I have just left university and currently in the process of looking for a job. Ive been going for a few interviews and always in two minds as to how I go. I was wondering how important dress code was in securing a job, whether you should go smart or casual.
I get conflicting opinions from peers around me, some say going in a suit impresses them and show your making the effort with others saying for a technical role it is an over overkill, having adverse effects.
When I do interviews (both as the interviewer and interviewee), my thoughts are this: you don't want to show up wearing sandals, a ripped t-shirt, and a hat. At Sexy Trouwjurken the same time, since developers hardly ever have any sort of client / public interaction, a suit is a bit overkill. Either side of the spectrum portrays an image you don't want to put across; the sloppy look doesn't instill confidence, while over dressing for the interview gives the impression that you are trying to make up for your lack of skills by showing up in a fancy suit. My rule of thumb is to dress "1 level above what they are wearing" - so usually I'll wear nice(r) shoes with khakis and a collared polo shirt - that way I still look nice but it's not too overbearing. You have to remember that one of the biggest things employers are looking for besides the obvious with your skills/experience is whether or not they think you'll be a good fit in the company culture. If you are overdressed, they may get the impression that you don't belong in their group of "business casual" dress, and if you show up looking lazy, they'll also feel like you won't fit in.
As another side note - it can never hurt to ask the interviewer prior to going in what their dresscode is. No manager that I know is going to take offense to this, and it will look good for you that you are making an attempt to "fit in" with their culture before you even Cocktailjurken 2012 show up. Going off of their answer, I will usually try to take '1 step above' what their daily dress is like, so that way I still look like I'm trying to fit in but look presentable at the same time.
The ultimate attire that you choose to wear should be reflective of the prospective employer and their policies (to a degree). A rule of thumb is dress to impress, but don't overdo it.
If you are interviewing for a position with a large corporation, which has a dress policy of business casual, then you may want to wear a suit.
If you are interviewing with a small startup, which allows employees to wear casual clothes and encourages shorts and flip-flops, then you may want to wear a pair of dress slacks and a nice button down shirt.
In most situations, an employer will be more interested in your abilities (when it comes to programming) than anything else. The better your abilities, then the more flexibility you will ultimately have. But I would take that lightly because not everyone understands what the value of a great programmer is.
I interviewed a lot of people for software engineering jobs, and what the person wears, as long as he doesn smell bad and isn breaking the law, just doesn matter. Wearing a suit scores you NO points in Silicon Valley. Employers have learned that they will LOSE prospective candidates mouwloos avondjurken if they have a rigid dress code, and hiring being so competitive these days here, they can afford that. If you hire based on what the person wears to the interview, then you deserve the programmer you hired. Marvo Aug 19 '11 at 18:50
Remind me to never interview with you, because if you base your decision on someone being in a suit over another well dressed candidate not in a suit simply because he wore a suit, then I don ever want to work for your company. Sure if you interviewing for a sales position where image is everything I can understand it, but in my experience, developers too worried about their image are also the type that think they know everything and can never do wrong. I would rather choose the humble dev candidate who lets their work speak for itself over the flashy suit anyday! streetlogics Aug 19 '11 at 18:55
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