Some people still believe in the suit for an interview because it's the
best course of action. Amy* notes that "you
will always need to be professional. Being professional still includes being
more formal, unless told otherwise by dress code. You cannot redo a first
impression." Laura agrees by noting that "it only takes 7 seconds to
make a first impression."
Mack cut right to the chase: "If applying for a professional position,
dress professionally or risk being excluded from the pool. That means a
suit." Randy agrees, "My experience has been that showing up to job
interviews in a suit and tie may be the difference that gets you the job over
the other candidates."
Terry and I are on the same page in terms of believing that suits are
antiquated. He says, "My personal opinion on the matter is that suits are
ridiculous and outdated. Most parts of suits serve no function. When you wear a
suit, you are no smarter, can work no harder, and have no other additional
special abilities, except the ability to not be as free to move (and
potentially the ability to be too hot—or cold)."
Social Dilemma
Terry also brings up an interesting point that I had not thought of where
suits are concerned. As suits are totally unrelated to abilities and work
ethic, expecting them results in a bit of class warfare between those who can
afford a suit and those who cannot. He goes on to say that, in spite of his
feelings, his employees are expected to wear suits when the client
expects them to. Terry's office expects employees to dress for the client
they are meeting with. If the client will wear a suit, then a suit is the
appropriate attire for the employee. If the client will be in business casual,
business casual is the proper choice of attire.
I also enjoyed Rick's comments about men's neckties, which I've
honestly never understood. I've always felt sorry for men for having to
wear those things! Rick says, "The pet peeve for me was always ties. The
fashion need to have a piece of clothing strangled tightly around one's
neck has always alluded me."
Earl had what I thought was a great perspective on suits.
"It definitely does seem like a double standard, since we
expect them [prospective employees] to interview in a suit, then show up on the
first day of work dressed in business casual attire. I would hate to go back to
the days where I had to put a button-down shirt and tie on every day to come
work in an office where I don't see any clients. The business casual attire
is very freeing and is also much less expensive to purchase and to
maintain."
Earl goes on to say that "the idea of requiring suits for interviews
will not change until there is a change in academia that says it's ok to
attend an interview in business casual attire." While it would suit (pun
intended) me fine to free every one of my students from the dreaded interview
suit, I also wouldn't want to be responsible for offending an employer who
expected them to show up in a suit!
Will had a more traditional viewpoint on the subject, as he said,
"Dressing in a suit shows you care about your appearance as a professional
and shows respect to those you are meeting face to face. And people like being
respected. Putting aside one's own comfort to respect new or existing
customers, or a potential employer, requires proper dress; not just in
interviews but in daily person-to-person interactions."
Pat tells me, "Arrive in the professional dress as dictated by the
business environment." Rick says, "I believe that you have to cater
to the generation coming to keep your company relevant, and if suits aren't
a part of that, so be it." In other words, "Dress for Your Day,"
which is the code many offices in insurance and risk management have gone to.
If you're sitting behind the desk all day and not meeting with outsiders,
then jeans are fine. If you're meeting with blue-collar clients, business
casual is fine. And, of course, if you're meeting with someone of executive
stature, a suit is called for.
Jan believes that "wearing a suit, skirt, dress, or dress
pants—whatever the appropriate style is for the individual—shows a level of
awareness, care, and seriousness that employers look for. Once they see it,
they can ignore it and move on to more substantive inquiries, but if they
don't see it, they don't get past its absence." In other
words, the suit is your ticket into the rest of the interview process.
If you don't wear one? You probably won't get very far.
Jan also eloquently addressed my critics who thought it was unfair of me to
offer the young man a suit last year. What many of them told me was that
candidates "should" be judged by their skills and competencies,
rather than their attire. Jan simply says, "Every time I hear a
should, I recall something I read in college: NOBODY, but NOBODY, is
required to adhere to your version of should." And that
reminds me of my eighth grade social studies teacher, Mrs. Kibler, who simply
said, "Who told you life was fair?"
The Consensus
Most of the responses I got to the commentary I wrote last year had
approximately the same general thoughts—suits are no fun, but they are a
necessary evil of interviewing. Katie feels that eliminating someone from
consideration for a job because they did not wear appropriate clothing to the
interview is a form of unfair prejudice. As she notes, there are many valid
reasons why someone may not wear a suit to an interview. For me, the most
notable one is they simply cannot afford it. Again, my employer has solved that
problem by eliminating the need to purchase a suit. If a student does not have
a suit, we make sure he or she gets one. I agree with Katie—I think a wise
employer will look for substance over style in an interview. Sadly, as most
everyone else who wrote to me noted, it is a harsh reality that those who do
not have a suit will be at a disadvantage when it comes to interviews.
Carol says, "While dress can be an important element in making a
determined decision, sometimes the person applying for a position may not be in
a position to own the appropriate business attire due to unemployment, a recent
divorce requiring re-employment after a lapse, coming right out of school, or
other extenuating circumstances. I believe we need to focus on
competencies." And I love her idea that "perhaps a simple paragraph
included in the confirmation for an interview stating the company's attire
policy" would be a really smart idea. That was a real "duh"
moment for me. How hard would it be for someone to add to the confirmation
email, "We look forward to seeing you at your interview on Thursday, where
business professional attire is appreciated."
Well, based on your responses to my commentary last year, it looks like the
risk management and insurance industry isn't quite ready to give up suits
just yet. It sounds to me like a lot of people secretly want suits to
go away, but they aren't going to rock the boat either. And I suppose
that's where I am in this situation. All I really care about is making sure
my students have the most successful interviews they possibly can. If that
means a suit (and apparently it does), then I'll keep encouraging them to
wear one for interviews.
Now, don't ask me what I'm wearing as I write this. Our campus is
shut down due to coronavirus, so I'm working from home. The dress code here
is "Dress for Your Day," which today means a cantankerous political
T-shirt and yoga pants. Casa de Wells is largely a "suit-free"
zone.
I would love to hear from you! Please write to me at .