What to wear for an interview on Teams

Man of Honour
Joined
21 Feb 2006
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29,325
This used to be a black and white thing but these days I’m not sure it matters that much. When interviewing via video other things come into the judgement for some that were never a consideration previously.

My advice is be tidy in person, tidy in environment and uncluttered. I’d wear a shirt, shirt and jumper or plain close fitting T.

Arrive with a smile, sit up and listen well and be seen to. Don’t faff with crap around you, be engaged.
 
Caporegime
Joined
29 Jan 2008
Posts
58,912
I think it depends on the company, if you know they're a very casual place (like a startup etc..) then don't worry about it but otherwise you're probably not going to go wrong in general with a shirt and tie as most others have suggested in the thread.

The other important things are to consider things like lighting, where to position your camera, test it out yourself to make sure you can be clearly seen. check your microphone too in say a test call with a friend or family member, I don't think it's ideal for example to be hooked up to some hands-free kit etc... Better to isolate yourself in a room for the interview and ask anyone else in your household in nearby rooms to keep any noise to a minimum etc.. consider buying an external mic so you can be heard clearly.

As someone else mentioned, look at the camera, make sure to test your connection etc.. on the day and be ready a bit before the meeting, worth having some notes and your CV, job description available as someone else mentioned re: their multi-monitor setup, you could always print some of that stuff out too or have it on a tablet, if you're referring to it during a chat with them you can look organised pulling a tablet or folder out and openly be seen to be referring to that stuff instead of perhaps having your eyes looking distracted/away from the camera.

Also, have a notepad ready as you might in a face-to-face interview as you can still take notes during the Q&A etc... with an actual notepad or just on a tablet.
 
Associate
Joined
19 Aug 2013
Posts
17
I wouldn’t wear a suit in a zoom interview myself. Who sits in their house in a suit lol

Just dress smart casual.

If you can't be bothered to put the same effort into an interview because you're at home than you would in an office, what makes me think you'll put the effort into the job if I offered it to you? The change and pattern I've seen from interviews over the last 18 months since the WHF culture has been forced on us, is that the ones who do not dress well for the interview are the ones who ask most about the WFH options. Nah... you're ok, thanks. I have no faith you will put your all in without you needing others around you.
 
Soldato
Joined
2 Aug 2016
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4,041
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Third Earth
I’ve been interviewing for the past two weeks using teams as I’m expanding my team. So interviewing 1st and 2nd line IT support persons.

All dressed smart casual, shirt or shirt with jumper, no tie. One guy went full on suit with tie but he was a bit of a goon so we wrapped it up quick.

I myself had a shirt, no tie.

Im pretty laid back, as long as they look reasonably smart and not rolled out of bed, all good.
 
Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
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6,366
Location
Bedfordshire
From the interviews I've been a part of the best ones have been a simple portrait shot wearing a shirt (maybe a tie, can't remember). One guy had a fan running into their mic and had poor audio in general. Don't be that guy.
 
Soldato
Joined
14 Mar 2011
Posts
5,421
Disagree about the plain wall, I think you don't want piles of disgusting mess in the background but there's nothing wrong with having ordinary stuff - can even be a good talking point. Personally right behind me I have a wall of guitars :D which people always ask about with the ever perceptive "Ah, do you play the guitar?" and I try not to sarcastically go "Uh huhhh"
 
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