Interview; Suit or No Suit?

Agreed, djjuk.

At the end of the day if I were interviewing regardless of the role, I'd not be too keen on a candidate that turned up not looking the part (suited and clean shaven). Why take the risk and plant a seed of doubt in the interviewers mind before you get started.

And as for not judging a book by it's cover, how about piercings, lobe stretching, tattoos, scarring, implants and all that crap the odd few people think is a good thing to do to their body? Would you ignore that too, fanger?
 
The idea of going to an interview in anything but a suit is quite frankly laughable.

Those of you saying you wouldnt wear a suit either got VERY lucky, work in fast food or are below "real-world" age, be it in school, college or university.
 
Someone turns up to an interview in a cheap suit they've obviously got just for the interview?
What's missing from their qualifications/ experience?

The OP was whether I should wear a suit - the answer is no - not if you don't usually - because you'll be uncomfortable.
If you're uncomfotable you'll mis-represent yourself.
If you mis-represent yourself you'll fail to exhibit your suitability for the position.
If you fail to...etc,

you won't get the job.

Gentleman, we live in a new century of honesty. Suits belong to the maffia, double glazing salesman and funeral conductors.
 
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fanger said:
Someone turns up to an interview in a cheap suit they've obviously got just for the interview?
What's missing from their qualifications/ experience?
Click to expand...

You see that, an interviewer sees someone that has gone to at least some effort to present themselves well.

If someone's attitude to an interview is so relaxed that they think that presentation is unimportant, what other areas of their approach to your company do they think is unimportant?
 
fanger said:
Someone turns up to an interview in a cheap suit they've obviously got just for the interview?
What's missing from their qualifications/ experience?

The OP was whether I should wear a suit - the answer is no - not if you don't usually - because you'll be uncomfortable.
If you're uncomfotable you'll mis-represent yourself.
If you mis-represent yourself you'll fail to exhibit your suitability for the position.
If you fail to...etc,

you won't get the job.

Gentleman, we live in a new century of honesty. Suits belong to the maffia, double glazing salesman and funeral conductors.
Click to expand...


Absolute rubbish, sorry but your whole post is full of ridiculous statements.

Confidence comes from within I will agree for the main, but that does not mean I will wear my favourite jeans to the office.

Which leads me to conclude that you either:

1. Have never conducted an interview.

2. Work in new media ;)

Sorry to burst anyones bubble, but first impressions count. Like it or not they do.

Be as liberal, new worldy as you wish if you get the job, but for the interview look the part if you are serious about it.
 
DRZ said:
You see that, an interviewer sees someone that has gone to at least some effort to present themselves well.

If someone's attitude to an interview is so relaxed that they think that presentation is unimportant, what other areas of their approach to your company do they think is unimportant?
Click to expand...

OK, the point that's being missed here is one of presentation.
A suit is not the best way of presenting yourself these days.
Nor is a pair of jeans and trainers.
A decent shirt, trousers, shoes and hair style says something about the individuality of a candidate in a far more elequent way than they could ever describe on one side of a piece of A4 (if they're to get any other information on the CV!)

What you wear to an interview ends up being the first thing you say as you come through the door. Make it count. Make YOU count. Stand out from the crowd and be bold enough to say "Any fool can nip down to M&S and buy a suit for an interview - and that's what I'm not."
 
djjuk said:
Absolute rubbish, sorry but your whole post is full of ridiculous statements.

Confidence comes from within I will agree for the main, but that does not mean I will wear my favourite jeans to the office.

Which leads me to conclude that you either:

1. Have never conducted an interview.

2. Work in new media ;)

Sorry to burst anyones bubble, but first impressions count. Like it or not they do.

Be as liberal, new worldy as you wish if you get the job, but for the interview look the part if you are serious about it.
Click to expand...


You're fired.
 
fanger said:
OK, the point that's being missed here is one of presentation.
A suit is not the best way of presenting yourself these days.
Nor is a pair of jeans and trainers.
A decent shirt, trousers, shoes and hair style says something about the individuality of a candidate in a far more elequent way than they could ever describe on one side of a piece of A4 (if they're to get any other information on the CV!)

What you wear to an interview ends up being the first thing you say as you come through the door. Make it count. Make YOU count. Stand out from the crowd and be bold enough to say "Any fool can nip down to M&S and buy a suit for an interview - and that's what I'm not."
Click to expand...

The point you are missing is that one must dress suitably, rather than thinking solely about presentation.

Would you go for a job as a pall-bearer in a Hawaiian shirt? How about a job in Macdonalds in a £5k bespoke suit?

Turn up for an interview with me without wearing some sort of suit/tie, they'd make a bad impression. Don't forget, the people doing the interviewing will probably be older than you and have slightly different values, etc.

What makes an individual stand out in an interview is how they conduct themselves in that interview, NOT where they prefer to go clothes shopping.

Believe me, a cheap M&S suit which actually fits, is preferable to an expensive one that does not.

Once more, it depends on WHERE/WHAT you are being interviewed for.

For the record I interview candidates for I.T. developer positions for a large asset management company based in the city. If someone turned up for an interview without wearing a suit, they would barely make it past the receptionists - and certainly give the wrong first impression.
 
I'm fairly certain that if a company doesn't want to hire me for not wearing a suit, they're not the kind of company I'd want to work for anyway.

I guess as a developer it's slightly different in that most companies are the kind that like to consider themselves trendy and the chances of the person actually doing the interview being in jeans, t-shirt and trainers are very high.
 
Moredhel said:
I'm fairly certain that if a company doesn't want to hire me for not wearing a suit, they're not the kind of company I'd want to work for anyway.

I guess as a developer it's slightly different in that most companies are the kind that like to consider themselves trendy and the chances of the person actually doing the interview being in jeans, t-shirt and trainers are very high.
Click to expand...

I guess that depends where you're going to be a developer.
I've interviewed and worked at some big financial firms in the city as a developer and would never even consider going to an interview in anything but a suit.
 
the point is whether its a poo suit or not showing up in one shows respect for the role and the interviewer.

I've shown up for interviews where i know the office atmosphere is jeans and t-shirt, it was an internal move between two group companies and still showed up in a suit, it will never harm your chances and may make the difference.

I would disregard anyone that i was interviewing that couldnt be bothered to show the effort and respect of showing up in a suit. its not about the quality of the suit or showing brand names off its just a respect thing.
 
Its a damn shame that we`ve got to the stage where someones ability to perfom a job is judged by them wearing an outdated, pretentious gentlemens club garb. Anytime I`m interviewing for designers or coders for my little company I look for what they are capable of, not if they waste an hour each morning getting ready to go to work. In this field I think it shows a lack of imagination and I would always be more interested in the candidate that shows up with a personality than another sheep following the same path as the rest, I mean for gods sake, what is a tie for and which marketing genius thought it up. It serves as much purpose as a eunuch in a brothel.

In all honesty, any client on our books that is worth their salt wasn`t wearing a suit at the first meeting and neither was I. Its stupid, restricting and you can`t spill stuff on it and put it in the wash. I think the majority of people who wear suits do it to give themselves a power trip and to feel important. So very, very sad.

If you are one of the suit wearing fraternity in a position of authority then good on ya but you have no idea the talent you pass by every day if you take that approach to recruitment.
 
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I've had four interviews for good jobs with big international IT/telecoms companies over the last 7 years. Got every one and never wore a suit - I prefer really high quality trousers, belt, shoes, shirt, cufflinks and tie. In the winter I also have a high quality wool overcoat. I agree with Sabrezx just above.
 
Sabrezx said:
Its a damn shame that we`ve got to the stage where someones ability to perfom a job is judged by them wearing an outadted, pretentious gentlemens club garb. Anytime I`m interviewing for designers or coders for my little company I look for what they are capable of, not if they waste an hour each morning getting ready to go to work. In this field I think it shows a lack of imagination and I would always be more interested in the candidate that shows up with a personality than another sheep following the same path as the rest, I mean for gods sake, what is a tie for and which marketing genius thought it up. It serves as much purpose as a eunuch in a brothel.

In all honesty, any client on our books that is worth their salt wasn`t wearing a suit at the first meeting and neither was I. Its stupid, restricting and you can`t spill stuff on it and put it in the wash. I think the majority of people who wear suits do it to give themselves a power trip and to feel important. So very, very sad.

If you are one of the suit wearing fraternity in a position of authority then good on ya but you have no idea the talent you pass by every day if you take that approach to recruitment.
Click to expand...

Well said.

I've never worn anything other than a shirt/tie to interviews, and being honest, I've only ever applied for 1 job that I havent been hired for.
 
Go naked, display your physical prowness and beat on your chest like a real alpha man. They cannot refuse such a display of masculinity.

nb. only works for gay porn auditions
 
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