TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
My career counselor in college (circa 2007) said that the "you can never
over-dress" rule was over. Most companies these days would take an
over-dressed person as not fitting their culture. She made the case that in
the world of the Internet, it is too easy to get a basic idea for a
companies' culture and if you over-dress (or under-dress) it is an
indication that you hadn't done your homework on the company.
I have always interviewed in business casual attire (collared shirt,
dockers, and polished shoes) and haven't felt under-dressed, but I did lose
a position for being over-dressed. The team I interviewed with were all
wearing jeans and T-shirts and I was told they thought I wouldn't fit in
because I "dressed up" for the interview.
Cheers,
Clay
On Fri, Jul 10, 2015 at 2:59 PM, Elissa K. Miller <emiller -at- doubleknot -dot- com>
wrote:
> I think this may be the *one* time where wardrobe choices are easier for
> women than for men. Since I never look for jobs at law firms or financial
> companies, there's no job interview for which black pants and a non-T-shirt
> blouse are not appropriate. Even when I've interviewed at extremely casual
> companies, I haven't felt uncomfortable dressed like that.
>
> Back when I was starting out and everyone dressed more formally, I showed
> up
> at an interview in lower Manhattan in a navy blue suit and closed-toe
> pumps,
> which was perfectly appropriate for any company in Houston (where I lived).
> A Japanese tour group was arriving at the company at the same time, and
> everyone assumed I was their interpreter instead of an applicant. It was my
> first exposure to an always-casual environment, and a great relief to be
> able to go to work in jeans, especially since I had to move to New York and
> all the income that I had been spending on career clothes and dry cleaning
> in Texas had to be dedicated to rent in NYC.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: techwr-l-bounces+emiller=doubleknot -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+emiller=doubleknot -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
> Behalf Of Robert Lauriston
> Sent: Friday, July 10, 2015 1:52 PM
> To: TECHWR-L Writing
> Subject: Re: Inland Empire interview attire
>
> Managers, sales people, marketing, anyone interviewing for a job where
> they'd go to customer sites, yes, they typically wear business casual
> rather
> than developer casual.
>
> I can't recall ever seeing anyone wear a sport coat to an interview for a
> tech writing or engineering position. I'm not sure I've ever seen a tech
> writer or engineer wear such a thing.
>
> But I have no idea what things are like in Riverside County.
>
> On Fri, Jul 10, 2015 at 1:15 PM, Mike Christie <mike-christie -at- outlook -dot- com>
> wrote:
> > 1. My outplacement coach gave me the guidance that the default
> > interview attire for men in Silicon Valley is open collar with a
> > sports coat, unless you know that the culture dictates something more
> > formal, for example financial services.archives
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> Learn more about Adobe Technical Communication Suite (2015 Release) |
>http://bit.ly/1FR7zNW
>
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
> You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as emiller -at- doubleknot -dot- com -dot-
>
> To unsubscribe send a blank email to
> techwr-l-leave -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
>
>
> Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit
>http://www.techwhirl.com/email-discussion-groups/ for more resources and
> info.
>
> Looking for articles on Technical Communications? Head over to our online
> magazine at http://techwhirl.com
>
> Looking for the archived Techwr-l email discussions? Search our public
> email archives @ http://techwr-l.com/archives
>
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> Learn more about Adobe Technical Communication Suite (2015 Release) |
>http://bit.ly/1FR7zNW
>
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
> You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as iamclayking -at- gmail -dot- com -dot-
>
> To unsubscribe send a blank email to
> techwr-l-leave -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
>
>
> Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit
>http://www.techwhirl.com/email-discussion-groups/ for more resources and
> info.
>
> Looking for articles on Technical Communications? Head over to our online
> magazine at http://techwhirl.com
>
> Looking for the archived Techwr-l email discussions? Search our public
> email archives @ http://techwr-l.com/archives
>
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Learn more about Adobe Technical Communication Suite (2015 Release) | http://bit.ly/1FR7zNW
