Dressed to the 501s

I did not even show up for job interviews in high school wearing jeans. I would never imagine doing so for any sort of white collar job.

 

I interviewed at Apple. They flat-out told me not to wear a jacket or tie. I wore decent slacks and a button-down shirt that I didn't tuck in.

I was overdressed to an awkward degree and I think it factored into me not getting the job. Cultural fit, etc.

 

*Sends resume to Apple*

 

In 2010, for my initial interview at a medium-sized newspaper for the night editor job after being out of the business for two years, I wore a navy blue suit that would've fit in on Wall Street, with a white shirt and conservative tie. They had me back for a second interview a week later, and I wore the same suit, but with a light blue shirt and different tie. The ME offered me the job during that interview and told me that one of the things that clinched it was the way I dressed -- one of the other finalists had worn jeans and an untucked shirt.

I'd come to find out that this paper was a bit old-school and rigid about dress for its editors. Even though I worked nights, I had to wear a dress shirt, nice slacks and dress shoes. Jeans were forbidden. On "casual" Fridays, I could get away with a polo shirt -- but still no jeans. My boss told me, "We need you to look nice in case someone who's important in the community stops by, or top management from the corporate office makes a surprise visit." My shift began at 2:30 and I could see the need to dress nicely early in the shift, but the chances of anyone important (including the top editors who made a big deal about dress) being in there after 6 were practically nonexistent. I lived only five minutes from the office, so if it wasn't a busy night I'd occasionally take a dinner break, go home and change into jeans and comfortable shoes.

 

You dress for the job you want - most people figure they can use a newspaper gig to leap frog to the job they really want, an internet startup.

 

My current job (not newspaper), I was told to dress casual for the interview. So, I did - polo and jeans, which still made me feel slightly overdressed. The dress code here is "wear clothes." For me that pretty much means jeans and t-shirt/hoodie every day, depending on the weather. But someone mentioned pajamas earlier in the thread - it's not common, but I've definitely seen it once or twice here.

 

I definitely wore jeans and a T-shirt, with a backward baseball cap, to interviews for my first two journalism jobs. Of course, one was for a glorified agate clerk and the other was a part-time preps beat. I'd have been laughed out of the building if I'd shown up in a suit.

That said, I'm pretty sure I've worn at least a tie on every interview I've been on since.

 

Shirt/tie and slacks, no jacket, is my plan for an interview I have next week.

 

Wore jeans to the record store. Wasn't cool enough to get a job there, despite my eclectic taste in music.

 

I wore a suit/tie to my last job interview (18 years ago). Got the job and wore suit/tie the first day of work. The SE told me he never wanted to see me in the tie again. I said, no problem, I'm not a tie person, and I'll never wear a tie into this office again, even if you die and the funeral is held right here at your desk.

 

I'm 43 and I agree with Elliotte, the dress "code" has become more and more lax over time. As previously mentioned, part of it for me was moving out west six years ago ... even the publisher doesn't wear a tie at my shop.

When I started at a suburban chain of twice-a-week newspapers in Chicagoland, I was told to wear shirt, tie and dress pants/shoes every day. My ME at the time said, "People will treat you more professionally if you dress like a professional." Of course, you were expected to do this without being PAID like a professional ... an early lesson in the ways of journalism.

Now? Jeans and polo shirts are the rule in the newsroom, and not just for us deskers. The Inland Northwest is a casual kind of place, and unless the reporters are covering a formal event (rare), they dress like their sources do.

For weekend desk shifts, shorts and T-shirts work ... especially since they basically shut down the AC for the weekend and it's boiling in the newsroom.