[Fading Fast]

From the MarketWatch article:

The outdated career advice boomer parents are giving their kids

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/t...ng-their-kids-2019-09-12?mod=newsviewer_click

FYI, the only clothing-related post is the 2nd tip.

I thought it was interesting and could spark some good AAAC conversation.

 

[CLTesquire]

How do you find out what a company's workers typically wear before you go there for an interview? I've always wondered this.

 

[mlenecare]

Stalk the building?

 

[poppies]

The ability or lack thereof to ascertain appropriate attire for a given company's interview culture without explicit direction seems to be functioning as filter #1.

 

[Flanderian]

From the MarketWatch article:

The outdated career advice boomer parents are giving their kids

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/t...ng-their-kids-2019-09-12?mod=newsviewer_click

FYI, the only clothing-related post is the 2nd tip.

I thought it was interesting and could spark some good AAAC conversation.

I think Virginia Franco's advice is generally sound. But the difficulty is in attempting to understand the culture of a business of which you've never been a part. And lest we forget, you're not only dealing with a company, but individuals within a company, each of whom can have their own bugaboos and fetishes.

Not wishing to be boastful, but having spent 40+ years in business to business sales, marketing and consulting, my responsibilities have entailed meeting with individuals in literally over 1,000 different businesses. Early on trying to dress to best effect for specific prospects/clients became just part of my preparations for meetings.

Outside of the tech industry where extremely casual dress is a fetish, it can be very difficult to assume too much about the expectations of specific individuals, as I've been told by more than a few prospects who became clients. Just because the boss sits around in shirtsleeves every day, doesn't mean he/she expects you as a supplicant/applicant to walk into his or her office dressed in khakis and a BD. McDonalds, big box retail, etc. OK. Otherwise I wouldn't make such assumptions.

I've had crusty old guys who dressed very informally tell me they didn't hire someone because they walked into their office without a suit, irrespective of the fact they themselves never wear one. Why? Because dressing well and appropriately is a form of respect we extend to others, as well as a mark of our own self respect.

Lacking specific knowledge of a business and individual, my fall back would be to dress simply, but well. Neat, but a little dowdy. A decent plain suit, white shirt and simple dark tie and polished black shoes. The outfit otherwise without adornment. It demonstrates respect, but it's less likely to provoke the thought, "Who does this pompous horse's-*ss think he is?"

 

[medhat]

Stalk the building?

Well...if you're in a smaller community (figuratively, a small industry, or conversely, a company in a smaller city/town) then stalking (legally) may actually be a pretty simple, and perhaps more accurate, strategy. Otherwise nowadays it seems pretty easy to anonymously troll job search sites; I see this question asked with some regularity. Perhaps a function of age, but I'd still recommend not erring by dressing BELOW the prevailing job standard, at or a bit above would be where I'd aim. My standard advice to new entrants into the job market, both in person and on the Forum, is dress not to distract; your talents (experience, education) and your ability to communicate will trump pretty much any minor faux pas with dress, so don't sweat oxfords vs. bluchers, it's simply not worth it.

 

[215339]

Can't say I disagree with anything mentioned in the article.

 

[smmrfld]

This isn't that tough...ask the recruiter.

 

[cmoore]

Most job interviews I've had came from my being recommended. The best jobs often are a result of friends and networking. It's pretty easy to ask folks you know inside a company.

And, yeah. Ask the recruiter or HR person. You should know this anyway if you're thinking of making a career move. Unless you're desperate and have to take the first thing that makes you money, you are allowed to say no to job offers if the company is not a good fit for you.

 

[never behind]

I must officially be old because I couldn’t see showing up to an interview in anything but a suit. Maybe that’s a bias as I’ve worked mostly in banking, and am now attached to an accounting firm.

What would be difficult now is so many places going to “dress for your day” policies. My firm implemented that 3 months ago and it’s striking what people consider appropriate. If I were the interviewer, I would probably wear trousers/jacket sans tie and expect the interviewee to dress at least the same. When I interviewed for this job 4 years ago I didn’t even think of this - I just wore a suit.

The only issue with asking HR or a recruiter is they may not know. In my firm our recruiter is 400 miles away and the culture of each office is slightly different.

 

[cmoore]

The only issue with asking HR or a recruiter is they may not know. In my firm our recruiter is 400 miles away and the culture of each office is slightly different.

Point well taken. Most interviews I've been in on, from either side, have been over the phone of late. I live in San Diego, based out of San Francisco, and our recruiter is in Chicago right now. It is much different from the small-group startup culture I used to be in where everyone was in one office.

And, come to think of it, the startup I joined on the way to working at a large company interviewed me over the phone and never asked me to come in before extending the offer. My direct manager was also a remote employee and didn't think it was worth both of us traveling to the office.

The world has changed. But I'd still be most comfortable in a suit I KNOW is flattering if I had to go into an interview blind. Better to look good even if you're more dressed than the interviewer.

 

[SG_67]

Would anyone here really see an applicant in a bad light if he were overdressed?

Perhaps a suit or even a blazer may not be the norm or the culture, but would anyone really turn away an applicant who may be qualified?

Just curious and would love to hear from someone who would.

 

[Mr. B. Scott Robinson]

^^+1

Has anyone here, who has actually conducted a professional job interview, held a candidate in lesser regard due to their being dressed in a suit and tie?

Cheers,

BSR

 

[cmoore]

Yes, sort of.

I once witnessed the chief pilot at a banner tow company go on a foul mouthed tirade about the f-ing dandy in the f-ing suit. "Who the f does he think he is? Does he think we're mother fing United airlines?" Etc.

Not everyone is a professional, not everyone is educated, and not everyone works in an office. I don't care, and would never. But I have seen it happen.

 

[Mr. B. Scott Robinson]

Yes, sort of.

I once witnessed the chief pilot at a banner tow company go on a foul mouthed tirade about the f-ing dandy in the f-ing suit. "Who the f does he think he is? Does he think we're mother fing United airlines?" Etc.

Not everyone is a professional, not everyone is educated, and not everyone works in an office. I don't care, and would never. But I have seen it happen.

I would not like to work for that fellow. In that instance, the suit was a shield for good.

Cheers,

BSR

 

[Vecchio Vespa]

I believe a key requirement for dressing for an interview is to be comfortable. I’ve always worn pretty much the same thing to interviews because it’s “me” and I’m comfortable in it. I get it that the interviewers might have expected black oxfords rather than the cordovan tassels or LHSs I always wear or a white point color shirt and a navy suit instead of my “go to” grey chalk stripe or glen plaid with an OCBD, but if they aren’t comfortable with me as myself it seems silly to want to work there.

As for job hopping, it’s often a fact of life. Even staid jobs like practicing law involve changes. Firms merge and change all the time. Industries change radically, witness banking. The thing that job hopping can accomplish if done thoughtfully is build valuable skills. If you achieved that 10,000 hours of experience at your job, you have mastered it. Stay if you love it, but if you don’t love it, be open to a new path.

 

[3piece]

^^+1

Has anyone here, who has actually conducted a professional job interview, held a candidate in lesser regard due to their being dressed in a suit and tie?

Cheers,

BSR

We're bunch of nice people here and more open minded, we're just not good sample.

I work in tech and at first I'm worried about not dressing casually enough to an interview. But really, if I get rejected just because I wear a suit and tie, thank you, they probably save me miserable days working with them.

 

[richard warren]

So much about this is...I think “problematic” is the current word.

Taking advice from people you don’t know on the internet? On the internet? Advice from a journalist? Advice from someone who professes to reflect the current zeitgeist? Taking advice that implies human nature has changed rapidly in the span of a few years?

Bizarre advice about what to do or wear for a job interview makes me cringe, because of the possibility that people conducting interviews might read it and think of it as a valid reason for hiring people or not.

 

[cmoore]

I would not like to work for that fellow. In that instance, the suit was a shield for good.

Cheers,

BSR

You aren't kidding! My buddy did work for him. Jobs building hours in aviation were hard to come by. But you know he didn't make a career out of it.

But such people exist. You should have heard what he had to say about the guy being a CFI. My buddy and I were both only commercially rated, neither wanted to be an instructor, so he assumed we held instructors in as much disdain as he did.

Needless to say, he was a little too colorful for the sensebilities of folks here. But the point is, such people do exist. There is no single, generic, perfect way to act for every job interview. Especially once you step outside the more professional world.

 

[smmrfld]

^^+1

Has anyone here, who has actually conducted a professional job interview, held a candidate in lesser regard due to their being dressed in a suit and tie?

Cheers,

BSR

Yes. If you can't take the time to research the best way to present yourself in an interview, you're likely not going to be a good hire. Cultural and professional norms change. Get on board or get left behind.