a joke about my own attire.
  - 12y ago
lostcolony 12y ago
'Or at least business casual' It really depends on the place. If there's a recruiter involved, ask them. Otherwise, (the following is based on my experience in the US, YMMV, etc), if they're not a software company, or are a defense contractor or similar, probably safest to go with a suit. If they are a software company, business casual is probably fine. If they're a startup, jeans and a t-shirt is probably fine. If you're uncertain, consider dressing up slightly; i.e., you think jeans and a t-shirt is fine but aren't sure; go with khakis and a polo. You think business casual is okay but aren't sure, go with a dress shirt and slacks. In general the commentary along the lines of "would you want to work there if they judged you on your clothes?" is probably true, however it misses a major point. In many roles, roles you may even enjoy, you will interact with executives or with customers, at some level. Even if that doesn't entail dressing up (and oftentimes it won't), being able to show that you can exude professionalism during the interview shows that you can do it in such a situation, and it's generally easier to do that when dressed nicely (though balance it against the discomfort of wearing something you're unaccustomed to).
- mrottenkolber 12y ago
  I don't have all these different kinds of clothing. (And no I don't want to own them either). Am I the only one who thinks this game should be played the other way around? If a company needs my services, they should impress me. I am not a model and I am sure as hell not a wage slave. I don't do CVs, and I sure as hell don't talk to HR. I am performing a necessary duty, if I can fill my role then my other traits will be catered for. From my experience some basic self respect ensures you only end up with good jobs. The positions you have to bend for are not worth bending for imho.
  - kasey_junk 12y ago
    That really depends on the hiring environment you are working in. Right now, in most of the tech centers around, it is an employees market. This is not always true and it can be different for different tech centers, technologies, and employees. So sure, while this is working for you right now, keep it in mind in the future when this bubble bursts. I do find it interesting that an adult with professional career in the western world doesn't own at least 1 set of "professional" clothes. What do you wear to weddings and funerals?
robalfonso 12y ago
I work at a very casual office, when I've interviewed I've seen just about everything from jeans/t-shirt to a suit. My take away is "look nice" regardless of what level of dress you have chosen. I've been impressed by candidates that wore suits. It shows they understand their appearance is important, however, it is not a deciding factor in the job, just a nice to have. Also had people show up in a suit that is 10 years out of style or with hideous tie,etc. They would have been far better off to come in khakis and a polo. Here are my basic rules on Interview dressing: 1 When in doubt, wear a suit. For all lifes clothing decisions, better to be over, than under dressed 2 Ask a recruiter whats appropriate, if you are dealing with one. 3 Whatever you wear, make sure it looks nice (no stains, ironed, fits well,etc) How someone is dressed is a very small part of hiring (in the tech world, less so for other professions), but it does speak to attention to detail, and how they see themselves. Given two equally skilled candidates the one who presents themselves best (attire wise) is going to get the nod.
- wylee 12y ago
  > 1 When in doubt, wear a suit As general advice, this is wrong. There are a lot of positions where wearing a suit to the interview would automatically mean you won't get hired. Of course, it depends on the locale, the position, &c, but the idea that a suit is always safe is somewhat outdated.
  - robalfonso 12y ago
    I will slightly adjust that to - it depends on the company (do your research). Clearly if you are applying for a startup of early 20 somethings a suit makes zero sense (but then there is less doubt, no?)
- JoeAltmaier 12y ago
  Agreed - overdressed loses no points; underdressed can. ( So Pascal's observation holds?)
- jackmaney 12y ago
  > Also had people show up in a suit that is 10 years out of style or with hideous tie,etc. And a sense of fashion is relevant to the job...how, exactly?

by Bahamut 12y ago

peteretep 12y ago

Which city are you in? I wonder if it's a cultural difference. In the UK, I'd always recommend dressing smart.

mike-cardwell 12y ago
In the UK, I went for a Perl programmer job interview a few years ago in a suit and was told I was overdressed. I then went back to the same company for another interview a couple of years later, in jeans and a polo-shirt and nobody said anything, but I was looked up and down and it was pretty clear to me I was underdressed that time. I wasn't offered either of the positions. No idea if the way I dressed had any bearing on it.
lentil_soup 12y ago
I think it's more of an industry thing, I've worked in the UK in the games industry and dressing up was definitely not needed. I actually dressed up once for an interview with Peter Molyneux and the first thing he said before even shaking hands was "oh, you dressed up" with a very confused face.
alkonaut 12y ago
Example: UK and Nordic business dress codes are miles apart. In the UK every traveling sales person wears a suit. It's especially obvious when we have internal meetings where they dress up for work and can't wait to switch to casual before we go to a restaurant. Meanwhile the swedes all wear jeans to the meeting and dress as smart as possiblr for the restaurant. For interviews I'd always just dress smart but not wear a suit unless I believe there will be at least one more person in the office wearing a suit. Dress for confidence. Being overdressed and uncomfortable (if you aren't used to wearing suits) isn't a confidence booster. Just be clean and at least as smart looking as the person interviewing.

magoon 12y ago

It may seem like you were dressed OK, but do you really know? Does anybody ever say "we can't hire that guy, he dressed up?"

MrScruff 12y ago
They wouldn't say that, they'd say 'I'm not sure if this person is a good cultural fit for our company'.
- bshimmin 12y ago
  I really don't think so. If you went to a first interview in a suit and everyone were dressed extremely casually (flip-flop casually) and then you dressed the same for a second interview, definitely questions might be asked. But on the whole in the UK I would say it's pretty common to dress smartly for a first interview unless you have specific information (eg. from a recruiter or hiring manager) that you should not do that. If I were interviewing in finance, I would definitely wear a suit. If I were interviewing at a startup or a digital agency, or equivalent, I would wear smart trousers (maybe smart jeans) and a shirt. That's playing it safe. Sometimes I interview people who are wearing jeans and a t-shirt and generally look pretty scruffy - I know that they know that that is probably the attire most of their potential future colleagues will be wearing, but it certainly doesn't impress me much. But maybe I'm just old-fashioned. I thought there was a lot of good advice in those slides, incidentally.
  - outworlder 12y ago
    Doesn't hurt to just ask, to whoever your contact is, "hey, is there a dress code?"
    - bshimmin 12y ago
      Absolutely right. If I turned up to a job interview in a suit and everyone else was in beach attire, I'd absolutely ask about the dress code and make a joke about my own attire.
- 12y ago

lostcolony 12y ago

'Or at least business casual' It really depends on the place. If there's a recruiter involved, ask them. Otherwise, (the following is based on my experience in the US, YMMV, etc), if they're not a software company, or are a defense contractor or similar, probably safest to go with a suit. If they are a software company, business casual is probably fine. If they're a startup, jeans and a t-shirt is probably fine. If you're uncertain, consider dressing up slightly; i.e., you think jeans and a t-shirt is fine but aren't sure; go with khakis and a polo. You think business casual is okay but aren't sure, go with a dress shirt and slacks. In general the commentary along the lines of "would you want to work there if they judged you on your clothes?" is probably true, however it misses a major point. In many roles, roles you may even enjoy, you will interact with executives or with customers, at some level. Even if that doesn't entail dressing up (and oftentimes it won't), being able to show that you can exude professionalism during the interview shows that you can do it in such a situation, and it's generally easier to do that when dressed nicely (though balance it against the discomfort of wearing something you're unaccustomed to).

mrottenkolber 12y ago
I don't have all these different kinds of clothing. (And no I don't want to own them either). Am I the only one who thinks this game should be played the other way around? If a company needs my services, they should impress me. I am not a model and I am sure as hell not a wage slave. I don't do CVs, and I sure as hell don't talk to HR. I am performing a necessary duty, if I can fill my role then my other traits will be catered for. From my experience some basic self respect ensures you only end up with good jobs. The positions you have to bend for are not worth bending for imho.
- kasey_junk 12y ago
  That really depends on the hiring environment you are working in. Right now, in most of the tech centers around, it is an employees market. This is not always true and it can be different for different tech centers, technologies, and employees. So sure, while this is working for you right now, keep it in mind in the future when this bubble bursts. I do find it interesting that an adult with professional career in the western world doesn't own at least 1 set of "professional" clothes. What do you wear to weddings and funerals?

robalfonso 12y ago

I work at a very casual office, when I've interviewed I've seen just about everything from jeans/t-shirt to a suit. My take away is "look nice" regardless of what level of dress you have chosen. I've been impressed by candidates that wore suits. It shows they understand their appearance is important, however, it is not a deciding factor in the job, just a nice to have. Also had people show up in a suit that is 10 years out of style or with hideous tie,etc. They would have been far better off to come in khakis and a polo. Here are my basic rules on Interview dressing: 1 When in doubt, wear a suit. For all lifes clothing decisions, better to be over, than under dressed 2 Ask a recruiter whats appropriate, if you are dealing with one. 3 Whatever you wear, make sure it looks nice (no stains, ironed, fits well,etc) How someone is dressed is a very small part of hiring (in the tech world, less so for other professions), but it does speak to attention to detail, and how they see themselves. Given two equally skilled candidates the one who presents themselves best (attire wise) is going to get the nod.

wylee 12y ago
> 1 When in doubt, wear a suit As general advice, this is wrong. There are a lot of positions where wearing a suit to the interview would automatically mean you won't get hired. Of course, it depends on the locale, the position, &c, but the idea that a suit is always safe is somewhat outdated.
- robalfonso 12y ago
  I will slightly adjust that to - it depends on the company (do your research). Clearly if you are applying for a startup of early 20 somethings a suit makes zero sense (but then there is less doubt, no?)
JoeAltmaier 12y ago
Agreed - overdressed loses no points; underdressed can. ( So Pascal's observation holds?)
jackmaney 12y ago
> Also had people show up in a suit that is 10 years out of style or with hideous tie,etc. And a sense of fashion is relevant to the job...how, exactly?