

Ask HN: Do you still wear a suit to an interview? - acron0

Massive internal conflict on this one. I&#x27;m a developer and every shop I&#x27;ve ever worked in are all &#x27;casual&#x27; dress code for all employees. Yet for every interview I&#x27;ve always worn a suit. Have a speculative interview coming up and I find myself asking myself whether I should wear one...The whole practice feels archaic and unnecessary. I have no problem with &#x27;smart&#x27; - goes without saying - but a full suit? Or, if I don&#x27;t go in a suit, am I committing some massive faux pas?<p>Anyway, advice would be appreciated from interviewers and interviewees who don&#x27;t wear suits...
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patio11
It depends on the culture of the firm you're interviewing at. There exist many
companies at our industry where a suit does not communicate something
desirable about you. For them, I'd go in my Sunday best rather than formal
attire. For men I think this is approximately "Khakis and a long-sleeved
shirt, ironed."

If you're in doubt about this, ask ahead of the interview. "Hey Bob, quick
question since you'd know better than me: are you guys a suit-at-the-interview
sort of shop?"

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tptacek
I can't remember the last time someone wore a suit to an interview here.

General rule of thumb: unless your mom has heard of the company, don't wear a
suit. If it's a startup, don't even wear business casual: wear jeans.

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iends
I rarely wear a suit to an interview. When I was interviewing for jobs I'd
show up in a suit and most developers interviewing me were in blue jeans, or
flip-flops, etc. I now dress to be one standard deviation above what the
people interviewing me are wearing.

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patmcc
Why not? It looks good and is comfortable (if it's not, get a nicer suit).

Yeah, it's archaic, but so is shaking hands and bringing in paper resumes, and
you'll probably still be doing that.

What'll probably happen is anybody there from HR or non-technical
managementment will think "oh good, he looks professional and isn't one of
these super-nerds" and anybody technical will think "oh good, he knows how to
handle the HR/corporate types"

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breathesalt
It definitely depends on the company. Irrespective of the company's dress
code, you should look presentable for an interview. You don't have to dress
formal to look presentable.

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argonaut
Like what many people are saying here, at many companies wearing a suit might
actually be a negative indicator, especially for startups and some top tech
companies.

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RougeFemme
a slight tangent, but. . .a few years ago I interviewed (internally) for a
dev/mgr position for the group I was currently working in (not team lead - I
was already a team lead). I would still be coding at least 50% of the time. I
was already reporting to the hiring manager and was physically located in
close proximity to him, so he saw me frequently throughout the day.

For the interview, I dressed as I always did - and we were not a suit type of
place. At the start of the interview, he told me he was disappointed that I
had not dressed up. I was stunned but did not respond and the interview
proceeded.

I got the job and after a couple of weeks, I asked him why he wanted me to
dress up for the interview. I asked if it was simply because he wanted to know
if I _could_ dress _appropriately_ for the customer. He replied that was'nt
it; he just though it would show appropriate respect for him and the position.

I though "this is reason # 102 why I really didn't want to move up the chain
closer to you".

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heldrida
Hi!

I think you should wear whatever makes you feel comfortable. But, you should
not wear a suit or a t-shirt just someone tells you too. Be yourself!

Personally, I've got a big afro and I usually bring my skateboard to
interviews. That's me!

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onedev
That's dope, keep doing you, don't let them take your soul.

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rmc
The job might only require a suit one day a year when you're meeting fancy
pants people, speaking externally, meeting clients etc. Wearing a suit to the
interview allows you to show that you can dress up well if needed.

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C0d3r
I stopped going to interviews wearing a suit since that only matters if you're
going to be using a suit during the job, and if a suit is required for the
job, count me out.

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cLeEOGPw
As much as everyone hates it, appearance matters, especially for first
impressions.

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onedev
I dress really well (I ooze style), but I don't dress formal.

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DanBC
In the UK a suit is almost always a good idea.

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kwhitefoot
Last time I wore a suit was so long ago that I can't remember. The last job
interview I had for a UK company was in 1982 and I didn't wear a suit then.
Nor did I wear a suit to the interview with the Norwegian company I joined in
1985. I got both jobs. Not sure what this really means, except that I think
'almost always a good idea' at least ought to be an exaggeration. If not,
well, I'm glad I left to join a company and country where expertise seems to
be valued over presentation.

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tostitos1979
I wear suits. Hides the gut well.

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js7
Yeah, I look good in a suit.

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icedchai
not since 1998.

