# Glasses or no glasses for an Interview for an Engineering position? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 13, 2010, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glasses-or-no-glasses-for-an-interview-for-an-engineering-position/563976 "2010-12-13T13:51:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2010, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glasses-or-no-glasses-for-an-interview-for-an-engineering-position/563976/41 "2010-12-13T23:33:55Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > I know we’re all joking around here, but can we all honestly say for sure it makes \*no \*difference? Not even on a subconscious level? When you’re down to two similarly-qualified applicants, the deciding factor can be anything, from who just has the personality you prefer, to who’s more attractive physically, or the one who plays off the firmly-held stereotypes that people with glasses are smart. It’s silly, and no one (I hope) has an applicant checklist that includes whether or not the person wears corrective eyewear, but it’s no sillier to ask if glasses or contacts are preferable, than it is wondering if you should wear a white shirt with your suit, or a pale blue one. It doesn’t _really_ matter… I don’t think. I’m an engineer. I probably wouldn’t even notice if you were wearing glasses or what you were wearing unless it was something ridiculously out of the norm. If it were two equally technically qualified applicants, the next criterion would be personality, as in how well I think they would get along with the team. After that, it would be a coin toss. No one where I work dresses up. The General Manager’s typical dress is a short sleeved button up shit, shorts and flip flops. I wear t-shirts and Levis. No one would give a shit about glasses. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2010, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glasses-or-no-glasses-for-an-interview-for-an-engineering-position/563976/42 "2010-12-13T23:57:52Z")
\ I’ve interviewed a lot of people in engineering. I never cared if they wore glasses or not. I cared about how they dressed - it shows an understanding of appropriateness for certain situations. Other than that, physical appearance didn’t come into play for hiring decisions. For glasses/contacts, I think it’s way more important to be comfortable…go the way you want to go to work every day. \ ---
**Author:** ![sinjin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sinjin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinjin)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glasses-or-no-glasses-for-an-interview-for-an-engineering-position/563976/43 "2010-12-14T01:58:09Z")
> [@Baracus](#): > > Yes, you should definitely wear glasses. The more they look like you got them free with your eye exam, in 1980, the better. Also wear a pocket protector with some mechanical pencils and a **TI caculator** stuck in there. Since this is a number cruncher job, if you can work the superiority of reverse Polish notation into the conversation, you will be in like Flynn. > > Or maybe you should listen to **Khadaji**. Bolding mine. You need an HP RPN calculator. Pffffff, TI’s are for kids. ---
**Author:** ![sinjin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sinjin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinjin)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glasses-or-no-glasses-for-an-interview-for-an-engineering-position/563976/44 "2010-12-14T02:08:19Z")
> [@Daylate](#): > > Nah - a REAL engineer would have an HP, preferably HP35 or 48. TI’s are for high school students. And this is what I get for not reading the whole thread before posting.:smack: Oh, and I do have a 35 and a 48. They both still work even though I ran over the 48 with my truck and a bunch of plastic parts popped off and the 35 is kind of wrapped together with duct tape.🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Arjuna34](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Arjuna34](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arjuna34)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glasses-or-no-glasses-for-an-interview-for-an-engineering-position/563976/45 "2010-12-14T03:10:16Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > I’m an engineer. I probably wouldn’t even notice if you were wearing glasses or what you were wearing unless it was something ridiculously out of the norm. If it were two equally technically qualified applicants, the next criterion would be personality, as in how well I think they would get along with the team. After that, it would be a coin toss. > > No one where I work dresses up. The General Manager’s typical dress is a short sleeved button up shit, shorts and flip flops. I wear t-shirts and Levis. No one would give a shit about glasses. Yes, this is probably the most common situation if an engineer is doing the interview. I doubt I could even recall whether a candidate wore glasses or not a couple of days later. ---
**Author:** ![excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e8c25b/32.png) [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glasses-or-no-glasses-for-an-interview-for-an-engineering-position/563976/46 "2010-12-14T03:35:44Z")
Engineering supervisor here (mechanical). Having worked as an Engineer for over 25 years (and having worn glasses for over 40), I think there is no small coincidence that the most creative and technically versed Engineers I have worked with have used corrective lenses. In my current position, I only recently discovered that ALL of the Engineers working my my department wear corrective lenses. Yeah, probably confirmation bias going on, but it was a surprise to me when I found out. But, on the interview, wear what you are most comfortable with. That way you won’t be worrying about stuff that doesn’t matter. Although, I’ll also admit that most of the job interviews I have had, I was surprised at how little I was asked about the technical issues and how much more the interviewer wanted to know about how I thought. That’s why I say whatever makes you most comfortable. Good luck excavating (for a mind) ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2010, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glasses-or-no-glasses-for-an-interview-for-an-engineering-position/563976/47 "2010-12-16T22:22:28Z")
If you are considering fashion for the interview, you probably shouldn’t be trying to get an engineering position in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2010, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glasses-or-no-glasses-for-an-interview-for-an-engineering-position/563976/48 "2010-12-16T23:33:20Z")
If you are old, wear whichever makes you look younger more energetic and vital. If you are young, wear whichever makes you look older and wiser. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glasses-or-no-glasses-for-an-interview-for-an-engineering-position/563976/49 "2010-12-17T00:34:38Z")
I look more attractive and personable and my face looks less fat with my glasses on, even though I raaaarely wear them day to day (I have nearsight and working with computers, they’re just not necessary). So wear them if they make you look more attractive. If not, leave them off. If you can take pictures, we can evaluate which is the more attractive “you.” Otherwise, try asking family members, friends, or strangers on the street. ---
**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glasses-or-no-glasses-for-an-interview-for-an-engineering-position/563976/50 "2010-12-17T01:36:26Z")
Clearly, this is the sort of question which cries out for experimentation! Wear glasses to one interview, and contacts to the other. Then evaluate which interviewer becomes more interested in hiring you. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glasses-or-no-glasses-for-an-interview-for-an-engineering-position/563976.md?page=2)