This topic seems to come up again and again on the job and career discussion boards.
Fact is, you don’t HAVE to wear a suit to an interview, just as you don’t have to wear a suit to a wedding or a funeral. But wearing one shows respect for the process and those involved. And fact is, unless you’re going to the beach it’s generally better to over-dress for events than to under-dress.
Some people claim that they’ve never worn suits to interviews, that their interviewers were always dressed casually, and they’ve never had problems. I don’t doubt those accounts. But do you really want to gamble that your interviewers will be tolerant of casual dress to an interview?
An interview is a formal ritual, one of the very few serious rituals left in our modern society. The only others I can think of that are comparable are, as I noted, weddings and funerals. I wear a suit to all three rituals, and they’re the only times I wear a suit nowadays.
If you have to, change into a suit in your car.
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I'd also add that it should be a suit that fits well and you feel comfortable in. Nothing worse than going to an interview and twitching and fidgeting because you are uncomfortable. Also if you're fashion-blind like myself it wouldn't be a bad idea to bring a fashion-conscious friend along when you go to buy the suit.
I actually had one candidate who showed up in a suit that still had the tag on the sleeve and the stitching holding the rear vent closed (which of course you're supposed to remove before wearing the suit). I didn't look at his pant cuffs, but I'd bet the hems were pinned down.
My guess is he bought the suit the previous day and was planning on returning it after the interview.
I think it's absolutely ludicrous to assume that he was going to use the suit and then return it. Do you have any idea how many people I know that do not realize you're supposed to cut off those tags and cut through the pockets and stuff? I had to do a lot of research on the net to figure that stuff out. Where did you learn it? I know that my father has never worn a suit in his life, so I wouldn't have learned it from him.
As for the showing up in a suit... one of my interviews I wore a suit and the second they saw me it seemed like they already hated me because they were dressed in street clothes. Contrastingly, I've received offers from all of the companies that I did not wear a suit jacket to.
I've occasionally had very casually dressed interviewers make a negative comment about my wearing a suit. I generally say something like "well, I want you to know that you can put me in a meeting with an important client or the president of the company without worrying that I may not know how to look professional." This often works.
In a few circumstances where I knew a workplace was very casual I've asked an HR person what kind of dress is appropriate for interviews, but I still would say that 99% of the time, and any time you aren't sure, you can't go wrong with looking as professional as possible.
Look at the flip side -- a job in which you get criticized for wearing anything fancier than jeans or shorts is a job where you will never be in a room with someone important to the company -- and thus a job that can never advance your career.
Wearing a suit to an interview as a developer in SIlly Valley can certainly hurt your chances. It suggests that you don't value your technical skills, won't be a fit with the team, etc. OTOH, it's still better than showing up in torn jeans (I've seen that twice now).
@JacobM "a job in which you get criticized for wearing anything fancier than jeans or shorts is a job where you will never be in a room with someone important to the company"
That depends on the corporate culture. We're a mid-sized tech company and while we mostly dress up from jeans-and-a-T-shirt, even the most senior engineers don't wear a tie to meet with the CEO, or with customers. You'd be confused with someone from sales.
I was once NOT HIRED because I wore a Suit to an interview for a Retail Sales Associate position. They thought I was OVERQUALIFIED for the position...
1. If you show up in a SUIT & TIE to a job that pays $9.00 per hour or less such as a Retail, Restaurant, or Similar LOW END employment, they will IMMEDIATELY think you are Overqualified and NOT HIRE YOU. Jobs that involve LABOR such as Factory Work, Etc you would look RIDICULOUS wearing a suit to the interview.
2. A FULL SUIT is TOO MUCH for most jobs. Just Khaki Pants, Decent shoes, a nice Polo Button Down shirt tucked in with a NICE BELT, Not necessary a DRESS BELT but a nice clean black or brown belt is MORE than enough for an interview. A TIE can often make you look OVERQUALIFIED and TOO OLD for the position.
In an interview situation, you're marketing yourself as a product, and so you want and need to have the best image possible. Presenting a professional image is more about doing your homework than spending money.
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