I’m a 21 year old male who’s being flown in by a pretty large media company a few states away. I’ve already has a phone interview with them, where I learned that their dress code is pretty lax (t-shirts & jeans specifically).
So my question is, what should I wear? I want to appear professional, but I don’t want to overdress either.
Any suggestions?
Thanks!
What’s the job you’re applying for, because that could make a difference.
Generally, I would suggest something like dress slacks, a collared shirt and a tie, although if it’s a creative position something funkier might be better.
It’s an editorial position for a video game company. I’ll essentially be writing articles that will be published on a gaming rlated website.
Thanks for the help.
What part of the country? That can make a huge difference.
For a video game company, since they are casual and in a youth-oriented industry, I’d still wear a tie since it is a formal interview, but go with interesting colors or prints.
My style ESP is saying to wear wing-tip bowling shoes, black slacks, a lime green shirt, and a tie with an MC Escher print.
Formal, yet not stuffy. Memorable, without being too silly.
Speaking as someone with experience hiring in the game industry: personally, I would always err on the side of dressiness. I seriously frowned on people who wore T-shirts and shorts and jeans to interviews even though I wouldn’t care in the slightest if they wore that to work once they started the job. I think dressing up a little shows that you’re serious about the work. I know I had some coworkers who thought people who wore suits to interviews were funny tools, but in general I think it makes you look a lot worse if you underdress than if you overdress. If you think they’re looking at you funny, you could always make a comment about how hard it is to strike the appropriate tone in interviews, just so they know you’ve thought about it and are aware that the usual dress code in a place like that is quite different.
For a video game company I would up the funk - I don’t know what I think about an Escher tie - that’s a bit goofy, but I wouldn’t wear a suit unless it’s super edgy.
P.S.
Ixnay on the Escher tie/lime green shirt/wingtips/whatever. Please. Seriously. We once interviewed a guy who came in dressed normally except for a gigantic silver and turquoise ring. Everyone in the interview was mesmerized by the ring–our heads all going back and forth when he would gesture with his hands. After the interview, nobody had any real idea of what he had said because we were all so distracted by his weird jewelry. I can only imagine what would happen if you came in wearing an M.C. Escher tie.
You want to be memorable for who you are and the skills and talents you have, not for what you’re wearing.
Dress for the interview how you would dress for the job.
I’ve been in the game business for ten years. Don’t wear a tie, particularly not for a creative position. Wear a jacket only if you wear one normally in your day-to-day life.
Despite what tiltypig says, you really don’t want to come off as a tool. Which you will if you show up in a suit.
But don’t go too casual. No tee-shirt or shorts. But you’re probaby fine in a nice shirt and jeans or slacks. The goal is to look like you fit in.
I do agree with **tiltypig ** that you shouldn’t wear anything outlandish to show how “creative” you are. Unless you’re the sort of guy who does that all the time. But if you were that sort of guy you wouldn’t be asking this question, would you?
You want a nice balance between dressy and casual. I recommend a tuxedo on the upper half and swim trunks and flip-flops downstairs. No top hat, though. That would look kind of weird.
Dress in your best business attire. They’ll appreciate the effort. If it’s more than regular and they hire you, they’ll tell you it’s OK to dress down.
Put your best foot forward at the interview.
No, no, no. The balance you’re really looking to strike is between conservative and edgy/funky. I’d go for a nice, button-down Oxford shirt and bright purple rhinestone-encrusted speedos. If you choose to wear a tie, make it a conservative tie, but worn in an avante-garde way–say, tied around the head, with the ends sticking up.
The poster who cautioned you against the wingtips was right. You don’t want wingtips. Maybe you should think “scuba gear.” Go with flippers.
Tell us what you decided to wear and how the interview goes! Best of luck to you.
Clown outfit for sure. Get em laughing, that’ll help break the ice. If you really want to go the extra mile, do the full clown makeup too.
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Are there people who actually laugh at clowns? I’ve always just assumed that most people’s reactions to clowns were like mine, hovering somewhere between pity and fear.
</hijack>
Well, maybe it’ll scare them enough that they’re too terrified to NOT give him the job. 
Either way it’s a win/win
Can you call the HR person who set up the interview (or the coordinator) and ask what interviewees typically wear?
It seems from the responses here that some companies are going to find a suit makes you look like a tool and others appreciate the effort. I think finding out in advance and being prepared for whichever type of company this one is would make a good impression.
Wow. Nothing to add except the culture is very different here. Every interview I or anyone else I know has ever gone to as been a suit affair. That’s the norm over here.
I work in IT BTW but have previously worked as a stores guy in a fire alarm company and in production in IBM and Motorola.
Best of luck with the interview. Just be sure to wear something 
Dressing up for an interview is essential, in my book. You don’t have to wear a Brooks Brothers suit, but well-polished shoes and a pressed button-down with a tie never look wrong when you’re trying to impress somebody. Oh, and pants. I just don’t know enough about men’s pants to say what kind.
It’s about respect. You show that you care enough about this job to wear a tie for it, even though everybody knows you won’t have to do so. And any place that’s going to dislike you for trying to look like a professional is probably not a place that will behave very professionally to you.
Seriously, I think the worst I’ve ever heard about someone who dressed up for an interview is a kind of admiring “aww, he looks so serious.”
Good luck!
Sorry - this is not the usual advice given to interviewees. You don’t dress for the job you’re interviewing for; you dress at least one level above it, and if you actually can wear jeans and t-shirts at the job you’ll be doing, you still need to show up for the interview like you’re interviewing for a regular office job. Wearing a classic, dark suit, respectable tie, and normal dress shoes (with dark socks, obviously) will tell the interviewers that you take the interview seriously, and you take the job seriously. I don’t think anybody looks like a tool when they show up dressed respectfully for an interview. You can dazzle them with your creative personality while talking to them - you don’t need your clothes to do that for you.
Don’t call and ask what to wear, either. What you show up wearing is the first stage of your interview. No aftershave or cologne, either - what you consider a lovely scent might be your interviewer’s most hated cologne ever, and get you your first strike before you’ve even opened your mouth.
And let me just say, men look good in suits. You will look good in your suit, Red, and if you look good, you’ll feel more confident.
Definitely err on the side of over-dressed. We also have a casual office/laboratory but a candidate who comes in and looks like they take themselves and the job seriously is just more likely to get hired. Remember, your job at an interview is to sell yourself. Just don’t wear the shiny shoes. Those look really dorky at a casual office.
Wear a suit
Wear a suit
Wear a suit
Wear a suit.
Always wear a suit. I even wore a suit when I interviewed for a job that I knew was holey jeans and stained t-shirts because I already worked for them. I wore my holey jeans and stained t-shirt to work, changed into my suit for the interview, and then put back on my holey jeans and stained t-shirt to finish working. The suit says “I’m mature, sophisticated and serious about my career” while a shirt and tie says “I’m OK with the minimum”
The most damage that can be done by overdressing for an interview is that once you’ve been working there for a few months, one of your new work buddies might rib you about the suit. But you’ll have a nice job with benefits and a paycheck.