Is wearing Suits to interviews still the thing to do?

Every interview I have been on everyone has been business casual managers with a blazer, slacks, dress shirt with the top button opened, white tee showing under. The techs dress the same minus the blazer. I hate wearing ties period and I feel like a tool all dolled up while everyone else is business casual. Would it be terrible if I start going to interviews business casual as well ex: slacks, dress shirt no tie, and blazer?

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Comments

koz24

I always wear what they wear. In fact I just straight up ask what the dress code is and just go by that.

markulous

I wear slacks and a tie unless they tell me differently. I don't think you'd look like a tool dressing like that by default. If they think you look silly then they should have told you not to wear that since that's really the standard for interviews.

E Double U

Depends on the position you're applying for. I always wear slacks, button-up, and tie.

Fulcrum45

Agree with Markulous. I sympathize with the tie however. I wont button the top button or tighten the tie until I'm on site (in my car). Overall, don't think of yourself as "overdressed", think of them as "underdressed"

jcundiff

I maybe old school, but you come in for an interview with me without a tie (regardless of what) I am wearing, I dont think you are taking the interview serious or really want the job. If I am interviewing, unless I have been specifically told to wear something else, it is coat and tie. YMMV

networker050184

I definitely think it's a thing of the past in the tech industry. If you're doing in house IT for another sector though your mileage may very. In the past I was always a suit it up type, but I'd probably be looked at as very out of touch if I did to my last few.

NetworkNewb

Hate wearing a tie, unless it is at a company where everyone dresses very professionally, I wouldn't wear a tie. Suit, dress shirt, slacks, but no tie. I got a pretty decent 'offer to interview' ratio. It's all about how you present your personality. You got to make them like you.

If you don't mind wearing them it definitely can't hurt to wear one though

mistabrumley89

I got the craziest looks when I wore suits for the first couple interviews I had here in Hawaii.
I learned a nice "Aloha" shirt with some slacks sufficed.

renacido

Ask what's the dress code and wear that.

Main thing is, you want to look like someone that is a fit for that role. For techies, dress shirt and slacks is usually the way to go. If it's a management role, put a blazer on (tie optional).

Someone who would not hire me for lack of a tie doesn't deserve me.

No_Nerd

mistabrumley89 same thing happened to me. I went out the next day and picked up 5 Aloha shirts .

alias454

I have always heard, dress one level up from whomever will be interviewing you. I suspect that gets a little harder to do if you are interviewing at a brokerage house or bank. Personally, I try to look professional, which doesn't necessarily mean wearing a tie. However, I will if that is the dress code. I honestly don't even own a suit but would buy one for an interview if I thought it would make a difference.

pinkydapimp

Always better to overdress than underdress. I personally always wear a suit.

TeKniques

I always wear a suit, but agree that it depends on the position you're applying for. I also agree with Pinkydapimp that it is better to overdress if you need to make a choice of what to wear. It's probably a good idea to match your tie to your shirt too ...

EnderWiggin

I think it depends on how high-level the position is. Low-to-mid position, business casual. High-level position, suit.

kohr-ah

At minimum I do shirt, tie, dress shoes, and slacks.

Senior or higher position I toss a suit jacket on. Just need to spend the money one time for a decent suit. Doesn't have to be a 700 dollar suit.

Best bet is always ask their dress code (but never go in a polo. Always over dress than under)

dmoore44

Every job interview I've ever been to, even the "hiring events", I've worn a suit. Always will.

dhay13

suit every time

renacido

Remember that one of the main things you're evaluated on in an interview is "cultural fit".

This means that if you're interviewing for a position as a GS-14 at the Pentagon, suit & tie all the way, and shine your shoes too.

But this also means if this job is at a tech startup in Silicon Valley and the CIO is wearing a hoodie, showing up in a suit and tie will make you look like you got lost on your way to the courthouse.

Keep in mind that a hiring manager wants to add people to the team who share or at least relate to their values and will go with the flow and not be a stick in the mud on one end of the spectrum or an unreliable, undisciplined slacker on the other.

Consider the culture where you go to interview. Don't be a zebra in a herd of hippos. My two cents.

Kinet1c

It's going to depend on the company, I asked the same question here recently. Unless dress code is mentioned, I would wear a suit to your first on site interview every time. After that it will depend on what type of company it is. ie. established corporation, startup, google etc.

No_Nerd

Everything you need is right here .

renacido wrote: »

Remember that one of the main things you're evaluated on in an interview is "cultural fit".

This means that if you're interviewing for a position as a GS-14 at the Pentagon, suit & tie all the way, and shine your shoes too.

But this also means if this job is at a tech startup in Silicon Valley and the CIO is wearing a hoodie, showing up in a suit and tie will make you look like you got lost on your way to the courthouse.

Keep in mind that a hiring manager wants to add people to the team who share or at least relate to their values and will go with the flow and not be a stick in the mud on one end of the spectrum or an unreliable, undisciplined slacker on the other.

Consider the culture where you go to interview. Don't be a zebra in a herd of hippos. My two cents.

Danielm7

Absolutely agree with the cultural fit. With that said, I never want to work in a place where the standard work culture is suit and tie, I don't even own a suit now, hah. When I go to a first interview I wear a sport jacket, shirt, tie, dark pants. If I know beforehand they are pretty casual I'll probably skip the tie entirely and take off the jacket when I'm there. I'll typically dress closer to their dress code in later interviews.

I'm even annoyed now that I have to dress business casual, if they move the IT group to another building we'll be full casual like everyone else who isn't in the company headquarters.

Danielh22185

I've always gone off the suit always notion however I believe it is completely fine to just match as best you can to the company dress code. I think this is what I'll also do going forward. The tech industry is funny and seems to dress down as much as possible, which I like. However it's never bad to look good

. The last suit I wore on an interview was for my current job. It just so happened to be over memorial weekend so most the company was off (minus operations guys). The hiring manager was wearing basketball shorts and a plain white t-shirt. Needless to say I felt strange interviewing in a suit at that point.

Deathmage

I'd say yes, but a few weeks ago I went to a company and recruiter asked me to wear jeans and a shirt since the company was extremely laid back...was a 1st for me...

scaredoftests

Either a dress or a nice pants suit. Dress to impress I say

networker050184

scaredoftests wrote: »

Either a dress or a nice pants suit. Dress to impress I say

I don't think the younger generation is impressed by suits though. The opposite effect really.

Cleverclogs

My usual office attire is slacks and a short sleeved shirt, without a tie. However for interviews I will always wear a suit. As my Grandmother used to say: "You only get one chance to make a first impression".

scaredoftests

I would have to disagree. What is wrong with dressing nicely? You stand out. just like sending a thank you email. You care that you get the job.

networker050184

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.

Plantwiz

Nothing wrong with wearing a suit, particularly if young-looking. I do not see a time when I would ever consider taking an applicant seriously in a hoody and flip-flops no matter how good they were. The interview is the first impression, it's fine to slack down later (after one wins the job) but I cannot think of a conversation where the applicant was told they need to dress up to come to work because what they wore at the interview was not acceptable. Be an adult.

Great line from "The Intern"...'...why is it we call men today, boys, but girls are women...?' Because frequently today 'men' dress like children, hence the term boys.

Do what you want, but IMNSHO one will never go wrong dressing well.

jeremywatts2005

I always wear a suit for all jobs that I interview for since I started my career in 1998. When I was 16 and applied for a job in fast food I showed up wearing a shirt and tie. That is the most down I have ever dressed for an interview. I am a professional and want to interviewer to know that I am serious about the job. You can go to Goodwill and get a $10 suit and clean it up for another $10. No reason not to wear one.