Why can't people dress proper for job interviews?

[Mistame]

pretty much, Judging people only on first appearance is just petty

Not putting any effort into showing that you want the job makes you inherently unqualified for the job. While appearance clearly isn't the deciding factor in whether or not you hire someone, it can certainly be the sole reason you don't. Mind you, we're talking about the real world here. Not some safe-space, participation award millennial garbage.

[breadisfunny]

i have a question in return for the op. why do you consistently make threads complaining about middle class employees? do you have like a superiority complex or something? do you feel yourself to be above other people simply because you supposedly own a company? as if that makes you special or something and we're supposed to be in awe.

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have fun serving fries at mcdonald then with this kind of attitude .

at the rate the job climate is in the u.s. it's what an increasing number of people are doing now anyways.
don't be surprised if in 20-30 years the economy completely collapses if nothing is done.

[Deleted]

i remember when i was 15ish and had my first job interview, i was a bit stupid and thought i should be allowed to wear what i want, and was convinced i would go in waering shorts and a hoody, luckily my uncle talked me out of it bought me a cheap shirt and smart trousers and a basic cotton top to go over the shirt, the entire outfit probably cost around £12, but looked pretty smart and i got the job. Now i just facepalm when i see / hear young people going dressed in inappropriate clothes, my last one we had this guy wearing a tracksuit, and one guy who came straight from the gym, he even brought the smell with him.

im not sure i totally agree that people should have to dress super smart for every interview, it definitely depends where you're working and the type of company, but you can make yourself look presentable without wearing a suit!

[RickJamesLich]

Recruiter here, generally someone that dresses up nice, it doesn't even have to be a suit, but at least a dress shirt, tie, and dress pants, is almost always considered "serious" in my line of work. The type of person where even if they don't match the qualifications, I'd be willing to give them a shot. Then again I do recruiter for a variety of jobs, some clerical, some factory. Outfits aren't even the biggest concern, I've seen people come to interviews with their kids or bust out their cell phone and start talking on it lol.

I think to the untrained eye, people would think "it's shallow to judge someone if they aren't wearing nice clothes". One of the big reasons why you want to dress nice for an interview is because the person doing the hiring is busy, they may see a lot of people, and dressing up nice will make you stick out in a sea of other candidates for the job. If you have two folks that are equally qualified, and one dresses appropriately, and the other does not, the person that dresses nicely is all but guaranteed the job at that point. Not to mention dress codes are important at jobs, if someone dresses up like a slob for an interview, chances are they aren't going to put any effort into making themselves look presentable once they start working.

Also, sometimes the best way of finding the right candidate is by looking at the faults of each and then eliminating them one by one, their appearance is a good way to do this.

As the old saying goes, dress for the job you want, not the one that you have.

[Wyrt]

have fun serving fries at mcdonald then with this kind of attitude .

There is no point in making people wear a suit to a job that does not require wearing a suit to work there. It's a needless expense that young people just coming out of college with a good sized student loan just shouldn't be expected to pay out for.

[Deleted]

Honestly OP, I'd rather pick people based on their skill than pick them by what they wear. Funny thing actually, met several people that didn't dress formal, one had tattoos, one had piercings (visible ones, on lip, as a guy), one had long dyed white hair etc. Yet they were smart and had great skill in programming, much better than most of the formal crowd.

Now, since we don't work with customers face to face and we don't need special gear/clothing (like doctors on nurses for example do), I seriously don't get why they should be formal at work. I don't care how they dress, I care what they do.

Some people can't afford a suit at their first job. Some people believe that what they can do matters more than what they wear. And my opinion is that they're right. Yet you're turning down potential great employees based on the fact that they might have tattoos or ripped jeans? You know, there's a reason why places like Google don't push for a strictly formal dress code for example, because even they know they might miss potential great people if they did.

Formal wear isn't eternal, it's just a tradition. But it's changing. Everything changes. Adapt or fall behind. Why do you dislike change so much?

[Total Crica]

one day, everyone will realize that as long as your clothes don't affect your work, they don't matter - until then, guess having a job in the "proper attire for job interview" industry is a guaranteed salary...

[callipygoustp]

Common sense that they get where? I mean apparently employers aren't teaching it, schools sure as hell aren't teaching it, who knows if their parents are teaching it. It's not like people are just born with the knowledge that they should dress a certain way for an interview. So why give secret tests? Why not just be clear with your expectations? What's so difficult about that?

Somehow many people are able to get "it". I don't recall how, but back in the mid 80s when I first started looking for jobs I "got it". To me this kind of information is so basic, I don't see how someone doesn't "get it". First round of cuts, people that are unable to find this kind of basic information on their own.

The current generation has one of the greatest, easily accessible, sources of information in the history of man kind: the internet. No excuse for not knowing this kind of basic information.

[HumbleDuck]

Means they probably are not interested in the job you offer, so what? Its not a good practice to judge people like this based on how they show up for an interview.

[The One Percent]

Means they probably are not interested in the job you offer, so what? Its not a good practice to judge people like this based on how they show up for an interview.

Do people go to job interviews they aren't interested in?

[belfpala]

Means they probably are not interested in the job you offer, so what? Its not a good practice to judge people like this based on how they show up for an interview.

What kind of job? My only dress requirement is non-slip shoes and some kind of hat. The best cooks I know look unemployable, by office standards. Including me, and I own three restaurants now, and one suit that makes it out of my closet maybe once per year.

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Do people go to job interviews they aren't interested in?

Often, yes.

[Cantwingrr]

Having been put in charge of a lot of recruiting lately, yes I find this to be a problem. The people who come to an interview dressed more seriously will 100% of the time be more dedicated/professional what have you, because they understand the importance of a first impression at a place of business you are attempting to get hired at. If they don't care or don't research the company they come in dressed in whatever they have, or they just don't understand or interview often enough to know the importance of professional* dress.

[belfpala]

If they don't care or don't research the company they come in dressed in whatever they have, or they just don't understand or interview often enough to know the importance of professional* dress.

If I went back to an office job, which it sounds like you recruit for, is it too blunt to say I'd probably be a more productive employee if I came in with a Nirvana shirt, cargo shorts, and slippers? I'll be there for 14 hours if that's what it takes to finish my assignments. If I need face time with a customer or client, sure, I'll put on a suit. Otherwise, I might as well just be wearing boxer shorts and listening to Nine Inch Nails while I 10-key pad some spreadsheets.

[Cantwingrr]

If I went back to an office job, which it sounds like you recruit for, is it too blunt to say I'd probably be a more productive employee if I came in with a Nirvana shirt, cargo shorts, and slippers? I'll be there for 14 hours if that's what it takes to finish my assignments. If I need face time with a customer or client, sure, I'll put on a suit. Otherwise, I might as well just be wearing boxer shorts and listening to Nine Inch Nails while I 10-key pad some spreadsheets.

I actually recruit for gym personal training/sales positions, so we are in front of clients daily and constantly. It's very important to present yourself well otherwise your personal sales will suffer, which determines what kind of money that person is going to make. If they keep their job at all.

[belfpala]

I actually recruit for gym personal training/sales positions, so we are in front of clients daily and constantly. It's very important to present yourself well otherwise your personal sales will suffer, which determines what kind of money that person is going to make. If they keep their job at all.

Alright, I get that. My front of house must be neatly groomed and put together. You, however, didn't address my point that employees who have no contact with customers/clients also have no reason to dress up. Also how much money does a suit cost? I think the one I own was close to $1000 including belt, ties, shoes, shirts, tailoring, and all of the parts.

Back to business. I spend money on a linen service. It provides napkins, rags, aprons... AND uniforms for my employees. The only thing they have to provide for themselves is footwear (or a hat if they don't like crappy hats). Why is the business world different?

[callipygoustp]

If I went back to an office job, which it sounds like you recruit for, is it too blunt to say I'd probably be a more productive employee if I came in with a Nirvana shirt, cargo shorts, and slippers? I'll be there for 14 hours if that's what it takes to finish my assignments. If I need face time with a customer or client, sure, I'll put on a suit. Otherwise, I might as well just be wearing boxer shorts and listening to Nine Inch Nails while I 10-key pad some spreadsheets.

Yeah, but the guy who came in well dressed can do the work it takes you 14 hours to do in 8 hours and with fewer errors. Why wouldn't I hire him?
(the point being anyone can make up random scenarios)

[belfpala]

Yeah, but the guy who came in well dressed can do the work it takes you 14 hours to do in 8 hours and with fewer errors. Why wouldn't I hire him?
(the point being anyone can make up random scenarios)

Yeah, maybe. I'm not going to talk about my qualifications here.

Look here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stage_(cooking)

I don't even interview candidates, actually. If they show up for their stage, don't fuck up much, probably hired.

[callipygoustp]

Yeah, maybe. I'm not going to talk about my qualifications here.

Wasn't expecting you to. I just wanted to show another example of a hypothetical situation; one of millions.

Many replies don't take into consideration the context of the OP: interviewing for office positions. Of course expectations for an office position are going to be different than that of construction (Do people interview for construction jobs? I never had to.), or for a position in the restaurant industry, or what ever other non office position people have thrown into the mix.

[belfpala]

Wasn't expecting you to. I just wanted to show another example of a hypothetical situation; one of millions.

Many replies don't take into consideration the context of the OP: interviewing for office positions. Of course expectations for an office position are going to be different than that of construction (Do people interview for construction jobs? I never had to.), or for a position in the restaurant industry, or what ever other non office position people have thrown into the mix.

Correct. And my point was that none of the office jobs I've ever had required me to have contact with clients or customers. And I'm not talking crap office jobs, very high level things. /shrug.

[Grimreaper]

Are you sure they wanted the job?

Some people attend interviews in order to fulfil the criteria needed to claim dole money, i.e. as proof they are actively looking for work because it is a legal requirement.

I know this was the case in Britain a few years back, as I had one candidate who straight up told me.

Yeah i was doing that aswell back in the days. Didnt stop me from getting the damn job. Showed up in scruffy looking clothes, not shaven, not showered, clearly tired from not sleeping that night, etc. The interviewer barely let me get a word in, think i said two sentences in total. He told me i would fit right in and offered me the job right away. Been working there for 6 long years now

Really though, if i had shown up in a suit and tie, he would probably still be laughing today... and still offered me the job.