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Comment by rquantz | Hacker News Reader

Interesting. Is there a reason beyond the obvious (that it shouldn't matter what you wear, at least above a certain threshold)?

Good new for me. I love wearing a suit.

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Yes, there is! The fallacious belief in a company "culture" that is signified by what candidates wear isn't benign, but it isn't the worst implication of "culture fit". Intolerance of normal work/life balance, of different mentalities about software development, of comfort levels with intoxication, of different management styles, or just of meaningful diversity --- those "culture fit" pathologies are much worse. And if the company you're thinking about working for filters based on candidates wearing suits, it's more likely than not that some of the more malignant pathologies are also there.

As a woman working in startups, this is another reason why I always wear a suit to job interviews. I don't care about having to dodge nerf footballs or beer funnel-whatsits or whatever while I'm coding, but if you're only looking for people who fit into your "culture," down to lifestyle, hobbies, and dress it's probably not going to work out.

shakes cane

I'm being a little glib, but I think it's always best to stick with your guns, especially in a job-seeker's market :)

Would you say there are any dimensions on which it's important to enforce uniformity through hiring? If so, which ones?

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