Business Casual or Professional Suit for Internships and Help desk interviews?

faintingheart

I will be going out to purchase new clothes for interviewing purposes. I Need advice on weather to buy Business Casual or a full Professional Suit? I'm just getting prepare before I start applying. This new clothes will be use for for Interviews such as Information technology internships and help desk support.

UncleB

Ask your potential employers hiring manager or HR department what the dress code is, but if unsure then always dress in a suit would be my recommendation. Interviews are all about making a strong impression (hopefully a GOOD one too) so I would recommend going the extra mile.

If you hear back from the hiring manager that it is business casual then go for that instead as it will show you are a good fit for the team culture. If HR says it then take it with a pinch of salt and make your own call if it is worth investing in a suit or not.

I would also recommend you ask what the dress code is in the interview (at the end where you get to ask questions) as this will help guide how you need to stock your wardrobe if you get the job.

Remember that clothes do not make the man (or woman) so focus on practicing interview technique if you can - most education establishments will have someone who can help here and it should help you iron out the worst wrinkles and help you show your true qualities.

Good luck and remember that even a "no thanks" response is experience you can learn from and improve on, so it's all good.

NetworkNewb

http://www.techexams.net/forums/jobs-degrees/117519-wearing-suits-interviews-still-thing-do.html

scenicroute

It seems to me the point of confusion is that the definition of nicely dressed changes with generations. There was a time when this was considered nicely dressed. But if you wore that to an interview today, the people interviewing you would wonder if you escaped from a mental hospital.

The traditional suit and tie will eventually go that same route. We've seen in some subcultures it already has. Consider that for modern dress, the tie has no functionality whatsoever, and for a decorative item, it's quite puzzling as to why anyone would use one except for the fact that people in the past have used them. Traditions change with time. Given that, some people will be put off that you didn't dress one way while others will be put off that you didn't dress a completely different way. The only real unifying theme is that people generally expect whatever you wear to be clean and in good condition.

So in modern times, you need to hedge your bets on what your interviewers will like. If you're interviewing with a blue chip like IBM, a suit and tie is a safe bet. If you're interviewing with a progressive start-up, you might get away with jeans and any shirt with buttons. It's possible you could even come away successful with a t-shirt and board shorts, although your chances of success diminish somewhat the further you deviate from the median of what's culturally accepted as professional attire.

I suppose the unfortunate part of the answer is it just depends who's interviewing you. If you have absolutely no idea what to expect, wear a suit, or at least a full-button dress shirt and a tie. For my last formal interview, I wore a full-button dress shirt, tie, and a leather jacket. I got the job.

Deus Ex Machina

Buy the professional suit. Think of it this way- if you were interviewing 2 candidates, and all else equal, one was wearing a collared shirt, and the other had a suit and tie, you would pick the suit and tie person because-

1. They look nicer. That's just reality.

2. It shows they cared just a little bit more about the job. Everyone knows suits are uncomfortable and often a pain in the ass to put on, but they were willing to deal with it. That's unspoken character.

Any company that would look down on you for dressing up nice for your interview is a freak of nature, and I honestly do not believe they actually exist.

tunerX

Three piece tux or bust. I think you should get a bow tie, top hat, and tails... possibly get a white tie and a monocle to keep in your pocket just in case. And never forget the handkerchief. They may scoff at you.

If they are business casual maybe a bowler hat and cane with the traditional/casual three piece suit.

Ask the interviewing manager or representative what the dress code should be then dress at or above that but not too much that you look like a tool.

MeanDrunkR2D2

I always wear a suit even if it may not be necessary and is overkill. So, why do I wear it? Because it shows you all cleaned up and looking sharp. It's one less thing that could be a knock against you because you look sloppy in those khaki's and wrinkled polo that has faded a bit. So, always a suit. Always recently tailored, and always cleaned/pressed professionally.

stryder144

Always, always ask the person setting up the interview what they expect you to wear. If they ask why, tell them that you want to be prepared. If you buy a suit, make sure that it is tailored to your body. That usually doesn't cost too much to do. Also, go to a thrift store to find your suit. You will find some good ones if you look around and they usually cost pennies on the dollar. Just don't buy anything too out there. If you buy a decent suit at a thrift store, you should have enough money left over to get it tailored. Make sure the bottom of the pants reach your shoes (which means you will want to wear shoes that are close to, if not the same as, the ones you will wear with the suit). The arms of the jacket should reach to about 1/2 in or so past the beginning of the palm of your hand. Same with your shirt. That way, when you stretch your arm out to shake hands, you won't expose half your arm.

If you get into the interview room and everyone is dressed business casual, do not be afraid to take off the suit jacket. Just don't have a severely wrinkled shirt underneath.

scenicroute

I've never interviewed with a silicon valley startup, but there's a scene from Pirates of Silicon Valley, where Noah Wyle plays Steve Jobs, and humiliates a more traditional interviewee: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwYy8R87JMA

I doubt it would ever turn out that bad or unprofessional, but it seemed to me like an exaggerated glimpse of what it would be like to show up in traditional dress with a traditional mindset at a place where those things can't and won't fit.

Blucodex

There may be a few special cases but as a general rule I wouldn't wear a suit to an interview unless it was a management or C level position.

hurricane1091

Blucodex wrote: »

There may be a few special cases but as a general rule I wouldn't wear a suit to an interview unless it was a management or C level position.

Nonsense. You should always wear a suit if you a man interviewing for a white collar position. No exceptions unless they tell you beforehand not to. I just had an interview and met a VP not wearing a suit, and I was wearing a suit. Dressed way above everyone, still offered the job. Men wear suits.

volfkhat

tunerX wrote: »

Three piece tux or bust.
I think you should get a bow tie, top hat, and tails... possibly get a white tie and a monocle to keep in your pocket just in case. And never forget the handkerchief. They may scoff at you.

If they are business casual maybe a bowler hat and cane with the traditional/casual three piece suit.

Bwahahaha!
*wipes tear from eye*

scenicroute

hurricane1091 wrote: »

Nonsense. You should always wear a suit if you a man interviewing for a white collar position. No exceptions unless they tell you beforehand not to. I just had an interview and met a VP not wearing a suit, and I was wearing a suit. Dressed way above everyone, still offered the job. Men wear suits.

I do think a suit is a safe bet in many situations, but I disagree with the absolutism of always wearing a suit. I no longer own any suits and have never had trouble getting a job with just a shirt and tie. I've often wondered if I even needed the tie.

DatabaseHead

A lot of it comes down to what you are comfortable in. If you wear a suit but come off unnatural and ridged it could have the adverse effect. Personally me, I have two suits I always keep cleaned with pressed shirts and ties. I'll wear one of those two and it is usually a non factor.

OctalDump

Research the company before hand, since different companies have different cultures and different expectations of dress. Rule of thumb is to dress one level above what their regular dress is.

But since the company dress is related to its culture, it's something to think about "am I suit kind of person? Do I want to work in a formal kind of environment? Could I work at a place where people don't wear shoes?"

These discussions remind me of when I was very young and doing summer bridging course in mathematics at university. The teacher (PhD in mathematics, in his mid 20s) was wearing a tshirt and shorts. One of the other students, fresh from high school, asked if it was normal for lecturers to wear that kind of thing at university. The lecturer said, "Yeah, if it's hot. Mathematicians don't dress up much." Student asked "Would you ever wear a suit?", and the lecturer replied "If it's something formal, like a conference or job interview, then I might wear a shirt with a collar".

Verities

Company culture usually dictates the dress code, but you should always dress for the position. I've interviewed at a NOC for Tier 2 support and they told me jeans and polo was fine. I've interviewed at a startup and felt over dressed in slacks and a button up shirt with nice shoes because the person interviewing me had on a t-shirt, cargo shorts, and flip flops. For six figure salary positions I always wear a suite and tie regardless.

scenicroute

OctalDump wrote: »

These discussions remind me of when I was very young and doing summer bridging course in mathematics at university. The teacher (PhD in mathematics, in his mid 20s) was wearing a tshirt and shorts. One of the other students, fresh from high school, asked if it was normal for lecturers to wear that kind of thing at university. The lecturer said, "Yeah, if it's hot. Mathematicians don't dress up much." Student asked "Would you ever wear a suit?", and the lecturer replied "If it's something formal, like a conference or job interview, then I might wear a shirt with a collar".

That sounds about right. One of my math professors at university had his Ph.D. from MIT, and would wear a t-shirt and jeans every day. The shirts were always about either beer or running.

hurricane1091

scenicroute wrote: »

I do think a suit is a safe bet in many situations, but I disagree with the absolutism of always wearing a suit. I no longer own any suits and have never had trouble getting a job with just a shirt and tie. I've often wondered if I even needed the tie.

You are right, there are situations where the suit doesn't apply. You'll never fail to get a job because of a suit, but you might fail to get a job because of a lack there of. My 2 cents.

Queue

Not to go against the grain, but a suit is not always right. I know when I was on the help desk the people being interviewed in suits could work against them. The illusion would be that you wouldn't want to stick around very long. However, you might not want to work somewhere anyways that wants long term employees in low level jobs. I was lucky to move out quickly.

I would say once you enter into non entry level positions the suit becomes appropriate. Proper attire for entry level: slacks, button up with tie, matching belt and shoes with dress socks. That should put you one level up on a normal business casual attire. You'll find lots of people wear khakis, short sleeved collared shirts, and matching belt/shoes with dress socks on the job.

PC509

Do research about the company. What do they typically wear? Go one step above that. Look good, but don't look like the CEO when you're going for a help desk job.

I do enjoy dressing up in a suit and tie, though. Gives a certain confidence that comes with it.

Most of my job is business casual. Most days, at the location I'm at, it's t-shirt and jeans. But, I still make it a point to dress nicely. Especially when executives are in town. It makes you memorable to them, as well as it looks like you want to be there.

For me, the minimum is a nice pair of slacks and a button up shirt. Usually with a tie. If it's more than that, it's a full suit.

networker050184

The days of suits are over for most positions and companies in the tech world, outside of maybe sales. When I see a guy come in in a suit for an interview immediately I think he's out of touch or won't fit in well with the culture. Neither is a good thing.

hurricane1091

I find this surprising. I really had the mindset "suit or bust" obviously. I have always shown up wearing a suit, and never really even think about it. I just cannot imagine not wearing a suit to an interview. This may be based off of me working for multiple financial institutions and being used to dressing a certain way? Very interesting stuff here.

UncleB

networker050184 wrote: »

The days of suits are over for most positions and companies in the tech world, outside of maybe sales. When I see a guy come in in a suit for an interview immediately I think he's out of touch or won't fit in well with the culture. Neither is a good thing.

I couldn't disagree more. But then I don't work in your neighborhood.

I've contracted a lot over the last 4 years and have not found a single company who didn't expect at least shirt and smart trousers for the help desk upwards (unless you were shifting boxes or doing very manual work that day). I work in England so maybe we just have a bit more class LOL.

I worked in Germany for a few years and found it even more formal there, but a 4 year stretch in Brazil was a very casual, generally sloppy environment. My experience is that sloppy dressing and sloppy work are often correlated outside of a creative environment, but I've only been doing this for 30 years so can't claim to have seen it all.

I know many here disagree with this perspective but I guess I'm old school and see the merits of taking pride in your appearance and your work.

networker050184

Shirt and nice pants is different than a full suit. I'd certainly suggest everyone dress nice. You can take pride in your appearance without wearing a suit for sure.

This is all based on the ole US of A though. No idea what people abroad should do.

emek

More and more companies are hiring their candidates based on how they fit in with the culture. That being said, it is on YOU to use good judgement and decipher what is best based on the information you have. After all, you only get once chance for a first impression, so think carefully about how you want to be represented. I would argue, wearing a suit is not as full-proof as it used to be.

I once interviewed for a company in Santa Monica (Los Angeles), with offices right across the street from the beach. The company had recently gone public, but still very much so retained the start up culture (young, hip, trendy). People dressed anywhere from casual (think hoodies), to at best business casual (C-level). The interview was in the middle of summer, 90+ degrees outside. If I had shown up in a suit, you better believe they would have questioned my judgement. Dress shirt and slacks in this scenario is probably better. Hell, if you are very confident in your abilities, even Chino's might suffice.

On the other hand, if I was interviewing for a defense contractor, I'm wearing a suit. No questions about it.

Basically dress to your audience.

paul78

emek wrote: »

Basically dress to your audience.

Well said. It really is that simple.

I know this topic comes up occasionally but I can understand why. Back in the old days, it was a lot more straight-forward - you always wore a suit to an interview. But today - at least in the US - there are many other factors - such as the company culture, industry of the company, position being applied to, etc.

@OP - given that this is your first set of interviews and you are early in your career, over dressing is probably ok - but under-dressing is likely going to have a negative perception. That said - I personally would never wear a suit to an interview. Largely, because (1) I would not want to work at a company that places value on my wearing a suit (2) because I'm incredibly uncomfortable in a suit and (3) I have the luxury to not wear a suit to an interview.

As you apply for jobs and you do get interviews - just do a little research to find out what people wear in the office and dress just a little above that. You can always wear a suit and remove your jacket if it looks like you are out of place when you get there. But you can't do the opposite.

Good luck.

SteveLavoie

I think you are always better to "over dress" at your interview. If you do and everyone is in t-shirt and shorts, remove your jacket and just make a comment that you can adapt to the compagny culture and you didnt want to be "under dress".

Better be in a suit and being interviewed by a man in short and tshirt, than being the man in short and Tshirt interviewed by suit In that case, you lose at all time unless you are the only guy in the world with the required expertise.