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Comment by noirbot | Hacker News Reader

Probably hard to tease apart, but I wonder if the "dying your hair" part matters as much as the "dressing more hip" part. Someone that looks like they're dressing well and have a sense of style is likely to innately have a better first impression than if you look like you're an extra in a sitcom. It'll help you stick out in people's minds, for better or worse, and shows at least some level of caring about the position.

I'm a younger guy, but I know I try to pick my outfit carefully when going for an interview. I don't have a totally different interview wardrobe or anything, but I pay a little more attention to matching colors and generally looking more put-together.

You may not even need to get your kids to dress you - just find a friend your age who cares about fashion some to help. Even if you think you dress well, having someone else check you over or make small suggestions can help.

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Interview clothing is a bit controversial. Not that I've had a lot of interviews over the years, but I've always tended to overdress a bit. Maybe I didn't need to, but it seems respectful. On the other hand, I've heard people who feel strongly that it someone shows up in a tie for a dev job that's a hard "nope."

I think a lot of it is style more than the specific clothes. If you're wearing a tie that you didn't tie well, and doesn't match your outfit, that's going to look bad on you literally and figuratively. A lot of people "overdress" but still don't dress well. I'm not expecting you to show up in a suit, but if you decide on your own to wear a suit to the interview, it better be a clean suit you look good in.

I once had an interview set up by a "high touch" recruiter who insisted that I "suit up". I showed up at an un-airconditioned office to meet the VP wearing ratty cutoff shorts.

I think the correct path here has not really changed in the past 20+ years: find out how they dress for a typical work day and then go one step more dressy. So if it's a jeans and t-shirt shop, go khakis and collared shirt; if it's business casual a jacket and tie is fine.

It's not so much about what you are wearing as it is about "fitting in with our culture". At least this is a bias that you can usually mitigate (if you want to)

I was told the same thing as a consultant on Wall St. back in the 80s: Dress 1 level 'better' then the employees. I was told it makes the client feel like they are getting value for the money....

My own policy is to ask the person who arranged the interview what I should wear. In the absence of specific requirements, I'll dress reasonably nicely (long sleeve collared shirt, etc, no tie -- a level or so up from what I normally wear to work). I'll wear a suit and tie if and only if I'm specifically asked to.

(That's for in-person interviews. Remember those?)

>It's not so much about what you are wearing as it is about "fitting in with our culture".

Absolutely. Fairly or not, if you show up at a shorts and T-shirts company dressed in a suit, there will definitely be people who will dismiss you for that reason--especially if your experience or age might make them a bit suspicious in the first place. Personally, I probably wouldn't dress down below business casual unless someone specifically told me to. (And that would be a bit of a red flag if that were seen as such a big deal.)

My interview performance actually got better once I stopped overdressing. I got more offers wearing a grey hoodie and jeans. And this was at big tech (not just startups).

I've only worn a suit once for a job interview, for one of my first, because the company sounded like they cared about that (I even called them to verify!), and the company sounded interesting enough to make the sacrifice. But at the interview I was terribly overdressed, and sat opposite two typical techies in scruffy shirts and dingy sweaters.

I really don't see the point of suit and tie. Wear a nice button-down shirt. Then you're always good.

I read it as a suggestion in the middle: you don't have to dress over, but you shouldn't dress "under".

Some people will benefit from rising to the middle.

That said, one of the most influential people I know at a FAANG dresses like a mechanic. But he already has the juice.

I think that's somewhat what I mean. It's less about having any particular style as much as having A style. I know plenty of folks whose style is "weird" or punk or overly-formal or other looks that aren't normal "business attire" and do fine for themselves, but if you're just wearing whatever you grab out of the closet that's worn and ill-fitting, it's not doing you any favors.

I'm a young guy who likes Cardigan sweaters. This won't bode well for me later.

Eh, I mean, fit kinda matters more than the specific garments anyway. There's an older man at my office who dresses in a style that looks like a Victorian English professor - hats, tweed and small glasses. It's totally a look that is "older" but he puts it together well and looks good in it.

Hoodies are also comfy.

Cardigans are somewhat fashion-forward and "cool". I have a couple that get compliments from people in streetwear stores (Undercover and John Elliott for any of you fashion nerds).

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