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I worked for IBM when they still had the formal dress code. Made it easy to decide what to wear, anyway, just rotate through the suits and all the shirts were the same. Wearing ties is a pain and so is the dry cleaning, but it's not the worst thing in the world.
Same for me when I worked for EDS from 1995 - 2000.
OP, I'm glad your phone interview went well. However, I'm mystified as to why someone would even consider passing up a good job because of a dress code. But that is your choice. If you don't want to dress up, look elsewhere for a job and let someone who is more appreciative have the position.
For more than 25 years, until I changed jobs in 2007, I wore a suit to work 5 days a week. I am a female, and wore a skirt, dress shirt and suit coat or blazer, with panty hose and dress shoes, every day to work. (If I had to walk a great distance, as one of the previous female posters did, I wore tennis shoes, carried my dress shoes and switched shoes when I reached my destination.)
Now I work at a business that doesn't require employees to dress up. Most of the employees are men. Most of my co-workers wear business casual attire, and a handful wear blue jeans and a nice shirt or top. I miss dressing up, but go with the flow.
OP, go with your gut. If you don't want to dress nice, then don't even consider the job. Look for an office which has a more casual atmosphere.
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I know plenty of people who have worked almost their entire careers wearing jeans and sneakers or business casual, and make well above six-figures. One of them I know has recently started a very comfortable retirement. You equate being a "grow up" by how someone dresses which is actually little boy school yard bullying stuff. Maybe you should take your own advice and "grow up".
Yes, I am aware that there are people who do well financially and wear shorts and that there are people who do poorly and wear a suit.
My point was more about it being uber foolish for such a factor to weigh so heavily in accepting a position. It seems very far off from a deal breaker.
And you're taking a suprisingly large amount of offense from my statement. Why so defensive of people who wear jeans and sneakers?
Presentation is important. A polo shirt and khakis say one thing and a nice suit says another.
It's well documented in research that how people perceive you is affected by dress. It also affects how you view yourself. I did a literature review on this in college and it was overwhelmingly in this favor. It's subliminal most of the time. You don't even realize that you give more respect to those who dress sharply in a suit than those who dress in a casual manner. That's why suits are often mandated for those in a supervisory position. When I ask to talk to a manager in a department store, for example, if that person shows up in casual attire, I just figure the company doesn't really value them and they are not making much more than the people under him or her.
It's closely correlated to the research that shows that attractive people have more earning potential than unattractive people. It's sad but true.
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
41,937 posts, read 36,948,491 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by eastcoastguyz
No, it isn't. You make it sound like someone is refusing to put on spacesuit and still wants to be an astronaut. It says something about a company and the career there if they have foolish rules like that. If the job doesn't involve greeting the public or customers, it just doesn't make sense to make such a requirement. It is more than the clothing, it is about how they treat the employees and how forward thinking they are. It isn't just about the clothing. It's what it represents.
You're thinking professional attire is "foolish" is quite telling. But hey, if people don't want to work for someplace because of the culture, that is fine. Turning down an opportunity because of the professional attire is childish IMO. You can disagree. I've worked in both settings, from casual tech start ups and big five accounting, and many places in between, the attire and culture at none of them were foolish, though casual / slovenly dress were remarkably highly correlated with the quality of the work and the professionalism within the workplace.
I know plenty of people who have worked almost their entire careers wearing jeans and sneakers or business casual, and make well above six-figures. One of them I know has recently started a very comfortable retirement. You equate being a "grow up" by how someone dresses which is actually little boy school yard bullying stuff. Maybe you should take your own advice and "grow up".
Are most of them in IT, like you are? I think IT is a different animal than many other professional jobs, because you do a mix of sit down computer work and hands on physical work. Even in an environment with a more formal atmosphere the IT department typically dresses down a bit. Obviously I am speaking generally and there are exceptions as you've noted.
It is clear that people have very strong opinions as to whether they prefer to wear casual attire or formal attire. I am glad that the company I work for has a casual dress code. A few things to keep in mind if you are working for a company with a formal dress code, regardless of your opinion on wearing formal clothes:
1. Formal clothes will cost more money, so your real salary would be less if both companies pay the same.
2. You will have less free time since you will have to take your formal clothes to the dry cleaner and they take more time to put on.
3. Companies that have formal dress codes also tend to be more focused on appearance than skill, and tend to hire very tall men and very thin women. If you are a very tall man or very thin woman, this can be an advantage for you. But it's otherwise a disadvantage.
4. Men who have to wear a tie to work every day are more likely to die young from a heart attack than men who work for companies with more casual dress codes. I do not know if that is because the tie makes it more difficult to breathe properly, or because companies with more formal dress codes tend to be more stressful in other ways.
You're thinking professional attire is "foolish" is quite telling. But hey, if people don't want to work for someplace because of the culture, that is fine. Turning down an opportunity because of the professional attire is childish IMO. You can disagree. I've worked in both settings, from casual tech start ups and big five accounting, and many places in between, the attire and culture at none of them were foolish, though casual / slovenly dress were remarkably highly correlated with the quality of the work and the professionalism within the workplace.
Boy do I disagree with this post. I'd say my experience is the exact opposite. If anything, quality of work and professionalism has the inverse correlation that you suggest.
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