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Our business office manager went out to the reception. area to pick up someone for an interview. He was wearing a suit and tie. She told him "thanks, but you won't be a fit" and left him there. BTW, there is no dress code given to applicants for the interview. In this town though, if someone shows up not wearing pjs and slippers, you're onto a winner
Wow, that's insane.
Just to note whoever is looking though. The Mid-west/East coast are almost always more strict on dress code then the west coast.
Also, I love that IT people on here always act like IT is the standard not the outlier.
Our business office manager went out to the reception. area to pick up someone for an interview. He was wearing a suit and tie. She told him "thanks, but you won't be a fit" and left him there. BTW, there is no dress code given to applicants for the interview. In this town though, if someone shows up not wearing pjs and slippers, you're onto a winner
If the job is in an office enviornment, then your business office manager is a real ***** if she did that to someone who made an effort to professionally present themself. That person might have taken off work, cancelled other plans, etc to make time for that interview.
If someone came into a cashier job interview for McDonalds dressed in a suit, that might be a bit much, but you still show that person the respect of conducting the scheduled interview.
The organizational culture at your job must be wonderful.
]If the job is in an office enviornment, then your business office manager is a real ***** if she did that to someone who made an effort to professionally present themself.[/b] That person might have taken off work, cancelled other plans, etc to make time for that interview.
If someone came into a cashier job interview for McDonalds dressed in a suit, that might be a bit much, but you still show that person the respect of conducting the scheduled interview.
The organizational culture at your job must be wonderful.
Not necessarily. Dressing inappropriately for the company culture, whether that means too casual or too formal, shows you may not be a good fit. (I think it's fine to dress a step nicer than the corporate culture or dress code on an interview, incidentally. But dressing several steps higher will not help you, in my experience.)
It's not that hard to determine the corporate culture, especially if it's a large company. I'd consider it part of doing your basic research on the company.
This past year, my uncle was laid off and had to job hunt for the time time in 15 years. He was getting interviews but was never advancing to the 2nd round. I finally talked him into ditching the suit/starched white dress shirt/necktie and wearing a more polished version of business casual, and bingo, he started advancing and getting 2nd interviews and job offers. Because he's an older gentleman, my theory is that by showing up dressed in a traditional suit he was conveying the image of an older, conservative, "stuck in his ways" dinosaur who probably hadn't kept up with the latest technology. (I also talked him into a different haircut and a minor makeover to look more youthful and 'hip').
Blanket advice to "Wear the suit" just doesn't work for all industries and geographic locations.
The way I've always done it is if it's a job where I'm expected to wear a suit show up to the interview in a suit. If it's more casual dress I wear a polo shirt tucked in to khakis.
Unless you are in IT or in Silicon Valley, suit up! An average suit from Macy's, ect., will be fine. If you have a Zegna, that could be overkill for some positions.
If position is management (or higher) always go with a suit. Any other position I always say dress like you work there. If the person doing the hiring sees you as he sees the current staffers than you sees you as a staffer too.
Not necessarily. Dressing inappropriately for the company culture, whether that means too casual or too formal, shows you may not be a good fit. (I think it's fine to dress a step nicer than the corporate culture or dress code on an interview, incidentally. But dressing several steps higher will not help you, in my experience.)
It's not that hard to determine the corporate culture, especially if it's a large company. I'd consider it part of doing your basic research on the company.
This past year, my uncle was laid off and had to job hunt for the time time in 15 years. He was getting interviews but was never advancing to the 2nd round. I finally talked him into ditching the suit/starched white dress shirt/necktie and wearing a more polished version of business casual, and bingo, he started advancing and getting 2nd interviews and job offers. Because he's an older gentleman, my theory is that by showing up dressed in a traditional suit he was conveying the image of an older, conservative, "stuck in his ways" dinosaur who probably hadn't kept up with the latest technology. (I also talked him into a different haircut and a minor makeover to look more youthful and 'hip').
Blanket advice to "Wear the suit" just doesn't work for all industries and geographic locations.
Good points. It can also be interpreted as the applicant didn't do their homework and research the company.
General strategy is at least one step up from their dress code, but for most office positions, a suit is preferable. If the office is very casual, you can be less formal with your suit. For some companies, most of the tech companies for example, wearing a suit would be an instant job killer...and they say so right on their websites .
That's fine if they tell you not to wear a suit, than you're foolish if you do, because it shows you can't follow instructions.
But you wear a suit when you interview, when you get the job you can dress like everyone else.
You can also use what you wear to screen the company. I'm a good employee but I'm not a pin stripe, structured old school corporate America type, nor do I want to work for a company where that is the standard attire for men AND women. I dress professionally, but I also dress with personality. A red blouse instead of white with the black pantsuit. Or standard white blouse with black, and a striped scarf. Little things. It gives me a chance to see how the interviewer takes it. It's worked well for me. However, it helps when one has a good grasp of what one is looking for, and what sort of environment they work best in.
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