Is wearing Suits to interviews still the thing to do?

Danielm7

networker050184 wrote: »

Nothing is wrong with it per se, but fitting into the culture is more important. But again, if you are working in house IT for a bank or some other stuffy sector suit probably fits better with the culture. Know what you're interviewing for. It's certainly not a blanket "suit up" answer anymore in my opinion.

Agree, I think some people are going right to the idea of flip flops and shorts. You can wear khakis and a nice shirt and still look decent. When you go to interview in a company where everyone is wearing jeans and tshirts and you're wearing a full suit you look out of place. You might feel like you are impressing them, but I think a lot of those people just feel like you don't fit in with their culture.

Spiegel

For my current position I didn't wear a suit but if I were going for any higher positions I'd consider it. Especially if interview is done as a panel where you're not just in front of your department manager but the other supervisors and even department director.

Plantwiz

Well, kHakis are fine for after the job is won, but dare to upscale to black or navy with a pressed shirt and tie, minimum. If that is too stuffy, we have some serious issues with our culture. Many companies are global, business still equals business dress, not college frat slacker wear ...and back in the day, several of the frat dressed very well, it was required, but then again, most of those fellas were aiming for business ownership/ Sr. management (in time) roles..though even the tech folks dressed well.

Beauty is, we all have the freedom to choose what we wear...likewise, those we work with have the freedom to judge us

Think of your government leaders, how do you see them? (Okay, no political side discussions), just consider if the person's everyday dress was a hoodie, or Hawaiian shirt and sandals. They may be a fun person to hang out with, but not many would take them serious for too long. (And Hawaiian shirts and shorts are very common for big business people in Hawaii...unfortunately, the majority of the members here are not living in Hawaii nor her surrounding islands.

There is a time and place to dress down, and when one looks young they still face a credibility issue because they look like they still belong in high school waiting for the day they can finally shave. Dress for how you want to be treated.



As side note, we have a strong population here who want to work in security (IT related), would you hire the guy with the hair that needs to see a trim and a comb, untucked shirt (t shirt), and pants that are tight and tapered with tennis shoes (or the designer boat shoes that seem popular)?

That look, although popular with the young crowd, just portrays a lack of detail and NOT the personality I would put into a security role, even if they were one of the best...there is another candidate out there who can dress like a professional, so when they interact with (in house) salespeople, accounting people, or even outside clients those folks view them as trustworthy and know their data and communications within our company are secured properly. Just a thought.

patman

Nice suit and good manners go a long way. When deciding between several equally qualified candidates, these impressions make the difference... just like having Zero mistakes on the resume and or answering/texting the cell phone, putting your feet on the desk or near by chair!!!

FYI: For the business guys in Oahu, the Hawaiian shirts worn instead of tie and coat, tend to be $100.++ , not $10. swap meet shirts .

Like Plantwiz said, the people with root privileges in the enterprise should appear professional, trustworthy, and reliable.

dcarey4698

I wear a suit and tie no matter what. Even if you are overdressed, the employer will still be impressed that you are taking the opportunity that seriously.

XiaoTech

Black pants, black shoes, collard button up shirt. Simple. I never got a job where I wore a suit and tie. I always got a job where I dressed plain, relaxed, but professional. That has been my experience.

ImThe0ne

So, my first IT job was a mom and pop MSP, I had NO professional experience but had personal experience and an A+ certification. These guys wore bluejeans and a polo everyday, I showed up in a suit and was told later on that the only reason I had gotten the job was because I wore a suit and they knew I was taking it seriously. However, the next job I got I wore a suit to the interview and I was told that I was overdressed, but they appreciated that I took it seriously. I stopped wearing suits after that. The weather typically dictates what I wear, if it is cold I will usually wear dress slacks, button up dress shirt and a nice dress sweater (NOT a sweater vest). If during spring/summer/fall I am wearing dress slacks, button up, dress shoes.

I will say, however, that I have to agree with the above. While I am NOT recommending you show up in anything less than business casual, I think your personality, experience, and skills matter a lot more than if you wore a suit or not. I am currently 5 for 5 on interviews that I came on site and got to actually meet the managers, everyone have offered me the job. So I would put a lot more effort into your interview prep work than anything else.

networker050184

ImThe0ne wrote: »

(NOT a sweater vest)

Yes please. Don't wear a sweater vest. Ever.

UnixGuy

I never wear a suit. Just a nice shirt and a chino most of the time

kenrin

I've had so many interviewers ask me not to wear a suit and a tie that I don't own one anymore. I go in sporting slacks or khaki's and a nice dress shirt or polo.

If I ever get an interviewer who is prejudice against people who don't wear suits then well.. That is probably somewhere that wouldn't be a very good place to work anyway. Especially considering there is zero face to face interaction in my job and probably the same in all tech jobs I apply to in the future.

techiie

Cool, thanks to everyone for the feedback! I'm going to start going without the whole suit and tie look and see if it works to my advantage of having that cultured look to fit in wearing a dress shirt and slacks. Plus its much more comfortable.

To add I find it interesting how some ppl mentioned the extreme of not taking someone serious if they show up with a hoodie and sandals lol. I'm just saying show up in dress pants, long sleeve solid dress shirt (top button open), and black dress shoes.

I should add i"m a bigger guy so for me to get a shirt to close the top button on my wide neck I have to get a bigger shirt which leaves me wearing a 2-3xl shirt when I am really an xl. Thats why ideally I prefer getting a shirt that fits, going without a tie and dropping the jacket vs's trying to conceal a huge shirt under a dress jacket just so I could wear a neck choker of a tie.

RoyalRaven

I've never been told to skip the suit and always push myself to wear one. I do believe it lends itself as others mentioned to being "all-in" or "serious" about the role. Being on the other side of the table, I've never had an issue with anyone who has worn one and I consider it very professional.

I'm sticking with suits unless told otherwise. Then I can never second guess that decision. If it ends up being a tie-breaker for whatever reason, at least I was dressed appropriately. If I don't get a job because of it, likely I wouldn't want to work there anyway.

I may be somewhat bias...I use to compete in dog shows. I realized my competition (primarily professional handlers) were always dressed to impress. I had to dress in a similar fashion to be taken in the same stride. Not dressing up doesn't mean you can't win - far from it if you have the right dog. However, presentation matters and I never wanted to lose because of this aspect...and I carry that over into my other endeavors....rather would not lose an opportunity because of a small issue like this.

Nemowolf

There is no answer but yes. I have been part of interview panels for entry level Desktop Support positions and we all noted their lack of professional attire as a negative. Each one of them ended up doing the worst on the interviews, correlation? yes.

chmod

I always wear a suit.

cs8400

I recently interviewed for 3 positions. I wore a suit to one of them. That one made me an offer. So I would say, yes it does make a difference.

markulous

I have an interview soon that said they are a casual environment so dress appropriately. In this instance I'm wearing a pair of nice jeans and a collared button down shirt. First interview I'll have where I haven't worn a tie since high school.

Plantwiz

techiie wrote:

I should add i"m a bigger guy so for me to get a shirt to close the top button on my wide neck I have to get a bigger shirt which leaves me wearing a 2-3xl shirt when I am really an xl. Thats why ideally I prefer getting a shirt that fits, going without a tie and dropping the jacket vs's trying to conceal a huge shirt under a dress jacket just so I could wear a neck choker of a tie.

You have very clearly have your mind made up, and hey, that is fine. I do not buy the "I am a bigger guy" and "clothes don't fit right". While there is likely truth to part of that, there are these wonderful people who handle tailoring and/or s slightly better store than JCPenny where inventing in 1 shirt and jacket/pant and having it sized correctly to you makes a huge difference.

Dress for success. As with most things, one can usually find enough supporters for their cause if they keep looking, merely passing along experience. Professional ball players where suits to and from games, LEOs and Military have their uniforms tailored to fight properly and not look sloppy. Certainly, exceptions are going to be found, but the higher one wants to climb, dress will matter. Interviewing is marketing oneself, your time to shine!

Dojiscalper

I've been offered positions simply because I was the first guy to show up in a suit. Sure it wasn't IT, but it showed I was serious about getting hired and they knew it vs the people in street cloths after the same job.

TLeTourneau

I just want to chime in, as I normally do on the suit threads. I always wear a suit but then again I work in a segment that generally requires suits for daily wear. It's hard to make a good first impression on the second try.

Nemowolf

Plantwiz wrote: »

You have very clearly have your mind made up, and hey, that is fine. I do not buy the "I am a bigger guy" and "clothes don't fit right". While there is likely truth to part of that, there are these wonderful people who handle tailoring and/or s slightly better store than JCPenny where inventing in 1 shirt and jacket/pant and having it sized correctly to you makes a huge difference.

Dress for success. As with most things, one can usually find enough supporters for their cause if they keep looking, merely passing along experience. Professional ball players where suits to and from games, LEOs and Military have their uniforms tailored to fight properly and not look sloppy. Certainly, exceptions are going to be found, but the higher one wants to climb, dress will matter. Interviewing is marketing oneself, your time to shine!

Seconded. I am a "bigger guy" and i went directly to a tailor who measured me and got a set of white shirts ready for me in no time. I know that i can always count on this tailor to make perfect fitting shirts exactly how i like it because its tailored to me and not off the rack. If you want some advice, feel free to PM and i would be more than happy to get you on the right path.

Nans

Straight with Suit and Shining Shoes into the scene, never hurt..!!

RHEL

I've always worked in large enterprise environments, so my opinion is probably skewed. However, I always wear a suit to an interview and usually the first couple days starting the job. I feel it out from there.

Also, I always write and snail mail thank you letters to every interviewer at every interview.

No, I'm not 60. I'm 30. It's yielded excellent results so far and while I don't think I've ever gotten a reply, I've certainly heard praise after being hired about taking the effort to send the thank yous and dress up professionally.

Honestly, I don't think I'd want to work at a place where the interviewer wears flip flops and a hawaiian shirt. It seems disrespectful on that end and sloppy. Different strokes for different folks.

g33k3r

I'd say it depends on the environment you are applying. My last gig was VERY casual so if I wore casual slacks to work the alarm bells would go off! When I scheduled my last interview for my current job they were very understanding and had no problem with me wearing jeans.

dustervoice

Suit...unless i'm told otherwise.

renacido

If you're new to the IT workforce and reading this thread for actionable advice, take care to eliminate the obvious personal bias that commenters have. Their personal feelings come from how they were raised or their personal likes/dislikes, lifestyle, age, previous workplaces, etc. Those personal biases don't help you.

"To a hammer, everything looks like a nail," is a good analogy here. What works in one environment may not in another. Don't bring a hammer to a building full of screws.

Dressing "how you think you should" is not the same as dressing in a way that gives the interviewers and impression that you'll be a good fit for the role and a good addition to their team. Doing what you want to do and doing what is most effective are not often the same thing.

If a company's dress code and culture doesn't sit right with you, whether too formal or too relaxed, that may be a sign you wouldn't be so comfortable working there.

Again I'll say it: dress appropriately for the company culture and the role. That is going to help you the most.

If you dress just to make yourself happy, that's your choice, but that may not give the impression that you're "a good fit" for the company and role, and THAT is what you want your wardrobe to convey.

networker050184

Couldn't have said it any better myself renacido.

markulous

^^^ +1

Dress to their culture if you're trying to make an impression.

john_miranda

I agree with the whole dressing to their culture, however, I also like to dress a slight notch above.

For example; if they are a jeans and polo type of environment I'll do slacks and a polo/button down or if they are a slacks and button down environment then I will add a tie or go full suit.

abelamorales

I really think it depends on the geographic area you are interviewing and the culture of the organization. However, if you are interviewing for some type of senior role, I would definitely wear a suit. At the minimum, wear slacks, shirt and tie.

OctalDump

I think that you should show up naked. It proves you have nothing to hide, and that you embrace openness, transparency and thinking outside the box.