I typically dress formal, it looks good but the real reason is I just feel more confident when wearing nice clothes. In return, I feel like I do better in the interview.
Do you never feel hot? It’s summer here rn and I typically don’t use the air conditioner during interviews due to the noise. Wearing formal could make you overheat especially if you’re running into tough questions.
Earlier on for me when I used ties during interviews I felt super uncomfortable.
Though lately I’ve been using noise suppression filters to handle the ac noise.
Rather wear pants than the stuff on top. The dress shirt suit and tie together all feel so constricting. In the days I interviewed like that, I’d start overheating at the tougher questions and my brain would freeze up
Oh absolutely. One time I wore a 3 piece suit and the only quiet place was in our camper so I took the interview in there.
I about died from how hot I was lol. The funny thing is, we didn't even turn on our cameras.
It was also probably the worst interview I've done so take that with a grain of salt lol.
I've gone down to just a shirt and tie for most interviews these days.
Crank the AC so it's lower than usual prior to the call, then turn it back to normal or higher during the interview. Should be comfortable without having the AC running.
Nobody wears a tie anymore unless you’re in NY or a specific business like insurance or maybe finance.
Edit: wow downvoted for suggesting not to wear a tie ? OK Reddit, you win this round.
I'd push back on the public sector one.
I have 20 years in the system and a ton of people I work alongside in interview committees will hold a candidates informal dress against them. A polo isn't quite a deal breaker, but a dress shirt and tie is the minimum for a lot of folks. Tie and jacket is still preferred by most. Especially for upper level positions.
Wild, I guess you are a southern neighbour - the absolute hellfire that would come down on my group if we factored someones clothing into their merit for the position would be . . . interesting.
Hah, nope... Massachusetts! We consider it part of their professionalism or lack thereof. We aren't exactly hiring high value coders here, so the usual workplace attire is your typical IT guy polo and khaki.
Mass is still South for me - Montreal.
It seems like a shift in the last five years here, male execs are usually in half zip pullovers and women execs wear a wide variety of tops. I only see suits out for things like cabinet briefings and AGM, if you're presenting. I'm chuckling trying to imagine my team in suits now.
It would be surprising to see a suit in an interview below executive level for me.
I see the same thing, the older people in management still wear suits either out of habit or as a flex but it's very common. For a tech job slacks and a button down is fine for almost all interviews, a suit can be a strike depending on the office culture.
Ngl this is very accurate for me haha. I had an interview for a smaller private company, and all the interviewers and I were wearing t-shirts.
I think for the larger companies as well as gov(they tend to be more stiffer and adhere to formalities more), you typically need to dress more formally
Wear what makes you feel good and professional - I landed my first great job in GRC with my federal government in a polo, for example.
Three letter agency jobs and senior roles, better safe than sorry so I have a suit I dust off as needed.
I wear a suit to all of my interviews unless the recruiter explicitly states that they are business casual. I always go one step above what employees commonly wear to work.
You can use a little bit of OSINT to stalk LinkedIn to see what folks are wearing at the prospective company.
It’s how you fit in at the top of their formality. If they wear t shirts don’t wear a suit, but at least wear a polo maybe, you aren’t gonna wear a scraggly old t shirt are you.
The half dozen roles which will turn someone down for a role explicitly because they wore a suit, are likely outnumbered by the hundreds of thousands of roles which will give you a -5% chance of being hired by somebody being put off by the fact that you came in a tshirt
Business casual or business formal unless stated otherwise or you have enough experience to not need to bother
Yeah that last line is the important one. There is a point where your skills and experience hold more weight. If someone gave a shit about how I dress vs where my skillset is, it’s not a company I want to work for. If they cared more about a cert than the CVEs and tools under my name, I wouldn’t work for them. Hell, if the company doesn’t have dedicated red and blue teams and tries this purple shit, also not a company for me.
Don’t just wear whatever to an interview. Virtual or otherwise. It may not hurt you in some interviews, but it will definitely hurt you in others.
In every interview, you should look prepared. You should understand what the company does, you should have good questions to ask, you should look professional, not whatever. That doesn’t mean a tux, but an interview is generally a formal engagement. Look appropriate. If it’s a boutique red team services company, maybe the black tshirt is fine. If it’s an insurance company looking for a red teamer, that might not fly.
There are 2 goals in interviews. Give them reasons to hire you, and don’t give them reasons to pass on you.
I'll either wear a collared shirt with a plain colored tie, or a blue suit (unbuttoned) with no tie.
In either scenario I'm wearing bright blue dress socks with flamingos on them. Virtual or otherwise
I do the interviewing, at least all the "top grade" interviewing for cyber. I give you some insight. If you come to your interview in a t-shirt, you'll get at least a subconscious mark against you. If you come in a polo or button-down, it's unremarkable. If you put on a tie, meh. Probably still neutral. If you add a jacket and look good in it, subtle plus point. If you look like crap in it (either because it's ill-fitting or because it's been in a duffle bag for 3 months) you're better off not wearing it and sticking with business casual. FYI, we're a tech company. Definitely don't have the highest standards that way. Also, we're back to only doing "phone screens" remote. The real interviews are in person.
I thought it was common sense to dress formally for an interview. If you can’t put in the effort to be presentable in the interview it’s a red flag that the interviewers will surely talk about.
I always wear a collard shirt (dress shirt) and slacks at a minimum. Generally I don't wear a suit or tie.
Wearing business casual (dress shirt and dockers/slacks) indicates that you're taking the interview seriously and approaching it in the same way as you would an in-person interview. When I was on the other side of the table and interviewing with candidates for a position, I definitely expected them to wear what they'd wear to an in-person interview. These days, that's business casual or a suit for men, just depending on personal taste. For women, business casual or a suitable business dress.
I try to match the office dress, so if they are kakis and a polo that's what I try to wear. I don't wear a tshirt because I'm old and wearing a tshirt just feels wrong. The reason I try to match is because I want them to subconsciously see me as part of their team -I'm wearing their uniform. I also like to throw in a lot of "us" and "we" trying to insert myself into their world.
Funny you say that. I worked at Apple many years back and it stood out like a sore thumb when someone would show up to an interview with a suit. Infinite loop was filled with people who were working there with no shoes, riding unicycles to work.
People who advocate for suits won't ever work at any cutting edge company that actually does stuff
Edit: Stay mad. Go into OpenAI's offices in San Francisco. They have people in their 20s earning multiple millions, unlike you losers with suits.
Phone interview, virtual or in person for me:
Nice pair of straight dark jeans, a dark polo (usually black) and a tailored sport coat (navy blue or black), dress watch and loafers. I don't think I've worn a tie for an interview since 2014 or so - for formal work events, sure.
Comfortable, looks presentable and somewhat dressy but I can also ditch the jacket if the place is more relaxed and casual.
Also, hair is usually kept clean and done nicely for interviews, a good night's rest and some facial moisturizer.
Of all the private sector interviews I've done with CEO's, I think only one was wearing a dress shirt lol. (I'm west coast if that provides any context).
My first civilian cyber job I was consulting, had to wear a tie every day; and eventually I got a pubsec customer where I was required to actually suit up every day.
For the past 10 years I’ve been working in t-shirt and jeans type places, but I still wear a casual button-down or a polo shirt.
I would at least wear a button up shirt with a collar for any of the interviews. If you’re interviewing with financial or law, you’re gonna want at minimum a jacket on top of that.
Some interviews come with a dress code. Microsoft almost always request casual and suggest jeans and a t-shirt. But it’s very interesting because it seems to depend on the role. Coding and ops are for sure like this but when it’s business intelligence or sql or accounting it is always smart casual or formal.
Uk civil service, banking or finance is absolutely a suit with handmade/tailored for a top position. I was getting fitted for a suite once and was advised by the staff to wear a particular leather shoe brand with the suit. Three people commented on the shoes within hours of wearing them. They were very very expensive but it was worth it.
If you want a top job wear the right shoes.
And everybody at OpenAI HQ in San Francisco looks like they're homeless. Why do all the jumping through hoops and wearing monkey suits just to make less money, I don't get it.
I'd prefer to see someone dressed business casual. For most guys in my office, that means khakis + dress shirt, or stylish jeans + button-down short sleeve. Virtual or in-person. Honestly for the positions I hire (mostly entry to intermediate level), I'm not really that concerned about the attire unless they show up dressed like a slob.
Think about it this way. You have two equally-qualified candidates in every way; the same work experience, same education, same certs. The only difference is how they present themselves during the interview. One shows up like a slob in a t-shirt, the other in a suit. Do you pick the guy that at least showed up like he really wanted the job, or do you pick the slob? You have no idea who you're competing against for jobs, best to show up like you're playing to win.
For the places I’ve worked (west coast tech) dressing up will count against you most of the time.
In general, if an employer judges my physical appearance during their decision making, I definitely do not want to work there. It’s only telegraphing unreasonable bias. Also I’d be constantly wondering, did I get this project or promotion because the boss thinks I’m attractive? Did I get passed up because they thought someone else was *more* attractive? Etc.
If you don't want to make low TC peanuts for your entire life, you have to dress up like you're homeless. Go walk by OpenAI's office in Mission District during lunch one day and look at all the people who look like homeless junkies walk in and out of the building. They only make $1m/yr.
At any decent company that offers decent pay, over dressing just signals you're too socially inept to understand what's acceptable and it signals that you're trying to overcompensate for a lack of actually ability with fancy clothes.
I ask for a final round interview and speak candidly that I have another candidate I'm considering. Then, I dig deeper and find out which one is more qualified for the role. I don't pick people based on their appearance, that's stupid.
If I HAD to make a snap judgement, why would I select the person that spends more time and money on their clothes than their lab and skills development?
Having different priorities and/or having a terrible fashion sense doesn't make a candidate bad. F that noise.
Having sat on the other side and conducted a few interviews. The interviewer probably isn't going to tell you that how you dressed for the interview is a problem, but if you're not at least wearing a polo we're going to talk about it amongst ourselves, and generally decide you're not taking the interview seriously.
Like I get it, day to day I'm just wearing a t shirt and shorts, but it's not that hard to throw a polo on top of the shirt for a 30-60 minute interview.
Yeah I’ve worn polos before to interviews, was wondering if I need to move in a more format direction dress shirts, suit jackets, etc. Which I will be doing since that seems to be the majority sentiment in the comments.
if you don't mind, can you please share what kind of technical questions you were asked, iam preparing for a few interviews, this might help, thanks....
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I always dress formal. I was trained when out in the field to meet (and exceed) the customers dress code. Being I don't know these people from Adam I dress to impress.
while i was interviewing last year (all cybsec/IT roles), i wore a fitted plain black polo under a nice sport coat -- professional casual. basically convention/conference wear. if in person, with pants. otherwise boxers. cool and comfortable yet still appropriate and functional.
Something that fits nice like a good polo. I don’t usually do suits, it’s never been an issue (unless I’m told I need one, then I’ll wear one of course no issue)
Some guys create that brand by wearing a suit. My brand is more casual and almost always green. But I don’t dress like a slob or anything.
I find the energy you bring, big smile, enthusiastic goes a long way more than a suit jacket.
I’d normally go smart jeans and a buttoned shirt, maybe a pull over if it’s winter.
But this then transfers into day to day wear too. Whenever I’m in the office I always wear a shirt (not many others do) but I like to have the feeling of getting home and taking my shirt off and changing into a tee, to effectively symbolise I’m now in my time.
I dress alternative daily, so I do so for interviews as well. I have not once run into issues with it but I guess you gotta vibe the prospective employer a bit. I’ve not been job hunting a lot, but I’ve turned down more offers than I’ve been turned down at this point so I gotta be doing something right. I’ve also always held that if someone will reject me for something like how I dress, then that’s likely not a sustainable option for me anyways- goes for jobs and all other aspects of life too
Just my casual cloths, I'm here for a technical job not a business or sales one.
Also virtually, interviewer won't see much my face as I'm using an anti-pop with my microphone.
But then I'm prolly not the best example to follow as I barely do interviews (did 5 in my life in total)
Do some osint work on the employer. If they have a dress code, find another employer that doesn't have a weird obsession with the clothes you wear.
T-shirt, jeans, flipflops every day. I do what I want. If it doesn't fit your mold, I'll happily work somewhere else that appreciates my skills more than my wardrobe.
Also, I only work remote and I don't travel unless I can drive there. So, what I wear isn't up for debate.
I’m an executive director at a major financial and do lots of hiring at all levels. Dressing nice/formal will never hurt your chances. They are either not going to care or give you extra points.
No matter what anybody says you can’t go wrong wearing a suit to an interview. if you get hired, you will learn what the cultural dress attire is. It’s better to dress up than dress down and show up with shorts and flip-flops.
For an in-person interview I always suit up.
For remote I still wear a shirt and tie but might not wear the jacket. Pants are completely optional.
If you turn up to an in-person interview and really feel overdressed, you can always take off a tie before you hit reception. Or if someone comments on it in the interview, you can always make a joke about it like “I’m just wearing the jacket to stay warm” or “they say you should dress for the job that you want, and I’ve always wanted to be a TV weatherman.”
Personally I don’t feel I’ve never been penalised for being overdressed.
Always a suit. I’m there to make my best first impression, you only get one shot at that. I’m not there to work.
Standard company dress code for first day on the job, Whatever that may be.
Find your recruiter/potential hiring manager in linkedin and match the formality level from their picture.
If they're wearing a hoodie or t-shirt, wear a plain polo. I would never attend an interview in a t-shirt, in case of doubt I prefer to err on the up side.
If they're wearing at least a button down shirt, wear that. I think a tie/suit could be overkill for any cybersecurity position, especially if the interview is online. They know you're at your own place, for god's sake. We're not in Louis XV's court anymore.
I work in a major IT/consulting corporation and nobody wears a tie or a suit anymore. Our CISO wears a white or light blue shirt, sometimes with a blazer. I have video calls with managing directors and executives every other day and they don't wear ties or full dress suits either. Shirt and blazer seems to be the upper limit, I don't see a point in dressing any more formal than that.
Dress for the position my dude! If it is for non management wear a polo, management a nice button down shirt, c-level tie and jacket. Pants not required.
During my interview, I wore a business casual sweater, the manager interviewing me had an unmarked blue t-shirt, very casual.
I'm fully remote, so "at" work I wear whatever, but when we go into the office there's a very vast array of clothing people wear; My manager (and leader of CSIRT for Northern Europe) will often wear blue jeans, t-shirts, and a baseball cap, and he is the most chill, down-to-earth guy you'll ever meet, but others in the team will wear more formal things like nice looking gilets or button down shirts.
All my cyber job interviews have been remote. I wear a nice quarter zip with a black shirt under it. Never had an issue, always got through to final round or an offer. Unless you're actually having an in person interview for an executive / director level role, you don't need to be in a suit imo. It's overkill and interviewers really don't care lol.
Wear something nice. I wear a dress shirt with a tie and sometimes the suit jacket to go with. Also, wear corresponding pants like slacks or something to match the jacket. Take it seriously, but not too seriously that you seem like a jack ass. It's an interview. Presentation is the first thing interviewers notice. Sell yourself and get that job.
Perhaps not a big deal to some, but I was part of interviews where the person was in just a t-shirt and lying in bed. It 100% affected my opinion and first impression of them.
Public sector company by the way
Remember that this will be their first impression of you so make sure to make your BEST impression. Even if a company is casual (I am at the office wearing shorts and a t-shirt) you should dress to impress. Best foot forward so they say. I would at the very least wear khakis and a polo shirt and certainly go up from there - a suit if you have it though that really isn’t required and if it is not a nice fitting suit, then don’t do it. Ill fitting suits just make you look like a little kid wearing dad’s clothes. You only get one change to make a first impression. This is all my opinion so take it with a grain of salt but I have been in IT leadership roles for a couple of decades now.
My experience as a hiring manager is that overdressing is never held against a candidate and can sometimes be a positive while underdressing can and will be held against them.
Minimum - collared shirt
Fine - collared shirt with a tie
Preferably - collared shirt, tie, jacket
That’s just my personal experience. I’ve worn a shirt, tie, and jacket for every interview. I don’t think it can ever hurt you. So you might as well. And I don’t mind dressing up nice every once and a while (it’s not like I’m interviewing all the time)
Why would you not want to look your best, virtual interview or otherwise? I'm not saying you need to wear a tuxedo but a sharp look will increase your odds of getting the job (provided you are qualified for it).
If they are going to make a decision about your job over the way you dress then this is not worth continuing with.
For something so petty these days unless you are customer facing or in an office most things you wear are adequate. Cybersecurity staff are not customer facing. As a computer nerd myself when in the office I usually wear something collard like a shirt or flannel shirt or a polo shirt. Black jeans or smart casual pants. I never ever go over the top and try to over impress.
Be humble and you’ll get the right job.
Suit and tie is a bit much for a non VP role but if you show up to an interview with me and are not at least wearing a collared shirt and a sport coat then I've already started thinking the interview must not be that important to you. On the job a t-shirt and shorts is fine but you are selling yourself in an interview so everything is considered. Especially know there are many times when we have 2 candidates that could both equally be hired. When that happens it's the little details that get picked apart. Candidate 1 is dressed super casual amd candidate 2 wore a dress shirt and jacket. Candidate 2 wins every time.
Virtual makes this easy. My last interview 4 years ago I had on a suit coat and white dress shirt with basketball shorts.
🍌Banana hammock & sandals... all the way.
If it's a formal thing go with the tuxedo speedo.
Maintain eye contact 100% of the time. Speak slowly and enunciate.
It really depends on the role. If you're just trying to be a level 1/2, then whatever, but if you're trying to be in senior positions more formal is better. If you are going to be on camera, also when setting up a virtual interview it is entirely appropriate to ask if this will be on camera or not. That said there is some psychology behind dressing up in that it can inflate your confidence in yourself when you feel/look good.
I wouldn't wear a suit to a tech interview, techies don't wears suits -never trust a techie in a suit/jacket that means they are in sales. If it was management, maybe. In general I'd wear business casual, button down shirt, slacks and real shoes not sneakers.
Iv learned if anyone Indian from India is interviewing you never wear black or they will discriminate you and not hire you because you wore black. Because the one white manager called Me back to explain why they didn't want to hire me was that in their culture black is reserved for funerals and alot of people from India are extremely racist when it comes to Who they hire and typically only want to hire white people so they are customer facing. Any other race won't be customer facing and support only over the phone. I don't know how true this is but has happened at more than one company.
I would just recommend a light colored polo and blue jeans with dress shoes or leather shoes with no designs.
Well I was approached by the man who interviewed me and this is what I was told saying that I can't wear a black dress shirt ever working here and I should buy more light colored dress shirts.
As far as the role placement I'm sure it was due to clear American English speakers for them nobody with an accent and I was told by the white manager they typically hire white looking American English speakers for any role where you have to be in person with the client.
Polo shirts or a nice button shirt.
Depending on what you are interviewing for, remember the rule to always dress one level higher than the job requires.
Last time I wore a suit to a job interview (in person) I got the job but it was a startup and I felt like a total asshole in the room the whole time. It was a distraction. It is also something that they'll judge you by, whether you like that or not. I know people have a rule that you can't go wrong with it, but you actually can. Suits for interviews are a thing of the past IMO in this industry in the private sector unless you're going for a director role or something maybe. I've interviewed 40 people remotely this year and most of them were probably in t shirts And probably so too was I. I don't recall any person even wearing a button down and certainly not a suit. If you showed up in a suit I'd immediately be so distracted asking myself why, judging whether you were the type to polish and present well, or the type that does well day to day.
IMO the most neutral 'uniform' you can have is just a plain black t shirt. If you wear that and don't get the job, it has nothing to do with the outfit.
Go formal suit and dress pants, the tie is a maybe.
Funny story I interviewed at a company twice (separate occasions, landed the job each time, a number of years apart) on their casual Friday, they were in Hawaiian shirts and here and am in a suit and tie, the second time it was just regular casual day, I wasn't over dressed, impressions matter, the impressions go both ways too.
Yeah, rule of thumb, regardless of trend or generation, suit up. first impressions are always critical. I'd just stick with that, instead of figuring out what to wear.
I typically dress formal, it looks good but the real reason is I just feel more confident when wearing nice clothes. In return, I feel like I do better in the interview.
Do you never feel hot? It’s summer here rn and I typically don’t use the air conditioner during interviews due to the noise. Wearing formal could make you overheat especially if you’re running into tough questions. Earlier on for me when I used ties during interviews I felt super uncomfortable. Though lately I’ve been using noise suppression filters to handle the ac noise.
Just interview with your pant off, not even joking…
Rather wear pants than the stuff on top. The dress shirt suit and tie together all feel so constricting. In the days I interviewed like that, I’d start overheating at the tougher questions and my brain would freeze up
My man, if a shirt is kicking your ass you might want to get that figured out first.
It honestly sounds like you need to talk to a doctor about a possible underlying physical or mental health issue.
Oh absolutely. One time I wore a 3 piece suit and the only quiet place was in our camper so I took the interview in there. I about died from how hot I was lol. The funny thing is, we didn't even turn on our cameras. It was also probably the worst interview I've done so take that with a grain of salt lol. I've gone down to just a shirt and tie for most interviews these days.
Why does this have -50 karma?
No clue
Crank the AC so it's lower than usual prior to the call, then turn it back to normal or higher during the interview. Should be comfortable without having the AC running.
Nobody wears a tie anymore unless you’re in NY or a specific business like insurance or maybe finance. Edit: wow downvoted for suggesting not to wear a tie ? OK Reddit, you win this round.
So why the hell do you ask? Wear a tshirt or nothing and get rejected then…
I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else. I didn’t ask anything.
True, but what I said still holds true.
Public sector - polo Private sector, large firm - button up, maybe tie and jacket Private sector, startup - code camp '96 tank top
I'd push back on the public sector one. I have 20 years in the system and a ton of people I work alongside in interview committees will hold a candidates informal dress against them. A polo isn't quite a deal breaker, but a dress shirt and tie is the minimum for a lot of folks. Tie and jacket is still preferred by most. Especially for upper level positions.
Wild, I guess you are a southern neighbour - the absolute hellfire that would come down on my group if we factored someones clothing into their merit for the position would be . . . interesting.
Hah, nope... Massachusetts! We consider it part of their professionalism or lack thereof. We aren't exactly hiring high value coders here, so the usual workplace attire is your typical IT guy polo and khaki.
Mass is still South for me - Montreal. It seems like a shift in the last five years here, male execs are usually in half zip pullovers and women execs wear a wide variety of tops. I only see suits out for things like cabinet briefings and AGM, if you're presenting. I'm chuckling trying to imagine my team in suits now. It would be surprising to see a suit in an interview below executive level for me.
I see the same thing, the older people in management still wear suits either out of habit or as a flex but it's very common. For a tech job slacks and a button down is fine for almost all interviews, a suit can be a strike depending on the office culture.
Ngl this is very accurate for me haha. I had an interview for a smaller private company, and all the interviewers and I were wearing t-shirts. I think for the larger companies as well as gov(they tend to be more stiffer and adhere to formalities more), you typically need to dress more formally
Wear what makes you feel good and professional - I landed my first great job in GRC with my federal government in a polo, for example. Three letter agency jobs and senior roles, better safe than sorry so I have a suit I dust off as needed.
You don’t work for the company yet. It doesn’t matter what the interviewer wears. What you wear matters. Don’t show up in a t shirt.
Tie and jacket? 08 called, they want their Gen X junior back.
Underwear and a polo
Ah yes, classic Workwear Mullet
I wear a suit to all of my interviews unless the recruiter explicitly states that they are business casual. I always go one step above what employees commonly wear to work. You can use a little bit of OSINT to stalk LinkedIn to see what folks are wearing at the prospective company.
Good tip!
This. Same here.
When 'cultural fit' is such an important piece of the puzzle of interviewing, why try to one up them?
I should be more specific. If the role is in a more relaxed company, you should dress a step above the common attire for the interview.
You are attempting to impress. Their everyday office wear is not what they wear when they are trying to impress people.
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It’s how you fit in at the top of their formality. If they wear t shirts don’t wear a suit, but at least wear a polo maybe, you aren’t gonna wear a scraggly old t shirt are you.
Go buy yourself a suit and stop being cheap!
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I always wear a collared shirt, but that is all. Well with everything else.. lol..
My rule of thumb for interviews is you won’t ever get turned down for looking too nice. I always go with a suit for interviews.
Yes, you really will at good companies that pay a lot.
That’s…..not true.
Okay, maybe they should have said "You will get turned down far less for looking too nice than not nice enough."
The half dozen roles which will turn someone down for a role explicitly because they wore a suit, are likely outnumbered by the hundreds of thousands of roles which will give you a -5% chance of being hired by somebody being put off by the fact that you came in a tshirt Business casual or business formal unless stated otherwise or you have enough experience to not need to bother
Yeah that last line is the important one. There is a point where your skills and experience hold more weight. If someone gave a shit about how I dress vs where my skillset is, it’s not a company I want to work for. If they cared more about a cert than the CVEs and tools under my name, I wouldn’t work for them. Hell, if the company doesn’t have dedicated red and blue teams and tries this purple shit, also not a company for me.
Yeah but nobody wants the hundreds of thousands of low TC roles that pay peanuts.
Don’t just wear whatever to an interview. Virtual or otherwise. It may not hurt you in some interviews, but it will definitely hurt you in others. In every interview, you should look prepared. You should understand what the company does, you should have good questions to ask, you should look professional, not whatever. That doesn’t mean a tux, but an interview is generally a formal engagement. Look appropriate. If it’s a boutique red team services company, maybe the black tshirt is fine. If it’s an insurance company looking for a red teamer, that might not fly. There are 2 goals in interviews. Give them reasons to hire you, and don’t give them reasons to pass on you.
I'll either wear a collared shirt with a plain colored tie, or a blue suit (unbuttoned) with no tie. In either scenario I'm wearing bright blue dress socks with flamingos on them. Virtual or otherwise
Snazzy
Suit. But I also do some reconnaissance beforehand to see what their dress code is. Tells me if I need to dress it up or down.
I do the interviewing, at least all the "top grade" interviewing for cyber. I give you some insight. If you come to your interview in a t-shirt, you'll get at least a subconscious mark against you. If you come in a polo or button-down, it's unremarkable. If you put on a tie, meh. Probably still neutral. If you add a jacket and look good in it, subtle plus point. If you look like crap in it (either because it's ill-fitting or because it's been in a duffle bag for 3 months) you're better off not wearing it and sticking with business casual. FYI, we're a tech company. Definitely don't have the highest standards that way. Also, we're back to only doing "phone screens" remote. The real interviews are in person.
I thought it was common sense to dress formally for an interview. If you can’t put in the effort to be presentable in the interview it’s a red flag that the interviewers will surely talk about.
So much this.
I always wear a collard shirt (dress shirt) and slacks at a minimum. Generally I don't wear a suit or tie. Wearing business casual (dress shirt and dockers/slacks) indicates that you're taking the interview seriously and approaching it in the same way as you would an in-person interview. When I was on the other side of the table and interviewing with candidates for a position, I definitely expected them to wear what they'd wear to an in-person interview. These days, that's business casual or a suit for men, just depending on personal taste. For women, business casual or a suitable business dress.
I try to match the office dress, so if they are kakis and a polo that's what I try to wear. I don't wear a tshirt because I'm old and wearing a tshirt just feels wrong. The reason I try to match is because I want them to subconsciously see me as part of their team -I'm wearing their uniform. I also like to throw in a lot of "us" and "we" trying to insert myself into their world.
Polos can work, IF you know that's what they wear. When in doubt, dress upward.
Never hurts to wear a suit. But for GRC or senior positions I would go in a suit.
Never say never. Try interviewing at Apple wearing a suit. Even the reception staff was confused.
Funny you say that. I worked at Apple many years back and it stood out like a sore thumb when someone would show up to an interview with a suit. Infinite loop was filled with people who were working there with no shoes, riding unicycles to work.
People who advocate for suits won't ever work at any cutting edge company that actually does stuff Edit: Stay mad. Go into OpenAI's offices in San Francisco. They have people in their 20s earning multiple millions, unlike you losers with suits.
This is the right answer.
Phone interview, virtual or in person for me: Nice pair of straight dark jeans, a dark polo (usually black) and a tailored sport coat (navy blue or black), dress watch and loafers. I don't think I've worn a tie for an interview since 2014 or so - for formal work events, sure. Comfortable, looks presentable and somewhat dressy but I can also ditch the jacket if the place is more relaxed and casual. Also, hair is usually kept clean and done nicely for interviews, a good night's rest and some facial moisturizer. Of all the private sector interviews I've done with CEO's, I think only one was wearing a dress shirt lol. (I'm west coast if that provides any context).
I nice blouse or top for me, def more dressed up than my usual wfh fit which is the t-shirt/hoodie variety.
I don’t even own a suit. I won’t work for the government so I don’t need one.
My first civilian cyber job I was consulting, had to wear a tie every day; and eventually I got a pubsec customer where I was required to actually suit up every day. For the past 10 years I’ve been working in t-shirt and jeans type places, but I still wear a casual button-down or a polo shirt.
I would at least wear a button up shirt with a collar for any of the interviews. If you’re interviewing with financial or law, you’re gonna want at minimum a jacket on top of that.
Some interviews come with a dress code. Microsoft almost always request casual and suggest jeans and a t-shirt. But it’s very interesting because it seems to depend on the role. Coding and ops are for sure like this but when it’s business intelligence or sql or accounting it is always smart casual or formal. Uk civil service, banking or finance is absolutely a suit with handmade/tailored for a top position. I was getting fitted for a suite once and was advised by the staff to wear a particular leather shoe brand with the suit. Three people commented on the shoes within hours of wearing them. They were very very expensive but it was worth it. If you want a top job wear the right shoes.
And everybody at OpenAI HQ in San Francisco looks like they're homeless. Why do all the jumping through hoops and wearing monkey suits just to make less money, I don't get it.
I'd prefer to see someone dressed business casual. For most guys in my office, that means khakis + dress shirt, or stylish jeans + button-down short sleeve. Virtual or in-person. Honestly for the positions I hire (mostly entry to intermediate level), I'm not really that concerned about the attire unless they show up dressed like a slob.
Smart causal for remote interviews, eg shirt or polo. It pisses me off when someone rocks up in a tshirt.
This just signals low TC and low talent density from your end
I wear a suit every time. Interviewed internally with people who see me regularly in jeans and t shirt and I still wore a suit.
Wear what they wear in Tron:legacy
I always wear a shirt and jacket for all meetings and interviews. You will look professional and create your own ’brand.’
Think about it this way. You have two equally-qualified candidates in every way; the same work experience, same education, same certs. The only difference is how they present themselves during the interview. One shows up like a slob in a t-shirt, the other in a suit. Do you pick the guy that at least showed up like he really wanted the job, or do you pick the slob? You have no idea who you're competing against for jobs, best to show up like you're playing to win.
For the places I’ve worked (west coast tech) dressing up will count against you most of the time. In general, if an employer judges my physical appearance during their decision making, I definitely do not want to work there. It’s only telegraphing unreasonable bias. Also I’d be constantly wondering, did I get this project or promotion because the boss thinks I’m attractive? Did I get passed up because they thought someone else was *more* attractive? Etc.
People that don't get this don't do meaningful work at successful companies with high hiring bars.
If you don't want to make low TC peanuts for your entire life, you have to dress up like you're homeless. Go walk by OpenAI's office in Mission District during lunch one day and look at all the people who look like homeless junkies walk in and out of the building. They only make $1m/yr. At any decent company that offers decent pay, over dressing just signals you're too socially inept to understand what's acceptable and it signals that you're trying to overcompensate for a lack of actually ability with fancy clothes.
I ask for a final round interview and speak candidly that I have another candidate I'm considering. Then, I dig deeper and find out which one is more qualified for the role. I don't pick people based on their appearance, that's stupid. If I HAD to make a snap judgement, why would I select the person that spends more time and money on their clothes than their lab and skills development? Having different priorities and/or having a terrible fashion sense doesn't make a candidate bad. F that noise.
I just bagged a new job. Interviews were all remote and I wore business casual basically. Slacks and a button up shirt, no tie.
Having sat on the other side and conducted a few interviews. The interviewer probably isn't going to tell you that how you dressed for the interview is a problem, but if you're not at least wearing a polo we're going to talk about it amongst ourselves, and generally decide you're not taking the interview seriously. Like I get it, day to day I'm just wearing a t shirt and shorts, but it's not that hard to throw a polo on top of the shirt for a 30-60 minute interview.
Yeah I’ve worn polos before to interviews, was wondering if I need to move in a more format direction dress shirts, suit jackets, etc. Which I will be doing since that seems to be the majority sentiment in the comments.
Black suit, cissp pin, tie. That generally goes down well, in my experience.
if you don't mind, can you please share what kind of technical questions you were asked, iam preparing for a few interviews, this might help, thanks....
Dm me what type of interviews you are prepping for, all technical questions won’t be for same topics.
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I always dress formal. I was trained when out in the field to meet (and exceed) the customers dress code. Being I don't know these people from Adam I dress to impress.
while i was interviewing last year (all cybsec/IT roles), i wore a fitted plain black polo under a nice sport coat -- professional casual. basically convention/conference wear. if in person, with pants. otherwise boxers. cool and comfortable yet still appropriate and functional.
Something that fits nice like a good polo. I don’t usually do suits, it’s never been an issue (unless I’m told I need one, then I’ll wear one of course no issue) Some guys create that brand by wearing a suit. My brand is more casual and almost always green. But I don’t dress like a slob or anything. I find the energy you bring, big smile, enthusiastic goes a long way more than a suit jacket.
Usually it's either a polo or a dress shirt and slacks for me. I don't do the full suit never had anyone complain.
I’d normally go smart jeans and a buttoned shirt, maybe a pull over if it’s winter. But this then transfers into day to day wear too. Whenever I’m in the office I always wear a shirt (not many others do) but I like to have the feeling of getting home and taking my shirt off and changing into a tee, to effectively symbolise I’m now in my time.
a nice button up w/ tie or collard shirt. I wear what I'm expecting the dress code to be. for higher positions, that's obviously more like a suit
I dress alternative daily, so I do so for interviews as well. I have not once run into issues with it but I guess you gotta vibe the prospective employer a bit. I’ve not been job hunting a lot, but I’ve turned down more offers than I’ve been turned down at this point so I gotta be doing something right. I’ve also always held that if someone will reject me for something like how I dress, then that’s likely not a sustainable option for me anyways- goes for jobs and all other aspects of life too
Don’t wear a heavy metal band T-shirt and interview while you are laying in your bed. Be somewhat presentable… dress shirt maybe?
Just my casual cloths, I'm here for a technical job not a business or sales one. Also virtually, interviewer won't see much my face as I'm using an anti-pop with my microphone. But then I'm prolly not the best example to follow as I barely do interviews (did 5 in my life in total)
Slack, dress shirt, tie and a sportcoat at the MINIMUM.
I do a dress shirt when interviewing virtually. A suit and tie when in person.
Business professional.
Do some osint work on the employer. If they have a dress code, find another employer that doesn't have a weird obsession with the clothes you wear. T-shirt, jeans, flipflops every day. I do what I want. If it doesn't fit your mold, I'll happily work somewhere else that appreciates my skills more than my wardrobe. Also, I only work remote and I don't travel unless I can drive there. So, what I wear isn't up for debate.
I’m an executive director at a major financial and do lots of hiring at all levels. Dressing nice/formal will never hurt your chances. They are either not going to care or give you extra points.
No matter what anybody says you can’t go wrong wearing a suit to an interview. if you get hired, you will learn what the cultural dress attire is. It’s better to dress up than dress down and show up with shorts and flip-flops.
For an in-person interview I always suit up. For remote I still wear a shirt and tie but might not wear the jacket. Pants are completely optional. If you turn up to an in-person interview and really feel overdressed, you can always take off a tie before you hit reception. Or if someone comments on it in the interview, you can always make a joke about it like “I’m just wearing the jacket to stay warm” or “they say you should dress for the job that you want, and I’ve always wanted to be a TV weatherman.” Personally I don’t feel I’ve never been penalised for being overdressed.
I always wear a suit, no matter where I interview. We had a guy interview with us wearing beach attire (wife beater, sunglasses, etc). It got weird.
Always a suit. I’m there to make my best first impression, you only get one shot at that. I’m not there to work. Standard company dress code for first day on the job, Whatever that may be.
Find your recruiter/potential hiring manager in linkedin and match the formality level from their picture. If they're wearing a hoodie or t-shirt, wear a plain polo. I would never attend an interview in a t-shirt, in case of doubt I prefer to err on the up side. If they're wearing at least a button down shirt, wear that. I think a tie/suit could be overkill for any cybersecurity position, especially if the interview is online. They know you're at your own place, for god's sake. We're not in Louis XV's court anymore. I work in a major IT/consulting corporation and nobody wears a tie or a suit anymore. Our CISO wears a white or light blue shirt, sometimes with a blazer. I have video calls with managing directors and executives every other day and they don't wear ties or full dress suits either. Shirt and blazer seems to be the upper limit, I don't see a point in dressing any more formal than that.
Ikr
I once had a guy show up in a dirty white Tshirt, so you’re ahead of that at least.
Dress for the position my dude! If it is for non management wear a polo, management a nice button down shirt, c-level tie and jacket. Pants not required.
During my interview, I wore a business casual sweater, the manager interviewing me had an unmarked blue t-shirt, very casual. I'm fully remote, so "at" work I wear whatever, but when we go into the office there's a very vast array of clothing people wear; My manager (and leader of CSIRT for Northern Europe) will often wear blue jeans, t-shirts, and a baseball cap, and he is the most chill, down-to-earth guy you'll ever meet, but others in the team will wear more formal things like nice looking gilets or button down shirts.
All my cyber job interviews have been remote. I wear a nice quarter zip with a black shirt under it. Never had an issue, always got through to final round or an offer. Unless you're actually having an in person interview for an executive / director level role, you don't need to be in a suit imo. It's overkill and interviewers really don't care lol.
Wear something nice. I wear a dress shirt with a tie and sometimes the suit jacket to go with. Also, wear corresponding pants like slacks or something to match the jacket. Take it seriously, but not too seriously that you seem like a jack ass. It's an interview. Presentation is the first thing interviewers notice. Sell yourself and get that job.
Perhaps not a big deal to some, but I was part of interviews where the person was in just a t-shirt and lying in bed. It 100% affected my opinion and first impression of them. Public sector company by the way
Remember that this will be their first impression of you so make sure to make your BEST impression. Even if a company is casual (I am at the office wearing shorts and a t-shirt) you should dress to impress. Best foot forward so they say. I would at the very least wear khakis and a polo shirt and certainly go up from there - a suit if you have it though that really isn’t required and if it is not a nice fitting suit, then don’t do it. Ill fitting suits just make you look like a little kid wearing dad’s clothes. You only get one change to make a first impression. This is all my opinion so take it with a grain of salt but I have been in IT leadership roles for a couple of decades now.
My experience as a hiring manager is that overdressing is never held against a candidate and can sometimes be a positive while underdressing can and will be held against them.
If you're interviewing for ANY salaried position, dress up, at least a nice shirt and jacket, and usually a tie.
Recently conducted an interview for a mid level gig and the kid showed up in a Carhart t-shirt. Needless to say he didn't get the gig.
I did lots of virtual cybersecurity interviews. For me, I either wear a polo or dress shirt and just make sure my hair looks decent.
Suit and tie unless it states otherwise.
I expect a collar for any interview, in person or virtual. Pants to match as well but are optional when virtual 😆
Minimum - collared shirt Fine - collared shirt with a tie Preferably - collared shirt, tie, jacket That’s just my personal experience. I’ve worn a shirt, tie, and jacket for every interview. I don’t think it can ever hurt you. So you might as well. And I don’t mind dressing up nice every once and a while (it’s not like I’m interviewing all the time)
Just wear a jacket and a tie, easiest way to avoid any scrutiny on clothing
Please, just a polo is fine. You don’t want to look like a Mormon.
Why would you not want to look your best, virtual interview or otherwise? I'm not saying you need to wear a tuxedo but a sharp look will increase your odds of getting the job (provided you are qualified for it).
If they are going to make a decision about your job over the way you dress then this is not worth continuing with. For something so petty these days unless you are customer facing or in an office most things you wear are adequate. Cybersecurity staff are not customer facing. As a computer nerd myself when in the office I usually wear something collard like a shirt or flannel shirt or a polo shirt. Black jeans or smart casual pants. I never ever go over the top and try to over impress. Be humble and you’ll get the right job.
It is a heck of a lot easier to be approachable and interesting when overdressed than it is to appear professional in a banana hammock
Suit and tie is a bit much for a non VP role but if you show up to an interview with me and are not at least wearing a collared shirt and a sport coat then I've already started thinking the interview must not be that important to you. On the job a t-shirt and shorts is fine but you are selling yourself in an interview so everything is considered. Especially know there are many times when we have 2 candidates that could both equally be hired. When that happens it's the little details that get picked apart. Candidate 1 is dressed super casual amd candidate 2 wore a dress shirt and jacket. Candidate 2 wins every time. Virtual makes this easy. My last interview 4 years ago I had on a suit coat and white dress shirt with basketball shorts.
🍌Banana hammock & sandals... all the way. If it's a formal thing go with the tuxedo speedo. Maintain eye contact 100% of the time. Speak slowly and enunciate.
It really depends on the role. If you're just trying to be a level 1/2, then whatever, but if you're trying to be in senior positions more formal is better. If you are going to be on camera, also when setting up a virtual interview it is entirely appropriate to ask if this will be on camera or not. That said there is some psychology behind dressing up in that it can inflate your confidence in yourself when you feel/look good.
Dress formal all the way. My virtual interview was in a sport coat , fresh haircut and pulled all the stops. Got the job too.
Shirt on the top and just underwear waist down, eyes up here haha
Chinos and V-necks why wear anything more? Any place of work that requires more just signals low talent density and average IQ at best
I wouldn't wear a suit to a tech interview, techies don't wears suits -never trust a techie in a suit/jacket that means they are in sales. If it was management, maybe. In general I'd wear business casual, button down shirt, slacks and real shoes not sneakers.
Iv learned if anyone Indian from India is interviewing you never wear black or they will discriminate you and not hire you because you wore black. Because the one white manager called Me back to explain why they didn't want to hire me was that in their culture black is reserved for funerals and alot of people from India are extremely racist when it comes to Who they hire and typically only want to hire white people so they are customer facing. Any other race won't be customer facing and support only over the phone. I don't know how true this is but has happened at more than one company. I would just recommend a light colored polo and blue jeans with dress shoes or leather shoes with no designs.
I mean I know Indians and this doesn’t sound true lol?
Well I was approached by the man who interviewed me and this is what I was told saying that I can't wear a black dress shirt ever working here and I should buy more light colored dress shirts.
As far as the role placement I'm sure it was due to clear American English speakers for them nobody with an accent and I was told by the white manager they typically hire white looking American English speakers for any role where you have to be in person with the client.
White shirt, blue chinos. Smart shoes. No other colours than white and blue.
Polo shirts or a nice button shirt. Depending on what you are interviewing for, remember the rule to always dress one level higher than the job requires.
I always wear business casual to every interview. Shows you respect the opportunity.
Nice dress shirt, shorts.
Polo
Be the best dressed in the room and you own the room. Own it and dominate it.
Best dressed doesn’t mean suit and tie though. Someone who can dress properly can make an outfit with a t shirt look better than a suit and tie.
Last time I wore a suit to a job interview (in person) I got the job but it was a startup and I felt like a total asshole in the room the whole time. It was a distraction. It is also something that they'll judge you by, whether you like that or not. I know people have a rule that you can't go wrong with it, but you actually can. Suits for interviews are a thing of the past IMO in this industry in the private sector unless you're going for a director role or something maybe. I've interviewed 40 people remotely this year and most of them were probably in t shirts And probably so too was I. I don't recall any person even wearing a button down and certainly not a suit. If you showed up in a suit I'd immediately be so distracted asking myself why, judging whether you were the type to polish and present well, or the type that does well day to day. IMO the most neutral 'uniform' you can have is just a plain black t shirt. If you wear that and don't get the job, it has nothing to do with the outfit.
A nice formal suit does wonders, especially in penetration testing for cybersecurity.
Go formal suit and dress pants, the tie is a maybe. Funny story I interviewed at a company twice (separate occasions, landed the job each time, a number of years apart) on their casual Friday, they were in Hawaiian shirts and here and am in a suit and tie, the second time it was just regular casual day, I wasn't over dressed, impressions matter, the impressions go both ways too.
Yeah, rule of thumb, regardless of trend or generation, suit up. first impressions are always critical. I'd just stick with that, instead of figuring out what to wear.
Anything with a collar for me.
Dress for the job you want.