Personal example: back when I was working as a data scientist at various startups, my mother would tell me to wear a suit when interviewing. And I would be like “Mom you do not get it, that would absolutely tank my chances of getting hired except at companies so bad I don’t want to work there, the only people who wear a suit for an interview in tech are the people who don’t think they can cut it on their technical skills and the people hiring know this”. I had the skills. I was definitely playing the winners’ bracket in that particular game. Throwing in something like a suit, the sort of signal used in the losers’ bracket, would have been a terrible move.
But, you regularly wear a suit, just ’cuz you like the aesthetic, right?
Do you make a point to wear jeans and a t-shirt to the interview, and then show up for the first day of work (and all subsequent days) in a black suit and hat?
I don’t generally wear a full suit (no button down shirt or tie), but more to the point I have a whole look going on which is pretty clearly not “MBA” or “middle manager” or whatever a suit normally signals.
But, you regularly wear a suit, just ’cuz you like the aesthetic, right?
Do you make a point to wear jeans and a t-shirt to the interview, and then show up for the first day of work (and all subsequent days) in a black suit and hat?
I don’t generally wear a full suit (no button down shirt or tie), but more to the point I have a whole look going on which is pretty clearly not “MBA” or “middle manager” or whatever a suit normally signals.
This is an important bit of clarification! You can do some entertaining countersignaling with a nice suit jacket and an unbuttoned button-down.
This would be a really funny and entertaining thing to do!