Do I need to wear a suit for the interview?

erwin1978

Posts: 287   +0
I need suggestions from computer technicians. I applied for a technician job at a local computer repair shop. The shop is small with only three employees. When I get called in for an interview should I wear a suit or can I step it down a notch and wear pants and a polo shirt? My fear is being overdressed. It's not a corporate job after all.
 
No, don't wear a suit. If you can confirm that it's under 5 employee's, it's a very small business indeed. You need to dress for the level of job you're applying for.

If you wear a suit, you could be seen as overpowering the boss (who most likely doesn't wear a suit to work... I mean c'mon..).

My suggestion: formal pants, shoes, long-sleeved business shirt. From experience, this is already way over what you'll be wearing. You'll stand out nicely from other people without coming across as overbearing, tryng too hard, pretentious, etc.
 
I forgot to ask this...depend on what you look like..if you wear glasses and look smart..a suit will fit you, in fact you need it..I myself always wears a suit anywhere I go, even to a party because I find it looks better.
 
Look, I generally agree with the whole 'overdressed is better than under' and 'can't go wrong with suit for interview'. However, we know for a fact this is what we're dealing with:
- Job is PC tech. The most these guys wear are long pants and company collared polo shirt.
- Company has three people. If people are wearing suits and not leaving the office, who's doing the work?
- This is a low-end company and a lower-end job. There is no corporation, no corporate dress code.

Confirm my factual assumptions. OP, go to the store and see what they're dressed like.

Dressing up all fancy schmancy for an interview is nice and all, because you're trying to impress. However, in this particular PC tech industry, you need to impress with your ability to get stuff done: crawl under desks, into dusty roof cavities, go out back with an air compressor, etc.

Wearing lng pants, nice shoes, long-sleeved shirt to this interview is perfectly fine. This attire is also suitable for pretty much every non-pompous non-management role too.

I mean, eventually, you'll wear what you want. But if you rock up to a tiny PC store for a technician role in a cheap suit, with no experience whatsoever, the hiring manager's reaction is going to be: WTF.



Edit: To confirm, I speak from personal experience. My first real IT job was at a small-med business as an IT technician. I was decently close with the manager: my attire (which I describe) was pretty damn nice. Also, a guy in a full suit and tie rocked up once. The entire company was WTF-ing for a week.

My current job is with a university, for the (prestigious) health faculty in a modern, new, prestigious office location full of female employee's.
 
No, don't wear a suit. If you can confirm that it's under 5 employee's, it's a very small business indeed. You need to dress for the level of job you're applying for.

If you wear a suit, you could be seen as overpowering the boss (who most likely doesn't wear a suit to work... I mean c'mon..).

My suggestion: formal pants, shoes, long-sleeved business shirt. From experience, this is already way over what you'll be wearing. You'll stand out nicely from other people without coming across as overbearing, tryng too hard, pretentious, etc.



I agree. Equally important would be things like grooming, no smell of smoke if you do smoke ( maybe the interviewer doesn't and doesn't like the lingering smell), no overdone cologne or bad breath, no badmouthing a previous employer, and no sweaty hands or chewing gum.
 
Back