I think it’s safe to say that we’re going to be in a very small minority of people on this board who own a kilt.
You’re in an even smaller minority then, as I don’t own one 
:: whistles nervously, as the wind whistles around his knees ::
Hey, I have a kilt and a sporan! It’s got our clan’s hunting tartan. I don’t have proper socks or anything for it though, so I don’t really know how to put together an acceptable ensemble.
The biggest problem is that no matter what I do, my shoes look really stupid.
If all you’ve got is the kilt, may I suggest getting a scottish rugby top and a pair of hiking boots & socks. You now have a perfectly acceptable informal kilt setup.
Failing that, things start to get expensive (jacket, shirt, socks, flashes, skean dhu and gillie brogues) Funny thing about a full on kilt ensemble, they’re damned expensive.
What business are you in, and what does a suit mean there?
I freelance. I own over a dozen suits, most secondhand, some quite elegant, a few that wouldn’t even strike you as “suits.” (Tan Harris tweed anyone?)
Is snazzy now a synonym for bloated? 
Here’s what I don’t get about the suit for an interview thing, where the regular dress code for the actual job doesn’t require anything close to a suit- what does it prove? This guy owns a suit even though he could work here 50 years and never need it for the job? That this guy knows that its considered proper to wear a suit to an interview? Or better, we’re going to base our hire on who owns the sharpest suit? Would you rather have a poor dresser who does a great job or an idiot in a sharp suit?
Heh, you and I have different definitions of “fun.”
I would hire the guy who is smart enough to dress respectfully for a job interview. That speaks volumes about how concientious he is. The guy who doesn’t care enough to demonstrate courtesy to his (hopefully) future boss, may just not care enough about the job either. If you look like a slacker, you’ll be treated like a slacker.
Regular dress code at my old job was jeans and steel-toed workboots. We all still wore ties to our interviews.
ETA: Ties on the job site were not permitted due to machinery, but there was still an expectatins that you would be presentable for your interview as a sign of respect for the management representatives that were hiring you.
I own about fifteen different suits, four of them three-piece suits. I like vests!
I could go three straight weeks to work without wearing the same suit twice.
No. Qualifications being roughly equal between two candidates, the man in the suit is more likely to get the job.
Well, I always dress in my best suit for interviews because of people like you, but no, the best candidate would get the job without regards to their dress for an interview.
I have told people ahead of time, not to worry about wearing a suit to the interview as we have casual dress. I feel it allows people be more at ease and you are more likely to find out about the person themselves. In the end, their tech skills are what matter most in my profession.
Thankfully, I no longer have such headaches. I have not had to interview anyone since 1999.
Jim
For the record, I wore a (borrowed) suit to my current job and was interviewed by my three bosses- two in khakis, one in jeans- what did my wearing this prove, other than I am aware of archaic American customs? This is a fairly decent professional job with zero customer contact- I can look around me right now and see someone wearing a T-shirt and jogging pants, and someone else walking around in house slippers. A lawyer job or something like that, yes, if a decent suit is required to impress clients, I can see.
What would my bosses have said to each other after I left if they really wanted to hire me but I had on khakis “wow this guy seems perfect the job, we really want to hire him, but… he didin’t wear a suit, so no go?”
Wee, as an interviewer, my first impression would have been, “Here is a guy who can’t be bothered to dress up for an interview” and you would have to recover from that. That said, I work for a big 4 firm doing consulting work for global financial services clients. And while I will wear a suit if I’m scheduled to interview someone (or be interviewed by a client), our dress code when not entertaining clients is business casual. I have been asked to perform impromptu interviews, and I apologize to the interviewee because I feel it shows a lack of respect to a fellow professional.
That said, I’ve been in the workforce long enough to have seen the highs and lows with professional hiring. There have been times when the most important qualification was a pulse because the market was so tight, and other points where I’m having to decide amongst several top candidates who were probably more qualified than me to do my job (always fun to wonder how long before everyone else realizes that). Obviously, when the hiring market is tight, potential employers are more likely to overlook dress to get quality people through the door. But when there is a surplus of talented resources, employers can be more picky.
Same here. As I mentioned upthread, we have very casual dress, so we clue the candidates ahead of time. Usually the male candidates will come in tieless with a sport coat, and they don’t stand out as much as they would in a suit (“Huh, what’s a salesguy doing here?”)
So, you understand how a suit might be required to impress clients, but not how a suit might be required to impress hiring managers? I mean, what’s with those clients, anyway? Do they want the best lawyer or the best *dressed *lawyer?
I’m slightly overdressed around here (dokkers and polo shirt) but even the T-shirt & jeans crowd notice and comment when an applicant doesn’t bother to dress up for an interview.
Not necessarily a suit, but better than me. Slacks, button up shirt and tie, at least (for men, of course). Sure, a stellar resume’ might overcome poor dress, but if you don’t want the job bad enough to put on a tie, we can find someone else.
The difference is that first, the law firm rep interviewing me would most assuredly be in a top of the line suit, and I would be expected to wear nice suits for my job every day, so I would want to show them on interview day I have nice suits as well, as they would be required for the job- if nice dress is a part of the job, sure you would to see on interview day that I have the required goods. Same as if I’m a blue collar worker who needs his own tools for the job, you’d want to make sure they know you have all the tools you need.
And if you’re a potential client of lawyer, in the mind of most average people who are wowed by such things, impressive suits mean success, and I’m sure many potential clients would think “wow he has on a top of the line suit, he must be rich as a result of being a great lawyer and that’s means he’ll win my case”- a not necessarily accurate mentality, but one maybe necessary when dealing with the public in that particular job. Some jobs the way you dress is necessary to get business from Joe Customer, I understand that- archiac, but understandable- but not my job.
As a kid I went to an interview as a dishwasher in a suit, when I got the job I wore dirty shoes, ripped jeans and T-shirts every day- what did wearing the suit show the guy who hired me for that job?
I still don’t get the “he didn’t bother to dress up for the interview”- if its not a job requirement, well why should he? Wally Cleaver went to football games in his good suit, who does that now? Why do we still do it with interviews for non formal jobs?
My husband has a high-end snazzy suit which he wears when I make him. He looks fantastic in it. He also has a few sport jackets. Considering about 70% of his job can be done in his underwear (he works from home), that’s pretty good.
He also has several suits which don’t fit him, and if he ever fits into them again they’ll be woefully out of style. And yet, they’re just hanging in the closet.
Absolutely. For such a position, a suit is a practical consideration, as well as a mental/image one.
Sure again, and I’d expand this to “And if you’re a potential **employer **of a job applicant, in the mind of most average people who are wowed by such things, impressive suits mean success, and I’m sure many potential **employers **would think “wow he has on a top of the line suit, he must be rich as a result of being a great **employee ** and that’s means he’ll be a good employee for me”- a not necessarily accurate mentality, but one maybe **influential **when hiring someone in that particular job. Some **interviews **the way you dress is necessary to get the job from Joe Hiring Manager, I understand that- archiac, but understandable- but not knowing how your interviewer thinks, better safe than sorry.” Bolded terms my changes to your absolutely accurate assesment.
A job applicant, in any field*, is selling himself to an interviewer in exactly the same way a lawyer is selling himself to a potential or actual client.
*I guess if you’re being headhunted, that’s a different story. Most of us, unfortunately, aren’t.