Going for an interview without a suit

[grudas]

What about trousers and shoes?

Pfth! Too formal

 

[Efour]

You are raised in Britain and taught to conform to wear a suit as its "expected."
Give it 25 years maybe the country will leave the 1950s

 

[leaskovski]

OP seems uber confident. Good luck.

 

[DJMK4]

Some people just dont look good in a suit.


Just saying! Im small and when ever i wear a suit it looks like its drowning me even if it is tailored to suit me, that said my my last job i got with some nice trousers, black shoes, nice tie, cuff links, took a risk as it was hot and mid summer, but the job before suit

I do have one although it looks abit dated now. Thats the thing do these keep going out of fashion when you the change the design slightly? Then you you look like an idiot because yours is "so last year"

I dont mind wearing one though, just need to buy a new one

 

[DJMK4]

Double post

 

[holymonk]

Wear a suit

 

[[TW]Fox]

OP seems uber confident. Good luck.

Well at 24 his massive extra experience he claims to have over all the other graduates will surely counter-act his need to look smart at his interview as a consultant.

Sometimes you have to just get on and do things you don't see the point in and don't particularly like - wearing a suit to an interview is one of these things.

 

[Cosimo]

So a graduate role then pop into M&S a get a suit and you can walk into the interview with your head held up high.

 

[DJMK4]

Also if your role is likely to be meeting clients/customers then even more so

 

[[FnG]magnolia]

Unless your current job title is Creative Consultant For Teletubby-Like Programmes then wear a suit. There are about 0.2% of career options where a suit at interview will actively hinder you and unless you're looking to direct anime, produce the perfect PUA website, or be some other type of criminal then wear a suit.

It's far easier to dress down from a suit than it is up from jorts or whatever other terrible idea you were contemplating.

Let us know how you get on

 

[Silly Goose On The Loose]

I work in a role where we wear jeans and a shirt and I wore a suit for the interview.

Think of it like this: if you wear a suit and it makes no difference, you've not lost anything. But if you don't wear a suit and it does make a difference, then you've just wasted an opportunity.

Do everything possible to elevate yourself above others/not let anyone put you down from the start.

 

[Tunney]

Engineering consulting is very different to, say, management consulting. Knowledge trumps appearance.

 

[Silly Goose On The Loose]

Engineering consulting is very different to, say, management consulting. Knowledge trumps appearance.

There have been many studies done to say that isn't the case.

 

[Burnsy2023]

Most rules in life have exceptions. Wearing a suit to an interview isn't one of them. In the majority of cases, wearing a suit is an expectation which can be detrimental if you don't meet. If you wear a suit to a very laid back workplace and are overdressed, this can almost always be countered with your personality and a conversation.

You have everything to gain and nothing to lose by wearing a suit.

 

[Dis86]

There have been many studies done to say that isn't the case.

I would agree with that having worked in one.

 

[Mr Jack]

It depends on the employer, if they're going to judge you on something like that I'm not sure I want to work for them to be honest.

It's not an entirely irrational preference. They have very little time to judge you and so what you wear needs to communicate that your appropriate. Wearing a suit shows that you understand convention and are willing to show your potential employer the respect of honouring said convention.

Not wearing a suit communicates that either (1) you don't care what convention is, (2) you can't be bothered making an effort for the interview, (3) you don't even know what the convention is, or (4) you're so damn cocky you think you can thumb your nose at the interviewer and get away with it. None of these are appealing to employers.

 

[Tunney]

There have been many studies done to say that isn't the case.

That's not my experience having worked for several (software) engineering consultancies. Clients always requested the scruffy oiks who knew their stuff and worked hard.

 

[Terminal_Boy]

When I had an interview with a large Silicon Valley company, I was told specifically not to wear a suit or a jacket.

Still couldn't bring myself not to wear a shirt and tie though.

The recruiter meeting me rocked up in a Grateful Dead t-shirt, jeans and flip-flops.

It was a very surreal 36 hours.

 

[Hades]

That's not my experience having worked for several (software) engineering consultancies. Clients always requested the scruffy oiks who knew their stuff and worked hard.

It's unlikely they would specifically ask for a scruffy guy. It's likely that they ask for someone they have previously worked with and know is good (so he's good enough to not need a suit as his reputation has been proven). But the first time a consultancy places someone at a new clients place they would prefer them to be smartly dressed so that they represent the consultancy in a professional way. If I owned the consultancy then that would certainly be what I'd want.

When interviewing, one question I ask myself is "does this person really want the job enough to put in some effort when they are here?". A suit goes part of the way towards that.

 

[tickedon]

Yes, it's silly, but wear a suit!

I was recently interviewed internally in my current workplace for a role (which I got) and wore a suit. I don't wear a suit every day (normally smart trousers & shirt) but doubt I'd have impressed our director in my interview without dressing up!