If you have an interview at a location that is far enough away where you can’t just visit easily, would you be alright asking the interviewer what the dress code is at the place so you can match the right level of dress? Some say it’s not bad to overdress but others say it is… do you think overdressing is LESS worse that asking or vice versa?
Wear a business suit. It is never inappropriate for an interview.
…also, I don’t have a suit, or the shoes to match for that matter, nor am I certain I’ll be able to rent the outfit … rough times …
just how bad would it be to show up in a sport coat and tie with dress shoes (but not bright shiny black shoes), for an IT Professional interview?
Just dress up as much as you can. You’ll never lose out on a job for overdressing in the interview.
and for underdressing one level?
To be honest, I never notice what anyone is wearing at an interview. I have probably done hundreds. However I am one of those people who doesn’t pay much attention to clothing.
I’m sure that if you are not dressed as Bozo the Clown your dress won’t cost you the job.
Yeah, just ask. They won’t mind. I usually wear at a minimum a sports coat and tie, regardless.
I disagree. Just wear the sportcoat and tie. If you had the suit you should have worn that, but it’s not the end of the world. It’ll probably be fine for an IT interview.
Also, ultraman100, what do you mean by bright shiny leather? Do you mean patent leather? You should never wear that to a job interview. Calf is fine and there’s no reason for it to be highly polished. Now if it’s scuffed up and dirty, you could spent 15 minutes polishing them.
You should not ask how to dress for the interview. What you’re proposing to wear should be fine, and if you were to ask, they might think less of you (for not showing enough initiative to decide on your own).
Strong dissent here.
You are expected, as a functioning adult, to already know what to wear to an interview and to own a business suit. Ask ahead of time, or show up inappropriately dressed, and it’s two strikes against you at most firms. I don’t know your age (I’m guessing low-mid 20s), your gender (If you’re female, the rest of this post will not help you) or your family/financial situation, but most parents are happy to kick in for a job interview suit, as it will likely save them a lot of money in the long run. Type “dress for job interview” in the Yahoo or Google search line and you’ll get many, many hits for pages with specific results. Look at the fashion spreads in Esquire and GQ for an idea of what to shop for. Don’t look at the fashion spreads in Maxim or FHM.
You need a dark grey suit, white Oxford shirt, conservative silk necktie (NOT a clip-on!) and a pair of black lace-up leather shoes with black socks and black belt. Don’t get these at Target. If Brooks Brothers or a custom tailor are out of your budget, try Men’s Wearhouse or Joseph A. Bank.
You’re looking at a $500 investment, minimum (and it IS an investment). Does that sound steep? You buy a new computer every other year; this will cost less. Not buying a suit will cost you and cost you.
I did go to one interview where they were not pleased I wore a suit. They told me that they had specifically told the headhunter “no suits, dress casually”. The message was not passed on. Who knows why. Maybe they did not want people to know they were interviewing.
At my current job, I asked and was told jeans and a nice shirt. We’re very casual here.
I see nothing wrong with asking the person that sets up the interview.
This is entirely JMHO, but if it’s a non-management IT job that doesn’t involve dealing with clients, and it’s not at place like a law firm where better dressing is commonplace, then I think you could get away with a sport coat. Better said, if the interview is next week and you can spend Saturday either shopping for a cheap suit or doing research for the interview, then I would wear the sport coat and do the interview research.
Most people will tell you to put on a pair of pants (or at least cover your genitals in some way), but only you can decide whether you really want to work somewhere that’s going to make you have to do that every day.
I mostly agree, though I think you should be able to get away with a $300 suit from Men’s Wearhouse. Don’t worry, by the way, if you don’t know how to buy a suit - just tell a clerk that you need an interview suit for under [price], adn he or she will help you figure things out. Bear in mind that they probably won’t help you go significantly below your price limit, and may try to up-sell you - but that’s life. They’ll probably ask you some questions about the style of suit you’re prefer, solid vs. pinstripes, etc - it’s perfectly acceptable to say “I really don’t know. What do you recommend?”
The bottom line is that you really, really do need a business suit. Even if you could somehow get away without it for this particular interview, you will need one sooner rather than later if you keep interviewing for professional jobs.
Finally, an anecdote: I’ve interviewed an applicant for a professional position (student attorney in a legal clinic) who showed up without a suit. That wasn’t the only reason we rejected her, but it was a very serious blow to her credibility. I (and the other interviewers on the panel) were very concerned that if she couldn’t or wouldn’t take care to dress properly for a meeting that most people consider a Big Deal, she might not take proper care in other aspects of her work.
Get a suit. If you can get money from your parents for it, great. If not, seriously consider putting it on your credit card, or even selling something (flatscreen, xbox, second computer) to buy one.
Shopping for a cheap suit shouldn’t take more than a couple hours - hit Men’s Wearhouse, have a clerk pick out something in your price range, done. Note that it might not be ready to pick up the same day (probably won’t be, actually) - so it would be prefereable to pick out a suit today. But even if you need to wait until Saturday - you’ll have plenty of time this weekend to both pick a suit and do prep research. Both are important, but don’t kid yourself into thinking you only have time for one.
There are plenty of questions that it’s fine to ask an interviewer - this isn’t one of them. This question makes you seem clueless about basic professional norms - not good. Sure, some places don’t want you to dress up - but those shops will say so explicitly. The Surb had a bit of unusual luck, in that he simply missed an instruction not to dress up - but the reason his interviewer felt the need to issue that instruction in the first place is that this is not the norm.
A good rule of thumb is the dress the best that you can up to a point. (A tuxedo may be a little over the top).
For a person who is right out of college interviewing for an IT professional’s job, I’d say that a sport coat and slacks with a tie and a nice shirt should be minimum. A suit is always preferred, but so long as it looks like you put some effort into it, I’m sure whatever you have will be fine.
The only time I ever refused a person a job based on how he dressed was the guy who came into the interview in jeans that were full of holes and a t-shirt that looked to be two sizes too small. He had no excuse, either… We were doing interviews on the college campus so all he had to do was get dressed and walk to the building.
thanks for the replies guys. i think it might be best to swing a suit coat - maybe from salvation army - cause my sport coat is a little small anyways.
new question: I have shoes similar to these but not quite the same, will they go with a suit coat (http://www.skechers.com/style/62235/waterway-covering/blk)?
That link in the last post of mine didnt show shoes, here is a new link with diff. shoes: http://www.skechers.com/style/61643/compelling-dexterity/blk
I know there are some organizations like Dress for Success that provide interview outfits for women who can’t afford them. I’m not sure if there are any for men as well but it might be worth looking into.