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How to Screw Up an On-Site Interview

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Re: How to Screw Up an On-Site Interview

#31

Post by ephermata »

ben1040 wrote: post #3

If I’d known about the anti-suit culture, I would have worn Dockers and a polo shirt. I just wanted to convey that I took the interview seriously. Apparently the feeling wasn’t reciprocal. This isn't the first time I've heard of candidates being looked down upon for wearing suits to interviews, and I'm really curious what the thought process is behind this. I've done interviews where the candidate wore a suit, and wh…

My first interview for a technical job, I showed up in a suit and tie. The rest of the interview had each person start by asking some variant of "wait, are you sure you're interviewing for engineering and not marketing?" The feeling this conveyed was that if you wore a suit, you couldn't possibly be a real engineer.

I landed the job - a summer internship - but the suit was a distraction. It certainly did not help me relax and perform my best. The job rocked, so I'm glad the people there were able to look past the suit. Since then, I've taken to asking people what kind of dress code they expect on an interview.

Re: How to Screw Up an On-Site Interview

#32

Post by petercooper »

I wrongly assumed that someone would ask me between sessions if I needed to use the rest room.

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding the local culture but in the countries I've lived this strikes me as a complaint valid only for a child. When adults need to use the restroom, they make their apologies, ask where the restroom is and go.

That aside, why would someone ask someone else if they need to use the restroom anyway? It's rude and isn't their business. If you think someone's being timid and really does need a break, it's more common to ask if they want to "take a break" rather than asking flat out if they need to go potty.

Re: How to Screw Up an On-Site Interview

#33

Post by blackguardx »

nagrom wrote: post #23
evo_9 wrote: post #19

I've never worn a suit to an interview. I've always thought people in suits have something to hide, aka, if they really knew what they were doing they wouldn't be overdressing.

I'm a research scientist who wears a suit and doesn't understand your attitude. I don't wear a suit to cover up any lack of ability, I wear a suit because it's very comfortable, extremely convenient (lots of pockets!) and means that I don't need to worry about my outfit. I also enjoy being treated better generally because I look neat - doesn't matter about your body shape, a decent single-breasted suit makes you look…

I've worn a suit to almost every interview I've been on. In big companies, it is usually expected and never looked down upon. Smaller places tend to be a little more casual.

It really depends on company size, industry, and region.

Also, I agree with you. Wearing a nice suit isn't uncomfortable at all. It is the dress shoes that kill me!

Re: How to Screw Up an On-Site Interview

#34

Post by lsc »

ben1040 wrote: post #3

If I’d known about the anti-suit culture, I would have worn Dockers and a polo shirt. I just wanted to convey that I took the interview seriously. Apparently the feeling wasn’t reciprocal. This isn't the first time I've heard of candidates being looked down upon for wearing suits to interviews, and I'm really curious what the thought process is behind this. I've done interviews where the candidate wore a suit, and wh…

you /look/ like a marketing guy. nerds don't trust marketing guys. If you show up in a suit to a tech. interview, my first thought is that you want to be management, not a tech; and you are just using this as a stepping stone. Now, if I /need/ management, that's great. But if I'm trying to hire a tech, it's a net negative.

on a related note, I think there is a certain amount of hostility towards good looking people in general in the field, for purely irrational and emotional reasons. (really, it's related to the irrational hostility towards ugly people in marketing and management.)

Re: How to Screw Up an On-Site Interview

#35

Post by mkramlich »

evo_9 wrote: post #30
mkramlich wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

you might be in your 20's or younger because wearing a suit to an interview was pretty much the standard in white collar professions at least up into the 80's. The software field has probably been among the earliest to start shifting away from that. But you're right, today for a software dev interview it will often look like overkill and awkward. It's so hard to find people who can program period and are avail and ar…

Nope, I'm 43 (yeah who let the old guy in here???). Maybe it's because I'm 43 that I have the opposite view of this; growing up in the 80's and seeing what kind of people wore suits (aka the 'greed is good' crowd), that probably had a negative affect on me. There is also Dr. Johnny Fever (WKRP anyone?) and his compelling 'Suits Versus the Dungarees' argument (sorry couldn't resist an obscure 80's ref...). But I want…

I loved that show! And MASH. We're about the same generation.

No I actually agree with you that the suit doesn't convey anything substantive, and if a programmer wore that today to an interview I'd find it suspicious because, at the very least, it means he/she is out of touch and maybe desperate. But that said, if the person has the technical skills to do the job, and is not a jerk, and is available and interested, that should count 99.9999% and whether they wears a suit or not shouldn't counteract those other factors.

If I was holding an interview for the role of bankster, that would be different.

Tangent Note: I can "play" the SWAT theme song in my mind, note for note. And MASH, Love Boat, Cheers, etc. I remember when TV show theme songs went into a dark ages roughly around the the 90's where they stopped having cool theme music anymore, especially long instrumental ones. There were a few cool exceptions, but for the most part the art seemed to be lost. I don't watch TV anymore, so perhaps it came back.

ps. I'm in Colorado too. We should hold a HN meetup sometime, I know of at least a few others in the Front Range area.

Re: How to Screw Up an On-Site Interview

#36

Post by enjo »

ephermata wrote: post #31
ben1040 wrote: post #3

If I’d known about the anti-suit culture, I would have worn Dockers and a polo shirt. I just wanted to convey that I took the interview seriously. Apparently the feeling wasn’t reciprocal. This isn't the first time I've heard of candidates being looked down upon for wearing suits to interviews, and I'm really curious what the thought process is behind this. I've done interviews where the candidate wore a suit, and wh…

My first interview for a technical job, I showed up in a suit and tie. The rest of the interview had each person start by asking some variant of "wait, are you sure you're interviewing for engineering and not marketing?" The feeling this conveyed was that if you wore a suit, you couldn't possibly be a real engineer. I landed the job - a summer internship - but the suit was a distraction. It certainly did not help me…

I always get the feeling, when this happens, is that they're really trying to convey "hey look, we're really a pretty casual bunch..." not "man you're a tool for wearing a suit."

I would honestly interpret it as a positive. That casual atmosphere is pretty ingrained into the culture at that point.

Re: How to Screw Up an On-Site Interview

#37

Post by HeyLaughingBoy »

j_baker wrote: post #12

You know, I always hear employers talking about how important it is for employees to be passionate and to show they want to work for them. But they forget that it goes both ways too. The end result is an interview where employers expect me to show them how absolutely thrilled I am at the prospect of working for them, but they make little effort to convince me that I'm anything more than an inconvenience to them. When…

Abso-f'ing-lutely!

One of the best interviews I ever had came after I said to the recruiter (after the first round of interviews) "I don't think these guys are interested in me." The hiring manager scheduled another interview the next day and proceeded to take me through each lab, showing off all the cool stuff they did. That morning was quite clearly a "come work for us, it'll be fun" invitation and I appreciated it.

Now that I'm in the position to do hiring, I try to have the same attitude.

Re: How to Screw Up an On-Site Interview

#38

Post by reeses »

mkramlich wrote: post #25

my goal is to reach a point where i never have to subject myself to an interview or application process ever again. they are fundamentally broken and often irrelevant or carried out amateurishly. once you've shipped enough code and had enough successful projects under your belt it gets rather old dealing with it.

You'll get to the point where you want the interview because you want to see what kind of weird situation you're getting yourself into. At this point in my career, I do most of the interviewing so I can size up if it's even possible to be successful in a new place.

Re: How to Screw Up an On-Site Interview

#39

Post by kjhgfgbhnj »

petercooper wrote: post #32

I wrongly assumed that someone would ask me between sessions if I needed to use the rest room. Perhaps I'm misunderstanding the local culture but in the countries I've lived this strikes me as a complaint valid only for a child. When adults need to use the restroom, they make their apologies, ask where the restroom is and go. That aside, why would someone ask someone else if they need to use the restroom anyway? It's…

In a lot of places having a visitor wandering the halls looking for a bathroom wouldn't be appreciated

Re: How to Screw Up an On-Site Interview

#40

Post by petercooper »

kjhgfgbhnj wrote: post #39
petercooper wrote: post #32

I wrongly assumed that someone would ask me between sessions if I needed to use the rest room. Perhaps I'm misunderstanding the local culture but in the countries I've lived this strikes me as a complaint valid only for a child. When adults need to use the restroom, they make their apologies, ask where the restroom is and go. That aside, why would someone ask someone else if they need to use the restroom anyway? It's…

In a lot of places having a visitor wandering the halls looking for a bathroom wouldn't be appreciated

Hence the "ask where the restroom is" part. Though the most relevant part of the point is that whether you're escorted or not, the person who needs the restroom is the one who asks to go.
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