Interview shirt

[Scepticalscribe]

I haven't worn a suit to an interview in more than a decade. Times have changed.

Whenever I have a candidate come in for an interview wearing a suit, they look like they're trying way, way too hard - and then the way they conduct themselves in the interview comes across the same way.

If you're not interviewing for an upper management position, I would skip the suit. Nothing wrong with the plaid shirt, even with a tie.

Really, it depends on the industry (tech is a lot more informal than say a well known legal firm on the East Coast), the actual position, the grade - (management, and if so, what level?), the company's corporate culture, and the actual geographical location (I suspect that different regions of the US have strikingly differing traditions in this regard).

Re plaid, or checked pattern shirts, while I, personally, rather like them, I don't see them as interview material (unless you are already on first name terms with your interviewer); rather, I see them as something you wear on a day you wish to show how comfortable an stylish you can be some time after you have been offered the job.

On that topic, I think that vrDrew wrote an excellent post. Tattersal or windowpane or classic stripes can look superb - especially with a smart navy suit and matching tie.

 

[Tomorrow]

Really, it depends on the industry (tech is a lot more informal than say a well known legal firm on the East Coast), the actual position, the grade - (management, and if so, what level?), the company's corporate culture, and the actual geographical location (I suspect that different regions of the US have strikingly differing traditions in this regard).

I don't know how "strikingly differing" the differences are based on geography, but over time the corporate dress code has grown much more relaxed.

When I started in the industry (engineering consulting), long sleeved dress shirts and ties were not only the norm, but required - five days a week. Then came "casual Friday," when you might skip the tie, maybe even wear casual pants instead of slacks. Over time, that gave way to khakis during the week and jeans on Friday, ties optional all week long. Now the everyday norm is jeans and a golf shirt, from the bottom of the corporate ladder all the way up to at least my level (mid-upper management). I wore a collared polo shirt and a pair of casual pants to my interview for this position.

I think the last time I wore a white dress shirt was to my senior prom back in 1987. None of my dress shirts are solid white; either stripes, plaids, colors, or some combination. Even on the very rare occasion I wear a suit, I wouldn't dream of wearing a white shirt with it.

But thankfully, I apparently work in an industry where nobody is expected to wear a suit anymore.

 

[Macky-Mac]

Your choice of attire for an interview is mostly about not making a negative first impression as you meet the interviewer.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I don't know how "strikingly differing" the differences are based on geography, but over time the corporate dress code has grown much more relaxed.

When I started in the industry (engineering consulting), long sleeved dress shirts and ties were not only the norm, but required - five days a week. Then came "casual Friday," when you might skip the tie, maybe even wear casual pants instead of slacks. Over time, that gave way to khakis during the week and jeans on Friday, ties optional all week long. Now the everyday norm is jeans and a golf shirt, from the bottom of the corporate ladder all the way up to at least my level (mid-upper management). I wore a collared polo shirt and a pair of casual pants to my interview for this position.

I think the last time I wore a white dress shirt was to my senior prom back in 1987. None of my dress shirts are solid white; either stripes, plaids, colors, or some combination. Even on the very rare occasion I wear a suit, I wouldn't dream of wearing a white shirt with it.

But thankfully, I apparently work in an industry where nobody is expected to wear a suit anymore.

Okay, I am not from the US, but I assume that certain places there (the mid west, perhaps the South) are a bit more informal than elsewhere.

However, irrespective of changes - and of course work life has become a lot more informal in some areas - some fields are - and remain - just that bit more formal by nature, and tradition.

When I was an academic, in theory, people could wear what they liked, though I always chose to dress more formally when teaching, i.e. proper jacket and slacks - and, oddly enough, the students responded better to that (undoubtedly subconsciously, although you do hear so much nonsense about the radical and nonconformist tendencies and views of young people). Since then, I have found that to err on the side of formality has been of benefit in any position I have worked in, not least at the interview.

Your choice of attire for an interview is mostly about not making a negative first impression as you meet the interviewer.

Yes, that is a most salient point, and is very well made.

 

[eko91]

nothing too loud

I think its best to avoid patterns. A clean white dress shirt with a colored tie would look clean.

Hopefully this suit will help you decide.
http://www.jobkaster.com/blog/what-to-wear-to-an-interview/