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Asking what attire is appropriate for a job interview

tofutofu Registered User regular
edited November 2010 in Help / Advice Forum
Is it appropriate to ask a company's HR department what level of attire is fitting for an interview? Got into a debate about it earlier

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  • ImprovoloneImprovolone Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Its a weird question and to me says, "I don't know what professional means so why don't you tell me..."

    Improvolone on
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  • kaliyamakaliyama Left to find less-moderated fora Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    If they want you to wear something other than suit + tie, they'd let you know.

    kaliyama on
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  • NostregarNostregar Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Its a weird question and to me says, "I don't know what professional means so why don't you tell me..."

    This.

    Not the image you want to create for yourself right before an interview.

    Nostregar on
  • VeritasVRVeritasVR Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    kaliyama wrote: »
    If they want you to wear something other than suit + tie, they'd let you know.

    We agree!

    hi5

    VeritasVR on
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  • JNighthawkJNighthawk Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    VeritasVR wrote: »
    kaliyama wrote: »
    If they want you to wear something other than suit + tie, they'd let you know.

    We agree!

    hi5

    Don't start this argument again. It's not true.

    Yes, it's weird to ask. You should kind of already know.

    JNighthawk on
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  • tofutofu Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Its a weird question and to me says, "I don't know what professional means so why don't you tell me..."

    Well, there are different levels of professional dress wear

    This is all academic since I already know what to wear :P

    tofu on
  • ihmmyihmmy Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    a step above what you suspect the daily work attire would be. i.e. if daily attire is slacks and a button up shirt, make sure you wear a nice jacket that matches your shirt, and a tie. heck, it's hard to go wrong with a well fitted suit

    ihmmy on
  • MichaelLCMichaelLC In what furnace was thy brain? ChicagoRegistered User regular
    edited November 2010
    ihmmy wrote: »
    it's hard to go wrong with a well fitted suit

    Unless the job is McDonalds or AutoZone, a suit & tie/blazer & skirt is the way to go.

    MichaelLC on
  • JasconiusJasconius sword criminal mad onlineRegistered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Agree with MichaelLC

    If your pay is negotiated in dollars per year instead of dollars per hour, wear *at least* a dress shirt and pants. Figure out the rest with common sense.

    Jasconius on
  • Judge-ZJudge-Z Teacher, for Great Justice Upstate NYRegistered User regular
    edited November 2010
    MichaelLC wrote: »
    ihmmy wrote: »
    it's hard to go wrong with a well fitted suit

    Unless the job is McDonalds or AutoZone, a suit & tie/blazer & skirt is the way to go.

    I wore a suit and tie to every job interview I ever had since senior year in high school, including crappy summer college jobs and the pizza delivery job post-graduation while waiting for a teaching position.

    I know for a fact the suit is what separated me from the other candidates in at least two interviews and helped get me the jobs. One boss said that it showed that I took the potential job - crappy, low status job that it was (his words) - seriously.

    Now, I've been on the other side as a member of interview panels. And we expect suits/professional attire. Not coming dressed appropriately can kill your chances. And a suit is never inappropriate.

    EDIT: Ah, misread your question. And fuck, no, it's not. It displays a remarkable lack of, well, any sort of common sense. If in doubt, suit up! Seriously, who needs to call and ask?

    Judge-Z on
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  • bsjezzbsjezz Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    no. asking would betray a serious lack of confidence and professional nous

    bsjezz on
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  • ClipseClipse Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    ihmmy wrote: »
    a step above what you suspect the daily work attire would be. i.e. if daily attire is slacks and a button up shirt, make sure you wear a nice jacket that matches your shirt, and a tie. heck, it's hard to go wrong with a well fitted suit

    The last part of this is the only part that's true. A step above the daily work attire at my company would be shoes (rather than sandals) and clothes that fit and don't have witty slogans printed on them; but anyone who showed up to an interview dressed merely like that would pretty much be summarily rejected.

    On rare occasions, I've had companies specifically tell me that casual dress was accepted/expected for interviews, but other than that you should always wear a suit.

    Clipse on
  • taliosfalcontaliosfalcon Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Clipse wrote: »
    ihmmy wrote: »
    a step above what you suspect the daily work attire would be. i.e. if daily attire is slacks and a button up shirt, make sure you wear a nice jacket that matches your shirt, and a tie. heck, it's hard to go wrong with a well fitted suit

    The last part of this is the only part that's true. A step above the daily work attire at my company would be shoes (rather than sandals) and clothes that fit and don't have witty slogans printed on them; but anyone who showed up to an interview dressed merely like that would pretty much be summarily rejected.

    On rare occasions, I've had companies specifically tell me that casual dress was accepted/expected for interviews, but other than that you should always wear a suit.

    It's kinda a niche field, but i've had a couple small company IT manager bosses who pretty much instantly rejected anyone who showed up for an interview in a suit. Suits are still king for big corporations but my experience has been a boss who shows up for work in a t-shirt every day doesn't necessarily approve of employees outdressing him, even at interviews

    taliosfalcon on
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  • DocDoc Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited November 2010
    I usually would go for some dress slacks, a dress shirt, a nice jacket, and a tie (though not necessarily a suit). Then if I feel overdressed, I can take off the tie after I meet reception or whatever.

    I'm in software development, though, so your mileage may vary.

    Doc on
  • ZoolanderZoolander Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    I think in at least some engineering fields, a suit might be too much. Especially if you are interviewing with your future colleagues, a suit might set you apart in a bad way.

    Zoolander on
  • VarinnVarinn Vancouver, BCRegistered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Depends what field you work in, I'm in industrial trades myself so every interview I ever go to is wearing a nicely fitted pair of jeans with a dress shirt, tucked in. It has never failed me. Hell, I deliver my resumes wearing the same sort of outfit. It's never failed to get me a job, if I go into an interview, I get hired. Every time. If I wore a suit, they'd think I wasn't ready to get my hands dirty :P

    Varinn on
  • DachshundDachshund Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Suit or not wasn't the question.

    Don't ask HR what to wear. Very inappropriate. Tell us more about the position/company if you're still unsure.

    Dachshund on
  • FalxFalx Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    If you're serious about working there, go scope the place out the day before and see what everyone else is wearing. Dress as similarly as possible.

    Unless of course they have uniforms, then just go for a suit.

    Falx on
  • bowenbowen How you doin'? Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Agreeing with Judge-Z. I also wore a shirt/tie to any job interview and I most definitely got the job a few times because of it. Even cheapo jobs.

    bowen on
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  • WildEEPWildEEP Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    The theorem goes like this:

    Dress one level higher than the office attire you observe.

    If everyone is in overalls and covered in grease, then a nice pair of jeans and collared button up shirt would be acceptable (dont forget a belt). If everyone is in casual business you go in a full business suit. Everyone in business suits? Bust out the three piece.

    Professional shoes no matter what - no sneakers ever.

    WildEEP on
  • FellhandFellhand Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Nostregar wrote: »
    Its a weird question and to me says, "I don't know what professional means so why don't you tell me..."

    This.

    Not the image you want to create for yourself right before an interview.

    There's nothing wrong with asking, but you should be more tactful than "How should I come dressed".
    Do you want to work for a company that comes down on a prospective employee for asking something simple like if you should wear a tie to an interview?

    As a general rule I always wear a shirt and tie with some nice pants. Unless you're going for something very high profile you shouldn't need to wear a suit. By the time you need to start wearing a suit to interviews you'll have enough of a professional career established that you will know when to wear a suit.

    I just interviewed at an insurance company on Wednesday a shirt and tie and I was the one who was over dressed. I wanted to wear my suit because I don't really have any other reasons to wear it unless a family member dies, but I didn't have time to get it all set up.

    Fellhand on
  • DarkewolfeDarkewolfe Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    It's not a matter of whether it's a rude question, and it's definitely key to the industry. In many jobs, being smart enough and aware enough of social mores to figure out what you should wear is an indicator of whether you're mentally equipped to work in that type of professional atmosphere. It isn't true for all industries, however.

    Darkewolfe on
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  • GenlyAiGenlyAi Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Whether it's ok to ask might depend on the size of the company. At my 10,000 employee company, HR is pretty much an admin in another building when it comes to hiring. They send you appropriate resumes, set up interview schedules, and answer the applicant's questions about benefits, but they don't communicate opinions about the candidate's behavior back to the hiring manager. At a 50 employee company, the HR person is getting drinks with the hiring manager after work and telling hilarious HR stories.

    Also, whether it's appropriate to ask probably depends on the industry -- like whether there's any variation between companies. In banking, it would be weird to ask. In software development, less so.

    GenlyAi on
  • DeebaserDeebaser on my way to work in a suit and a tie Ahhhh...come on fucking guyRegistered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Fellhand wrote: »
    Nostregar wrote: »
    Its a weird question and to me says, "I don't know what professional means so why don't you tell me..."

    This.

    Not the image you want to create for yourself right before an interview.

    There's nothing wrong with asking, but you should be more tactful than "How should I come dressed".
    Do you want to work for a company that comes down on a prospective employee for asking something simple like if you should wear a tie to an interview?

    It's not that the company would be "coming down on a prospective employee". By asking the question, the prospective employee is signaling "I don't belong here. I am not from your tribe. Please tell me the unspoken rules".

    It's not a big deal by any means, but many times there are multiple similarly skilled applicants for the same position. When this happens, hire/reject can come down subconsciously to unimportant trivial bullshit.

    That said, wear a suit.

    Deebaser on
  • NylonathetepNylonathetep Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Dress for success.. also dress for the occasion.

    Also..

    There's no such thing as Overkill.

    (i.e If you are interviewing for construction work... Don't worry about coming in with Jeans and Steel Toe Boots, If you are interviewing to work in Walmart... Wear White shirt with Blue vest so you look like a worker there already.)

    Nylonathetep on
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  • ImprovoloneImprovolone Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Oh god do not wear clothes that look like the uniform to a job. Oh my god that is hysterically bad advice.

    Improvolone on
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  • y2jake215y2jake215 certified Flat Birther theorist the Last Good Boy onlineRegistered User regular
    edited November 2010
    yea, don't do that. don't do that ever.

    unless the official uniform for the job you are applying for is "suit and tie"

    y2jake215 on
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  • DocDoc Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited November 2010
    Oh god do not wear clothes that look like the uniform to a job. Oh my god that is hysterically bad advice.

    unless you are going to video tape it and put it on the internet.

    Doc on
  • MichaelLCMichaelLC In what furnace was thy brain? ChicagoRegistered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Doc wrote: »
    Oh god do not wear clothes that look like the uniform to a job. Oh my god that is hysterically bad advice.

    unless you are going to video tape it and put it on the internet.

    Which you won't be able to afford, because you're unemployed.

    Don't do this.

    A suit/tie can be overdressed even for office jobs, but that's pretty rare. Like at the two coffee roasters I visited where a Timbuk2/Crumple bag apparently comes standard-issue.

    MichaelLC on
  • ImprovoloneImprovolone Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    MichaelLC wrote: »
    Doc wrote: »
    Oh god do not wear clothes that look like the uniform to a job. Oh my god that is hysterically bad advice.

    unless you are going to video tape it and put it on the internet.

    Which you won't be able to afford, because you're unemployed.

    Don't do this.

    A suit/tie can be overdressed even for office jobs, but that's pretty rare. Like at the two coffee roasters I visited where a Timbuk2/Crumple bag apparently comes standard-issue.

    If you're interviewing at a young and hipster small business, you really need to look like you belong there. But you should still dress nice. Maybe wear your Five Fingers instead of loafers, but still some nice khakis and a polo.

    Improvolone on
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  • ZeonZeon Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Oh god do not wear clothes that look like the uniform to a job. Oh my god that is hysterically bad advice.

    Im glad someone said this already so i dont have to type it. I literally laughed, i thought it was a joke until i realised that was the last line.

    Also, dont ask what to wear. Seriously. Unless its for a followup interview or something, and the interviewer specifically mentioned your dress in the first interview (like, "hahaha youre way overdressed for this! Anyway, down to business...").

    Zeon on
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  • reddeathreddeath Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Wear a suit and tie. Wear it like it belongs on you. You know Jules and Vincent from pulp fiction? Yeah, wear your suit like that. Like it's your symbolic suit of armor.

    I've never met anyone interviewing people for any job who didn't appreciate the fact you went to the effort to put on a clean, pressed suit.

    If you were applying to be a stripper I'd tell you to wear a suit.

    Asking them if you should wear a suit would be pretty much a horrible misstep.

    Wear a suit, like you belong in it, not like you can't wait to get out of it.

    reddeath on
  • ImprovoloneImprovolone Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Unless they say "don't wear a suit" like my last interview did. Then, well, duh.

    Improvolone on
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  • MeatflagMeatflag Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Unless they say "don't wear a suit" like my last interview did. Then, well, duh.

    Riddle me this - if a company specifically tells you a dress code during an interview (smart casual, as I would expect) and you don't get the job, and apply for a similar position in a different branch of the same company a year later and they don't mention it, how do you dress?

    I'm expecting the same, but as they didn't explicitly say it, I'm concerned.

    Meatflag on
  • ImprovoloneImprovolone Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    You'd still want to dress better than "smart casual", but each department generally has a different business culture.

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  • scrivenerjonesscrivenerjones Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    It's kinda a niche field, but i've had a couple small company IT manager bosses who pretty much instantly rejected anyone who showed up for an interview in a suit.

    This kind of thing is unconscionable, fortunately it only ever seems to happen at weird IT/software companies so it's easily avoided

    scrivenerjones on
  • kedinikkedinik Captain of Industry Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    You have cases where they're fine with casual attire and they neglect to tell you.

    But in those cases you're usually fine wearing a suit and tie.

    Though it doesn't hurt to just ask HR what's appropriate. That's the kind of thing a proactive interviewee asks.

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  • Casually HardcoreCasually Hardcore Once an Asshole. Trying to be better. Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Charcoal suit,

    black oxford round toe (polish and apply dressing to those heels),

    white shirt,

    red tie,

    black belt,

    black socks.


    That outfit should be in every guys wardrobe.

    Casually Hardcore on
  • SeolSeol Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Red tie? I mean, don't wear a Simpson's tie, but you can be classy without being brash.

    Seol on
  • Casually HardcoreCasually Hardcore Once an Asshole. Trying to be better. Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Red tie is the power tie. It tells your audience that you're confident. Every president since before I was born used the red tie.

    Barack_Obama_wears_red_tie_Bluefly_blog_FlyPaper-400.jpg

    bush%20red.jpeg

    a few examples.

    Casually Hardcore on
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