# Job interview-what to wear **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 26, 2010, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-interview-what-to-wear/530527 "2010-02-26T15:41:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-interview-what-to-wear/530527/21 "2010-02-26T18:48:49Z")
Sport coat and tie at a minimum, but preferably a business suit, unless, as someone else noted, the company is _incredibly_ casual (such as a small ad agency or web design place). (Just parenthetically, several posters have said, “you don’t need to wear white tie/ a tuxedo”…have any of you _actually_ seen someone wearing that level of dress in an office environment? Even back in the 1980s, when suits were the norm for business attire, I _never_ saw anyone in “evening wear” like that, short of someone who was getting ready to go to an extremely formal reception.) ---
**Author:** ![Furious\_Marmot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dfb087/32.png) [@Furious\_Marmot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Furious_Marmot)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-interview-what-to-wear/530527/22 "2010-02-26T18:53:07Z")
Thanks everybody! Sounds like I have a trip to Men’s Wearhouse in my future. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-interview-what-to-wear/530527/23 "2010-02-26T18:57:09Z")
You’re probably looking at $250-$300 for a reasonable-quality suit. You may want to skip getting the other bits at Men’s Wearhouse; IME, they tend to be a bit overpriced for shirts and ties. (I buy my dress shirts at Kohl’s, for example.) I also would advise getting a good-looking pair of shoes, if you don’t already have a pair. ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-interview-what-to-wear/530527/24 "2010-02-26T19:09:18Z")
What you wear can be interpreted as respect for the individual interviewing you, and that’s why one or two levels above daily dress for the job is always safe, while under-dressing is always risky. If, during the actual interview process, it’s obvious the environment is more casual than you had interpreted it, your personal demeanor will carry the day. But if you are underdressed, you are wearing a statement of how significant you think the interview process is, and that’s harder to overcome. I’d recommend a sport coat and a tie from what you describe, and avoid a white shirt or a loud tie. Money spent on dress slacks and a sharp sport coat is a sharper and more cost-efficient combo than an inexpensive suit, in my completely incompetent sartorial opinion. I assume the buttons on the collared shirt are to close the front, and not tie down the collars. Use stays for the collar. Again, just my 1c worth. Back in the day, **CP** wore jeans and sneakers to med school interviews, assuming my scores would carry the day. I was a pauper, but looking back on it, it was rude. Although no schools turned me down, I did get a couple second looks and one outright comment. All my fellow applicants were there in business dress, which was a complete farce since they showed up the first day of class looking like hippies. I was still in my jeans and sneakers…anyway, I have matured since then, so to speak. They were right and I was wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-interview-what-to-wear/530527/25 "2010-02-26T19:54:44Z")
Jacket and tie at a minimum. If you have a nice sports jacket and tie, I wouldn’t lay out the cash for a new suit. If you don’t have either, you might as well go for the suit then. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-interview-what-to-wear/530527/26 "2010-02-26T20:47:05Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > (Just parenthetically, several posters have said, “you don’t need to wear white tie/ a tuxedo”…have any of you _actually_ seen someone wearing that level of dress in an office environment? Even back in the 1980s, when suits were the norm for business attire, I _never_ saw anyone in “evening wear” like that, short of someone who was getting ready to go to an extremely formal reception.) Its hyperbole. A tuxedo is formal evening attire and never worn in a business environment. I don’t understand why people have to question. If you are going to a interview for a job that is performed in an office, you wear a suit. The exceptions are so rare (ie Silicon Valley startup…in 1997) that you will already know ahead of time if a suit is not appropriate. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-interview-what-to-wear/530527/27 "2010-02-26T21:18:40Z")
> [@Zeriel](#): > > The general rule around here seems to be one-two steps above daily wear. Right now, when I interview I wear a nice set of slacks or khakis, a sport coat, and a tie. > > I tried wearing suits to interviews when I was first out of college–there is NOTHING more intimidating than realizing the CEO of the company (who wanted to talk to me, he was a micromanager type) is wearing cutoff jean shorts and a ratty t-shirt to your job interview. (worked there for five years, though. =P) People give those right out of college a lot of slack. Around here, the only people who wear suits to an interview are those right out of college, or those who have come a long way and don’t get Silicon Valley. People changing technical jobs don’t. Sales jobs, probably, though sales people making calls on us have pretty much stopped wearing suits, especially technical experts dragged along. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-interview-what-to-wear/530527/28 "2010-02-26T21:23:43Z")
> [@Furious\_Marmot](#): > > Thanks everybody! Sounds like I have a trip to Men’s Wearhouse in my future. Where are you located? East Coast is much dressier than West Coast. When I interviewed for the job I now have, which was an across Silicon Valley move, I definitely did not wear a suit, jacket or tie, and none of the senior people who interview with us do. I don’t think a suit would hurt, but any engineering company who would mark down someone not wearing one smacks of defense industry or Dilbert. But other parts of the country have different cultures. ---
**Author:** ![Furious\_Marmot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dfb087/32.png) [@Furious\_Marmot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Furious_Marmot)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-interview-what-to-wear/530527/29 "2010-02-26T22:05:43Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Where are you located? East Coast is much dressier than West Coast. Mostly Texas, maybe one or two in Pittsburgh. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-interview-what-to-wear/530527/30 "2010-02-26T23:22:18Z")
> [@Furious\_Marmot](#): > > Mostly Texas, maybe one or two in Pittsburgh. I don’t know about Texas, but Pittsburgh probably requires a suit. I know a bunch of CMU engineering professors who have an unholy fascination for the damn things. ---
**Author:** ![sinusoidal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@sinusoidal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinusoidal)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-interview-what-to-wear/530527/31 "2010-02-27T03:31:37Z")
> [@Furious\_Marmot](#): > > Mostly Texas, maybe one or two in Pittsburgh. Ask whoever is setting up the interview what level of dress would be appropriate. In my experience, the Texas and Midwest regions sometimes prefer you wear business casual. I have had a few interviewers tell me explicitly to wear a polo or sweater and not a suit. If this is the case, try to look smart and wear neutrals and soft colors that suit you. The variation in business casual can be pretty dramatic, from khakis and a polo to dress slacks and shirt. The advantage of dressing closer to the daily level of dress is that you will look like you already fit in, but the consequences of underdressing can be terrible. Stick to the dressier side of business casual to be safe. Depending on the conservativeness of the company, it might be worth it to wear something in a vivid color to help you stick out. Color infractions are more easily forgiven, so this may pay off. If formal is the way to go, I would try a charcoal or lighter gray suit. Black is too harsh for anything but the boardroom (or the East Coast), and really screams “I only want to buy one suit and this is it”. People sometimes talk about how great navy looks, but to my eyes it is dated. Your shirt should be in a lighter but coordinating color. If you have a slender build, go for a thinner tie. Wider ones are evocative of the 80s and should be avoided, even if you are heavy. Oh, and for the love of God, do not wear a blue shirt and yellow tie. Everyone has already done it and it just looks tired. And no pleats. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-interview-what-to-wear/530527.md?page=1)