So I have an interview with a game company for a writing job in the bay area, and am wondering what I should wear? I was thinking slacks, dress shirt, tie, but that may be over-doing it considering that everyone there wears jeans t-shirts. Also, my friend who works there said she just wore jeans and a nice shirt, and that this is pretty much just a personality-check as my resume looks great.
Your thoughts?
A tie might be too much, but most people would give applicants a free pass for overdressing for an interview. YMMV.
If it matters to them, it’s probably not a place where you’ll want to work. I’m betting it won’t. When I switched jobs within the Bay Area, I wore the same shirt and khakis I wore for work and it was fine. Jeans and t-shirt might be a bit too informal, tie is too formal. If you really want to wear a sports jacket, which you can take off, go ahead. But I’m pretty sure your ability is going to count a lot more than what you wear. That’s the way we are around here.
I’ve been doing interviews this week (wine industry, but still Bay Area.) So far 3 have been men. 2 were business casual, one wore a complete suit with tie. While I certainly did give the suit and tie guy a pass on ‘overdressing’, it did seem like just that.
Jeans and a nice shirt might be the every day wear of the staff, but I think I’d still stick to slacks of some kind, and possibly even a jacket, nice shoes, etc. for an interview. Since it’s a personality check, I’d say skip the tie if it feels like too much for you. Go in feeling comfortable and knock 'em dead. 