Re: Question about dressing for job interviews

["Jeanne A. E. DeVoto" <jaed -at- jaedworks -dot- com>]

At 11:36 PM -0800 1/12/2002, Emsahlstein -at- cs -dot- com wrote:
>Hi,
>I'm just getting started looking for a job and I'm wondering what people's
>opinions are on the following question: Do you have to wear a suit?

It's going to depend very much on the work environment.

I don't agree that you "can't go wrong wearing a suit", as some people have
suggested, because in some companies the difference between the formality
of a suit and the usual dress is too great - as ridiculous as showing up
for an interview in white tie and tails. In many companies, of course, a
suit would be perfectly appropriate. My sense is that the Northeast is more
formal than the South and West, but there are variations between industries
as well. (For a job with a bank, a suit would almost always be appropriate.
For one with a small tech startup, I'd hesitate to recommend a suit
regardless of where you are.)

I'd say a good rule of thumb is to dress one notch more formally than the
usual working dress at the company. (If you're not sure what that is, it's
a reasonable enough question to ask your contact at the company - "What
sort of thing do people usually wear?") If everyone comes to work in
sandals and shorts, wear a pair of khakis and a polo shirt or something. If
that's the usual dress, a sportcoat would be appropriate. If sportcoats are
usual, wear a suit. This gives a touch of formality and shows that you take
the interview seriously, without being too out of step with the business
environment and the people you're interviewing with.

--
jeanne a. e. devoto ~ jaed -at- jaedworks -dot- com
http://www.jaedworks.com



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