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Does tech discriminate against suits?

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Re: Does tech discriminate against suits?

#51

Post by dllthomas »

rm_-rf_slash wrote: post #31
cballard wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Vest and tie? Lookin' good. No, this really looks genuinely terrible. Never wear a tie without a jacket. http://putthison.com/post/29635680290/q-and-answer-when-can-... > The answer is pretty much “I work at a cell phone store.” (vest without jacket is just as bad, except it's "I'm a waiter")

Exception: vest and tie with a stylish hat. Otherwise, yes, a suit is usually mandatory. I didn't expand on it for the sake of making my point. I'm glad some people on HN have fashion sense.

Jacket, not (necessarily) suit.

Re: Does tech discriminate against suits?

#52

Post by dllthomas »

btbuildem wrote: post #13
cballard wrote: post #8

> As long as I can remember my father would work 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, wearing a suit to the office. I’ve always wanted to follow his example. What!? This is not something to be admired!

How is that different from a stereotypical startup work week?

... the suit?

Re: Does tech discriminate against suits?

#53

Post by dllthomas »

vinceguidry wrote: post #38

I've noticed it's less about the suit and more about the tie. If I wear a suit without a tie to work, I get some compliments, but when I wear a tie, with or without a suit, the CEO will start joking that I'm going to a job interview later on. A suit is just clothes. A tie is a statement.

I have yet to wear a suit to work, aside from my interview. I have twice worn a tie. No one noticed.

Re: Does tech discriminate against suits?

#54

Post by rm_-rf_slash »

logfromblammo wrote: post #48
rm_-rf_slash wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Barack Obama says the only fashion choice he makes every day is red tie or blue tie. Every choice comes with decision fatigue, and he's got a lot to make.

I'm disappointed that the President of the United States--supposedly a pretty smart feller--doesn't just flip a coin for that. He could even keep four more colors in the closet if he would just roll a d6!~ I suspect that he makes a lot more fashion decisions than that implicitly, by delegating them to an employee. That's not exactly the same as having perfect indifference to all the various clothing options in your w…

I wouldn't be surprised if it was a PR calculation made weeks in advance.

Re: Does tech discriminate against suits?

#55

Post by beachstartup »

Kalium wrote: post #34
beachstartup wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

that's a neat trick. probably comes in handy for friday happy hour.

It probably would, if I was clever enough to go to any of those. . . . Maybe I should.

you're already dressed for it and work in sf, you might as well stop in for a drink and strike up some conversations.

Re: Does tech discriminate against suits?

#56

Post by Kalium »

beachstartup wrote: post #55
Kalium wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It probably would, if I was clever enough to go to any of those. . . . Maybe I should.

you're already dressed for it and work in sf, you might as well stop in for a drink and strike up some conversations.

TODO: Figure out where to go for Friday happy hour.

Re: Does tech discriminate against suits?

#57

Post by shalmanese »

This post reminds me of the 42Floors blog post from a while ago:

Another quick story before I really dive into this blog post. We had a gentleman over to interview for one of our account executive positions at 42Floors. He had strong experience leasing SF office space: great resume, great cover letter, did well in our initial phone screen.

When he walked in the door, we could hear the clacking of his shoes on our hardwood floor. He was dressed impeccably in a suit that probably cost more than my first car and was carrying one of those leathery-thingys that seemed to exist only for the purpose of being carried during interviews.

I stole a glance to a few of the people from my team who had looked up when he walked in. I could sense the disappointment.

We’re all happily wearing blue jeans and sneakers. It’s not that we’re so petty or strict about the dress code that we are going to disqualify him for not following an unwritten rule, but we know empirically that people who come in dressed in suits rarely work out well for our team.

He was failing the go-out-for-a-beer test and he didn’t even know it.

http://web.archive.org/web/20140618142018/http://blog.42floo...

Re: Does tech discriminate against suits?

#58

Post by peterwwillis »

cballard wrote: post #25
rm_-rf_slash wrote: post #17

I think the problem is that most developers tend to be the nerdy types who didn't care much for fashion as a kid, or have the money in college to look good. Now they're in the workforce and they feel validated for dressing like shit: hoodies and pajamas are cute every once in a while but seriously, grow up and dress yourself like you're gonna get laid one of these days. The way I see it, if you code, chances are you'…

> Vest and tie? Lookin' good. No, this really looks genuinely terrible. Never wear a tie without a jacket. http://putthison.com/post/29635680290/q-and-answer-when-can-... > The answer is pretty much “I work at a cell phone store.” (vest without jacket is just as bad, except it's "I'm a waiter")

There's plenty of ways to wear just a tie or a vest and make it look handsome. It just depends on whether it fits well and matches your outfit.

Yes, there is a tendency for it to look like service personnel, so you have to either make it look classier or more casual.

https://d29h7ql7qnxkqx.cloudfront.net/pix/blue_coffee2088/me... http://cdn12.lbstatic.nu/files/looks/large/2013/04/26/299690... http://image.tin247.com/vnmedia/101121161236-540-334.jpg http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTI2N1g4NDM=/z/6scAAMXQ74JTWkrh/$_...

Re: Does tech discriminate against suits?

#59

Post by JorgeGT »

teddyh wrote: post #27
JorgeGT wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, of the social engineering class. Really dangerous if you substitute the suit with a hard hat and a paperclip - access is granted to virtually all physical infrastructure.

(I think you mean a clipboard, not a paperclip.)

Yes, thanks! Although a paperclip is also a powerful tool when you need to open a computer without having a screwdriver available :P
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