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I suppose you could argue that, but I don't think things are equal in both
directions. There are certain things where there is an expectation for more
formal attire. There was a recent article about a man that was representing
his company at a meeting and it turned out that president of the US was
there
(http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/apr/09/man-wears-polo-shirt-meeting
-president-obama). Why was that a big deal or newsworthy? Because people
still recognize that there are certain expectations or protocols for certain
situations. Obviously, a job interview is not the same as meeting with a
head of state, but I still think it would warrant more formal attire than
normal. When I see someone that is "dressed-down" for certain events like a
job interview, it conveys to me a lack of courtesy and respect.
But isn't this equally true for the place that expects a tie and jacket? Or
are we to forgive "looking at the wrong things" in one case but not the
other?
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Rick Quatro wrote:
I don't like the "conform-or-else" insinuation. If you were qualified for
the position, but lost it because you were "over-dressed" for the interview
they probably did you a favor by not hiring you. It sounds like they were
looking at the wrong things. It would have been easier to tell you that you
would be required to dress-down a bit if they hired you instead of
dismissing you because you "wouldn't fit it" based on your interview attire.
I have seen under-qualified people get hired for positions just because they
didn't conform to the prevailing "grunge" culture. They weren't afraid to
put their best foot forward and the people hiring took a chance because they
felt that they would have the character to learn on the job. I would always
err on the side of overdressed instead of taking a chance on underdressing.
Rick
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