How bad is it if I don't wear a suit to an interview

davidboy

I have a second interview with HP and will again not be able to go in in a suit. I dont have a fitting suit and Ive been holding off on buying one because I want to spend a good $500 on one that looks moderately nice. I need a well paying job first for that since I dont make much as an intern.

I will just wear a shirt, tie and dress pants. How bad would this make me look?

Architect192

REMOVED UNNECESSARY QUOTED REPLY FROM PREVIOUS POST

As long as you don't show up wearing jeans and a t-shirt, I don't see why it would be an issue. You're not applying as a senior VP or anything...

Just don't fret about it... You can (if you want) apologize for not being more formal if you see everyone wearing a suit during the interview, maybe due to not wanting to show up at current job looking like you're going for an interview

I generally interview in "business casual mode" like you described and that's good enough.

down77

@davidboy

Wearing a suit is generally not a requirement. I've only worn a suit to a handful of business meetings and on when it is required. I've actually never worn one to an interview and seemed to have no problem landing a job. As Architect192 said, dont show up wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Nice slacks, a button down shirt with tie, and polished shoes should be more than enough!

Just in case you do need one though, you can get a decent suit when you are ready @ Jos A Banks for much less than $500. I think I paid $500 for 3 suits, pants, and shirts there last year. They always have some sort of special going on!

Polynomial

I'd actually say really really really bad.

Go to somewhere like Macy's or Kohls. Buy something functional, float it on credit, then return it.

Ends justify the means there imo. You can't show up to a place like HP casually.

paul78

I wear suits and I would never spend $500 on a suit even though I can afford it.

I don't know about HP but if someone ever showed up to meet me for an interview without a suit or jacket, it would be a pretty short interview.

If you can't afford a suit, you can buy a nice blue blazer for under $80. Unless you are very sure about your audience and who you are meeting, don't risk being underdressed.

Good luck on the interview.

it_consultant

I normally don't wear suits to interviews. If I did, my suits would be nicer than the interviewers (I refuse to wear/spend money on cheap suits) so I only wear them to weddings and funerals normally. Since I live in the west and work in IT, a tie and pressed pants is the norm.

Not to hijack, but my buddy (who used to do tier III storage support for HP) mentioned that HP was about to go on a hiring spree for Windows Engineers to do datacenter and Hyper-V installs. By chance, is this the type of job you are interviewing for?

instant000

I always used to think that you came to the interview wearing what the people doing that job would wear.

This question has been asked here before.

The issue is that if you yourself suspect that it's not good enough, you could get an affordable jacket to go with your slacks and tie, and it would still look pretty spiffy.

I didn't even get married in a $500 suit ...

I also agree that Joseph A. Bank has some good deals going all the time.

lsud00d

Even if you can't get a suit in time, you can pick up a decent sport coat for under $100 that will nicely compliment dress pants...I'd say for the relatively few times in the span of your life you go in for an interview, if you're not a dev/programmer then err on the side of caution and at least wear a jacket.

Ivanjam

@davidboy - with a suit or blazer you can always lose the jacket and tie if the interviewers dress down, but you will certainly be prepared in the event of a more formal setting. You could always go to the location beforehand and speak to the security guard or secretary about the dress code. The other advantage of this is that on the day of the interview, you may be greeted by a friendly face.

[Edit]
An important part of preparing for an interview is to learn about the company and its corporate culture so learning things like this should form part of your preparation as each company will have a different dress code.

olaHalo

One interviewer I had made a comment about me not wearing a suit.
Since then I always wear a suit.
It only looks better, so why not do it? You can get them cheap if they are not custom fitted. Literally less than 100$

it_consultant

As someone who went to Catholic school and wore suits for the better part of 10 years, cheap suits are noticeable. $500 for a suit is a deal, I have seen and spent $500 on one part of a three piece suit. No one needs to go that crazy, at least buy the pants open ended and have them hemmed to fit. Have yourself properly measured by a tailor and buy a suit jacket and shirt that fits properly. Nothing is sloppier than a badly fitting suit. Guys in IT do it all the time and it drives me batty. If you do it, do it right. Otherwise, show up in what looks good and fits right.

volume

it_consultant wrote: »

cheap suits are noticeable. $500 for a suit is a deal, I have seen and spent $500 on one part of a three piece suit.

I think this is partly regional, too. A $500 suit in Omaha is going to leave one impression, a $500 suit in NYC is going to leave a different one.

shodown

Obviously you can't get a suit out of Nordstroms for 500 dollars, but you can get a decent Winter Suit out of JCpennies or Burlington coat factory for A\a good price. Notice I said winter suit, the summer suits out of those places like like A55. The thing not in your favor is time. If your interview is this week, it will be kinda hard to have them fit it in time for a job interview this week. Get a nice pair of slacks and shirt and tie and possibly a sweater.

nmarlowe

If you have a Goodwill in your area, try there. I went to Men's Warehouse one time for an interview suit because of the sales they advertise. The sale suits are awful and anything that looked decent was $500 or more which I didn't have at the time. My wife insisted I try Goodwill just to appease her. I walked out with a decent suit and about 3 sports coats of a mid level brand for about $60. All still had tags on them. Since then I go every once and a while and often find really nice coats and a couple of suits. They are generally $18 for the coats and $25 for the suits I think. Spend a few extra $$ on cleaning and tailoring and you're good to go. I now have I think 3 suits and 6 sports coats that look great.

dave330i

You're not spending $500 on a suit. You're investing $500 into your future. The dress code at the company you're interviewing at doesn't matter, since you don't work there. You only get one chance to make a first impression. Should look sharp in a suit.

Architect192

Cultural differences I guess I am NEVER impressed by someone wearing a suit or not. As long as you're presentable, it's your personality and skills that matter to me. If I was ever not hired because I wasn't wearing a suit, then that job wasn't for me to begin with...

FloOz

Try checking out Jos A. Bank. I recently got my suit/tie/shoes/shirt for $500 and I must say the suit looks great. I'm sure you could get just a suit from them for about 200.

pinkydapimp

dave330i wrote: »

You're not spending $500 on a suit. You're investing $500 into your future. The dress code at the company you're interviewing at doesn't matter, since you don't work there. You only get one chance to make a first impression. Should look sharp in a suit.

Well said. plus every adult should own 1 suit for various reasons.

Complete_IT_Professional

dave330i wrote: »

You're not spending $500 on a suit. You're investing $500 into your future.

I agree - regardless of whether you need to wear it on the job or not, it's an investment in your future. You'l look more professional, and you'll be able to use it in the future.

Xyro

nmarlowe wrote: »

If you have a Goodwill in your area, try there.

This ^

docrice

I'd recommend tailoring your appearance to the expectations of your audience. Interviewing at Exxon is a different experience than interviewing at Google, but that said my general rule is to always show up in a suit. Your presentation provides subtle hints about your character for many people. I have exactly one suit that I paid good money (about $600 ten years ago, if I recall) for doing interviews in. I always ensure that everything's clean, the press lines are sharp, and the knot in my tie exacting as possible.

It may feel odd to be the only one wearing a suit around an office where everyone is casual and jeans (and you stand out an obvious interviewee), but that's expected. They'll see you as serious about your game.

HP might be an older, more conservative culture, even though it's a hi-tech company. I'd personally play it safe and suit up the best as I could. Managers often tend to take note of these things since the visual presentation may leave subconscious impressions about someone.

Essendon

Wear a suit. End of discussion.

I dont know where you live that a suit costs $500, I bought a Van Heusen for $300 and it came with 2 trousers. Fits great and looks top notch. Look around in your local area, surely you can find something cheaper, even a rental one would do.

dave330i

Essendon wrote: »

Wear a suit. End of discussion.

I dont know where you live that a suit costs $500, I bought a Van Heusen for $300 and it came with 2 trousers. Fits great and looks top notch. Look around in your local area, surely you can find something cheaper, even a rental one would do.

Went to a Saks Fifth outlet store while back with the wife. The starting price was $400 for a suit. The really good ones were $800-1000.

powerfool

Just go to one of those suit shops that are always advertising deals... you can walk out the door with something functional for $150-200. I have several as the first year of my current job had a suit & tie dress code.

Blackout

I have said it before you dress for success, I want people to take me seriously, they will not take me seriously if I cant even take care of myself. Maybe its the prior military side of me, I always kept my uniforms pressed daily, hair was always inside of regulations and sharp.

Essendon

@dave, yeah what I meant was if $500 was the cheapest he could find.

pinkydapimp

also, more important than the price of the suit is that it fits properly. Most people cant tell the difference between a $400 and a $1000 suit. Just make sure you get it tailored and you will be fine.

it_consultant

volume wrote: »

I think this is partly regional, too. A $500 suit in Omaha is going to leave one impression, a $500 suit in NYC is going to leave a different one.

This is probably true, but they have Brooks Brothers, Polo, Hugo Boss etc in Omaha too. Whether the people in Omaha would spring for (or even recognize) those brands compared to NYC or London...maybe not. Point being, don't cheap out on fit and finish. I can almost always tell when someone bought off the rack at Kohls or JC Penny. Spend a little more time and go to a men's shop and at the very least get a cheap suit they can tailor.

From personal experience I can tell you that at IBM and at HP suits are not required. I know people who worked and who currently work at HP who I am sure have never owned a suit in their lives. Keep in mind the job you are being hired for. If you are being hired for tier III phone support then you can expect one thing, if you are being hired as an onsite project manager or consultant - it will be a different expectation.

ccnxjr

I'll re-iterate the need for a suit.

BTW, if it's not too personal, what happened to the suit you wore for your first interview?
Did you get away with not wearing one then?

nmarlowe , mentioned the Goodwill , try there or the Salvation Army.
Maybe a friend, family member or sympathetic co-worker who is about your size?

It should at least be clean and reasonably fitting.

If your potential employer knows a bit about your background and economic situation they should be a little open minded.
However, a suite is a basic interview requirement unless other dress codes are specified.
I've learned the hard way that "business casual" isn't Jeans and t-shirt, unless you can somehow pull off a Steve Jobs look.
You need at least a shirt and slacks.
Of course there is no harm in asking about the dress code, however suits are the de-facto standard for interview attire.

I can identify somewhat with financial situation, before my first real tech gig I was working as a security guard and was only able to meet living expenses by snagging at least 2 extra shifts a month.
However we are in a field where some initial capital outlay will be required, sometimes for things not technology related (like a suit, or cab fare).

It's possible to land the job without one, but your either really skilled to the point where they're trying to woo you and the interview is just a formality (I don't think this is the case here) , or you have an exceptional story to tell (a-la "The Persuit of Happyness " staring Will Smith ) in which case you do need *some* luck on your side.

Hypntick

Suit up!

My last interview, which was with where I am now, the interviewers were wearing shorts, jeans, and polo shirts. I'm there in a suit, and the owner of the company makes a crack about being over dressed (that's his personality, really funny guy.) My response was to say flat out, hey i'm trying to impress you here and show that i'm serious. Was offered the job at the end of the interview. YMMV

bub9001

I was always told to dress for the position, but wearing a suit to job interview isn't always a must. I wouldn't go below a shirt and tie on the dress code.