Wear what helps you feel the most comfortable. This will ensure you do your best during rigorous interviews. Also keep in mind that startup employees respect skill and expertise. They know these usually vary inversely with an affinity for suits and other business casual costumes.
Ask HN: Proper attire for a startup interview?
11–20 of 20 posts
Re: Ask HN: Proper attire for a startup interview?
#12All things being equal, I give the job to the guy in the suit vs the guy in jeans.
Re: Ask HN: Proper attire for a startup interview?
#13You could always ask? "Hi. I understand you're a start-up. I'd wear a suit to a job interview with a big, conservative corporation, but I don't want to make you uncomfortable if that's not how you roll. Is office casual acceptable?" This puts the ball in their court, and also tells them you're flexible and you prepare for interviews in advance rather than running on autopilot.
Agreed. They're a 15-person team, contacting them beforehand is not out of the question (I did so when I first started interviewing at startups).
Re: Ask HN: Proper attire for a startup interview?
#14It depends on the industry that they're in. If its something like government contracting obviously it makes sense to dress conservatively. For me personally, I go dressed in slacks or jeans and dress/casual shirt. It's what I find comfortable and I think I look better in it.
I've found with smaller teams they'll do due-diligence and double check that you can do what you say you can do. If I know you're good, I don't care how you come in dressed for an interview, so long as you're dressed and take care of personal hygiene like a normal person.YMMV
Re: Ask HN: Proper attire for a startup interview?
#15I usually ask reception, but a 15 person startup doesn't usually have reception.
I'd go with a dress shirt and tie, at the very least.
Re: Ask HN: Proper attire for a startup interview?
#16You could always ask? "Hi. I understand you're a start-up. I'd wear a suit to a job interview with a big, conservative corporation, but I don't want to make you uncomfortable if that's not how you roll. Is office casual acceptable?" This puts the ball in their court, and also tells them you're flexible and you prepare for interviews in advance rather than running on autopilot.
Uh, no. The one who's uncomfortable here is clearly you, if you have to ask. If you really don't know and it's important to you to 'blend in', then swing by the office in the morning or at night and see how people are dressed coming in or out. Or find the founders on LinkedIn or Facebook and see what they're wearing. Be a little bit less obvious about it.
If I got a note from a prospective candidate like this one, it would probably be a point against them because it broadcasts insecurity and helplessness neither of which is an attractive trait in a prospective employee. This is the part where resourcefulness and self-motivated behavior starts.
Re: Ask HN: Proper attire for a startup interview?
#17there's really just one simple rule for this: dress exactly the way you are willing to dress at work.
if you underdress, and they give you a hard time about it, you might not fit in well at that company and you dodged a bullet.
if you overdress, there is a chance you will make your interviewer uncomfortable and not get the job.
dress in what you like to wear. its as simple as that. let them hire the real you, and not a front you put on based on some perceived image you have of the company.
Re: Ask HN: Proper attire for a startup interview?
#18Honestly, I don't like the advice people are giving to just dress "how you would every day" because that's the real you,etc... The bottom line is, when you are programming all day and only meeting with maybe an internal manager / team leader, etc there is little reason to dress up. However, I would think if one day you have to sit in on a meeting with an important prospective client, you might dress a little differently than you do normally when you are just doing programming. Business people often dress up because they have meetings and it shows respect to those they meet with, I can often tell around my office when a "business person" has a day with no important meetings as they tend to dress down those days.
When you go to an interview, you want to show the person respect and it is a special situation, its not just another day at work. You aren't part of the company yet so I don't know why you should have to wear exactly what you would when you actually start the job.
I don't wear a tie, or a suit, but I do tend to dress up a bit. If you don't want to, thats fine, but there's no reason to deride someone for thinking they should treat an interview a little differently than they would just another day at work.
Re: Ask HN: Proper attire for a startup interview?
#19You could always ask? "Hi. I understand you're a start-up. I'd wear a suit to a job interview with a big, conservative corporation, but I don't want to make you uncomfortable if that's not how you roll. Is office casual acceptable?" This puts the ball in their court, and also tells them you're flexible and you prepare for interviews in advance rather than running on autopilot.
Uh, no. The one who's uncomfortable here is clearly you, if you have to ask. If you really don't know and it's important to you to 'blend in', then swing by the office in the morning or at night and see how people are dressed coming in or out. Or find the founders on LinkedIn or Facebook and see what they're wearing. Be a little bit less obvious about it. If I got a note from a prospective candidate like this one, it…
Maybe that's the case if you want to turn everything into a mind game. You're really taking points away from the company, not the candidate, when you judge them idiotically.
Wait, you suggest that they "swing by the office" instead of just sending an email? This is madness.
Re: Ask HN: Proper attire for a startup interview?
#20Earlier quoted context omitted.
Uh, no. The one who's uncomfortable here is clearly you, if you have to ask. If you really don't know and it's important to you to 'blend in', then swing by the office in the morning or at night and see how people are dressed coming in or out. Or find the founders on LinkedIn or Facebook and see what they're wearing. Be a little bit less obvious about it. If I got a note from a prospective candidate like this one, it…
Maybe that's the case if you want to turn everything into a mind game. You're really taking points away from the company, not the candidate, when you judge them idiotically. Wait, you suggest that they "swing by the office" instead of just sending an email? This is madness.
Exactly. That's why I'm saying just be yourself. It's the candidate asking the question who starts the mindgame. So long external validation matters more than inner confidence, I'll always look like a mindgame you can't win. And dropping by the office can seem like madness if you're going down the line of outside validation thinking too far. At the other end of the spectrum, it's recon.