

How to Screw Up an On-Site Interview - Deprecated
http://www.artima.com/articles/ten_ways_to_screw_up_an_on_site_interview.html

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ben1040
_If I’d known about the anti-suit culture, I would have worn Dockers and a
polo shirt. I just wanted to convey that I took the interview seriously.
Apparently the feeling wasn’t reciprocal._

This isn't the first time I've heard of candidates being looked down upon for
wearing suits to interviews, and I'm really curious what the thought process
is behind this.

I've done interviews where the candidate wore a suit, and where they wore
jeans and a button-down, and nobody felt offended. The only time someone's
clothing made a truly negative impression was when it was clear their suit had
most likely been crumpled up in a ball 30 minutes before the interview -- some
of his answers to technical questions suggested he was generally sloppy, and
his appearance was just one more data point to support that conclusion.

Is there some inherent distrust in someone who shows up in a suit?

~~~
ephermata
My first interview for a technical job, I showed up in a suit and tie. The
rest of the interview had each person start by asking some variant of "wait,
are you sure you're interviewing for engineering and not marketing?" The
feeling this conveyed was that if you wore a suit, you couldn't possibly be a
real engineer.

I landed the job - a summer internship - but the suit was a distraction. It
certainly did not help me relax and perform my best. The job rocked, so I'm
glad the people there were able to look past the suit. Since then, I've taken
to asking people what kind of dress code they expect on an interview.

~~~
enjo
I always get the feeling, when this happens, is that they're really trying to
convey "hey look, we're really a pretty casual bunch..." not "man you're a
tool for wearing a suit."

I would honestly interpret it as a positive. That casual atmosphere is pretty
ingrained into the culture at that point.

------
petercooper
_I wrongly assumed that someone would ask me between sessions if I needed to
use the rest room._

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding the local culture but in the countries I've lived
this strikes me as a complaint valid only for a child. When adults need to use
the restroom, they make their apologies, ask where the restroom is and go.

That aside, why would someone ask someone else if they need to use the
restroom anyway? It's rude and isn't their business. If you think someone's
being timid and really _does_ need a break, it's more common to ask if they
want to "take a break" rather than asking flat out if they need to go potty.

~~~
kjhgfgbhnj
In a lot of places having a visitor wandering the halls looking for a bathroom
wouldn't be appreciated

~~~
petercooper
Hence the "ask where the restroom is" part. Though the most relevant part of
the point is that whether you're escorted or not, the person who needs the
restroom is the one who asks to go.

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d_r
One of the last sentences: "This is not a true story but similar things have
all happened to me or to my colleagues. "

~~~
techdmn
I found this to be a let down. The story was structured as a first person
narrative, I didn't expect it to be fiction.

~~~
cabacon
Particularly followed up with a pitch for the book to teach you how not to do
these things that didn't happen. I agree that interviewers forget that an
interview is a two-way street; you're pitching yourself as a fit for the
interviewee as much as they're pitching themselves as a fit for your company.
But it's such a good point, I was sad to have the fun anecdote turn out to be
a marketing pitch for a book instead.

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j_baker
You know, I always hear employers talking about how important it is for
employees to be passionate and to show they _want_ to work for them. But they
forget that it goes both ways too. The end result is an interview where
employers expect me to show them how absolutely _thrilled_ I am at the
prospect of working for them, but they make little effort to convince me that
I'm anything more than an inconvenience to them.

When you have an interview where an employer does want you and shows it, it
makes all the difference in the world.

~~~
tomjen3
True, but most employeers have the idea that they are doing their employee a
favor by giving them a job and therefore expect them to be thankful that they
would do this, totally forgetting that it is an exchange of values (your
expertise versus their money) and that both parties are equal in the exchange.

It doesn't help that there is a subconscious social belief about this in
society too.

------
groaner
There are places that interview people with no intent of hiring them, but
rather to prove a point: "We can't find anyone with the right skill set,
therefore we must do X." Values of X may include:

\- Outsource

\- Find a cheap, indentured H1B employee

\- Choose another technology path that was ignored due to politics

\- Stick it to a manager who insisted that "anyone" could do this

\- Use the inability to hire a new person as an excuse to steal someone from
another team in the company

In the end, the interviewee is merely a pawn in the scheme of things.

------
Deestan
Other turn-offs:

1\. Pull out an inconsequential suboptimally worded sentence in my CV and ask
questions about it while wearing a half-smirk.

2\. React negatively to _anything_ about my CV or manner that is considered
general practice among other interviewers. Is it silly and unnecessary of me
attach a cover letter as PDF? Of course it is, but some companies' HR
screenings _require_ it, and I don't know your company's screening process.

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fogus
I would love to read stories of interviewees who've decided to call it quits
on the interviewers. It must happen right?

~~~
j_baker
You know, based on reading thedailywtf[1] for a while, I've concluded that it
happens very infrequently even under the most absurd circumstances. Most of
the time, the interviewee says something like "This was bizarre, but I figured
I should just stick the interview out". I'm curious why that is.

[1] <http://thedailywtf.com/Series/Tales_from_the_Interview.aspx>

~~~
Tichy
Often you can still learn some things from the interviews. A glimpse into
differing company cultures, for examples.

------
mkramlich
my goal is to reach a point where i never have to subject myself to an
interview or application process ever again. they are fundamentally broken and
often irrelevant or carried out amateurishly. once you've shipped enough code
and had enough successful projects under your belt it gets rather old dealing
with it.

~~~
reeses
You'll get to the point where you want the interview because you want to see
what kind of weird situation you're getting yourself into. At this point in my
career, I do most of the interviewing so I can size up if it's even possible
to be successful in a new place.

------
maukdaddy
An alternate title - "10 things that signal you should leave the interview and
not even consider working for the company"

If any 2 of these had happened I wouldn't even consider working there. You can
only image what the culture must be like there. There's something to be said
for treating candidates like humans, even if you don't really want to be
interviewing.

------
ax0n
I have been known to bail from an interview as soon as it became evident we
were wasting one another's time. I'm not sure why the author put himself
through all that. As it stands, it really reads like someone who's bummed they
didn't get hired.

~~~
cubicle67
He didn't

 _This is not a true story..._

------
bradhe
sounds like they weren't that in to him more than anything else...

------
evo_9
I've never worn a suit to an interview. I've always thought people in suits
have something to hide, aka, if they really knew what they were doing they
wouldn't be overdressing.

~~~
nagrom
I'm a research scientist who wears a suit and doesn't understand your
attitude. I don't wear a suit to cover up any lack of ability, I wear a suit
because it's very comfortable, extremely convenient (lots of pockets!) and
means that I don't need to worry about my outfit. I also enjoy being treated
better generally because I look neat - doesn't matter about your body shape, a
decent single-breasted suit makes you look good.

Isn't part of the attraction to no-dress-code places (like start-ups,
universities and research institutes!) that you can wear whatever you like
without being judged on it? Why do you prejudge those of us who wear a suit?
Especially when they're uncertain of the dress-code of the place that they
visit for the first time! I don't think that I'd want to work somewhere that
the staff make such a judgment on such a shallow first impression, if I am
honest.

~~~
evo_9
Here in Colorado it's very informal; it's just not the norm to wear a suit to
an interview. It raises eyebrows. This is especially true for tech jobs. I
would never not hire someone because of this, but the reality is I've never
met anyone that over-dressed like that for an interview that aced it. If they
did, I'd probably joke with them about the suit, but that would be that.

I also personally find suits unoriginal. It's actually more work to find a
nice outfit that is stylish, professional and looks good; a suit is like
choosing Pad Thai at a Thai restaurant - it's just the easy choice, not
necessarily the best choice (though sometimes it is the best choice too). I
also think ones appearance gives you a glimpse into what makes them unique; if
I'm meeting you to consider hiring you then your appearance matters. It won't
be the reason I hire you, or not hire you, but it matters. Sorry if that
bothers you.

~~~
nagrom
I guess I'm just confused now. What would you wear that is stylish and
professional that is not a suit or a derivative thereof (collared shirt,
wool/linen trousers)? You ruled out about 90% of a professional's wardrobe, as
I see it.

When attending an interview, I want to look smart and make it clear that I
made some effort to dress well without trying to stamp my personality all over
people, so the default choice is a well-fit suit with a nice shirt. I'm
genuinely curious: what would you wear, or expect someone else to wear?

~~~
evo_9
I can only speak for myself, I don't expect anyone to dress a certain way
(beyond what has been covered - aka a suit is over doing it, trying too hard).
But me, I typically wear a pair of nice dress paints, let's say charcoal gray.
I'd pair that with a button down dress shirt, long-sleave - something that is
s solid color, usually a bold choice there to stand out such as burnt orange
or a burgundy for example. That's pretty much it other than of course matching
a proper belt and shoes (in this case black shoes and belt, I'd go to Aldo's
for that). Just swing into Banana Republic or Limited for Men; poke around
those shops and you'll get the hang of it. Maybe pick up an issue or two of GQ
and Men's Health while you are at it. You can also switch out the long-sleave
shirt in the summer for a shirt-sleave polo style shirt; I'd again get
something more modern from a shop like Limited/BR, but you get the idea.

Anyway, that's literally what I wear to work most days. I have 3-4 pairs of
dress slacks from a good store like those, different colors - black, charcoal
gray, dark brown and a light gray (almost a tweed). Then you can buy a variety
of different colored shirts. Then you just need a pair (or 2) of black and
brown shoes, and matching belts (though you can probably get away with black
shoes, and a black belt with the brown slacks, but I personally like to really
look 'compete').

It's funny but I was starting to think about creating a post or blog entry on
this because it's not that hard to dress really sharp without going too far.
Also, if you aren't good at picking clothing bring a girl with you, or just
ask one of the store clerks, they are usually really into this stuff and can
point you in the right direction (but always pick things that appeal to you in
some way, allowing them to influence your choice, not make it for you).

~~~
nagrom
Strikes me that the only difference between the way that you and I dress is
that I wear a jacket ;-) (I can't stand ties). I wear the jacket because the
silhouette is flattering, and there are all those handy pockets. Why should
such a simple, very practical item make you think at such a person is over-
dressing?

