to button or not to button a suit for interview

Button--always. You can never be overly dressed on an interview...but being under dressed can send a bad message.

Only one shot at a first impression, as they say. Good luck!

~Sharon

top button only

Just make sure your comfortable. If you feel stuffy in a buttoned jacket, let the button out. In my 18 years in recruiting field, I've never heard of any hiring authority being put off by an unbuttoned jacket , but I have heard of people losing jobs because they're too stuffy.

This is where I was coming from. Having not worn suit for a while, except for the occassional wedding or funeral, and getting to work from home as often as I want so I don't have to even wear a polo shirt or long pants, wearing a suit sucks big time and I can't stand the restriction it makes me feel like i'm in.

(on a side note, I was thinking of getting a sleeveless wetsuit because my full sleeve, though I heard it was faster, makes me feel stuffy also. Just more money down the drain...)

As a manager who frequently hires professionals (engineers), I don't care if the suit is buttoned or not. Wearing it is enough. To the point earlier, you need to be comfortable and confident in the interview.

One technique is to come in and shake hands with jacket buttoned, but to unbutton when you sit down. More comfortable and exudes confidence. When you stand up to go, rebutton if it feels right.

However, make sure shoes are shined and wear dress socks. These are details that you would be amazed stick in the mind and can make a difference in your perceived qualifications (or at least how much you care...).

Good luck!

This is always my preferred method, but I tend to be traditional when dressed up. The suit should NOT be buttoned when you're sitting down. And, when buttoned, if it is a 3-button jacket, the middle should always be buttoned, the top can be buttoned, and the bottom should never be buttoned. On a 2-button jacket, the top should be buttoned, the bottom unbuttoned.

Definitely spit and polish. Making the effort to look nice tells me that you want the job.

Button suit when standing; unbutton when seated.  Pain in the neck when I go to church (we Lutherans stand and sit a lot).

Also, hang your suit jacket up while driving to the interview; don't wear it.  This way it stays wrinkle free for your interview!

I've interviewed people for jobs, and the button issue won't make or break you.  But I do agree that the suit jacket should be buttoned when you're standing, and unbuttoned when you sit.  It makes you look better and you want even subconscious impressions to be good ones.  Also very important to have shined shoes.  It shows you care.  My father did many many interviews, and though it was in days long past, he used to tell me he would always look at the applicant's shoes.

Good luck on your interview!!!

If you are not comfortable wearing a suit and you are in an industry that is not very conservative, you don't have to go in a suit. As a programmer, I rarely put on a suit unless the client is in a conservative brick and mortar type business. I will always wear a sportcoat though, but rarely a tie. The entire ensemble (from slacks to shirt to sportcoat) is designed to go together and does give the appearance of "dressing up", only I'm much more comfortable without the noose around my neck and it is a much more progressive look overall.

Hey, I'm also a programmer, but I like to use "developer." (sounds better
What language do you code in?

(By the way, it's an interview for a law internship position with the public defender's office).

And if you know a good Network Engineer (w/Nortel exp) in the LA area, Chucky, send him/her my way!

Yup, suit it is.

I develop in .Net (C# or VB.Net) or Web (ColdFusion/PHP/ASP/ASP.Net/JSP). I started in Web Development and have migrated over to "traditional" programming. What about you?

Nortel as in Baystack? I thought Nortel was dead. I used to be a network engineer for a startup company in 2000 before I moved over to development. I remember Baystack getting bought by Nortel and then I thought Nortel died under the Cisco crunch. If you find a good Cisco guy, I'd think he could handle Nortel equipment, but I've been outta the networking game for a couple years, so what do I know

I work for a large consulting firm and alot of their clients (including gov) still have their systems on COBOL, so that's where I started, and still support it once in a while. But I currently program in C# .NET and JAVA as more and more of the clients, don't want to rid of the mainframe (think it's more stable then servers), but just have a web front end communicating through mq series and HIS.

well, just to let you know, I didn't get the summer intern because I work full time and it's a full time program. He did say that if I email him in June that there might be room for the fall program, which is part time.

So at least I didn't get a no right out.


Edited by auto208562 2005-03-29 10:04 PM

Maybe Chris knows someone, but every .NET developer I know is either in CA or TX.

Hey, have any contracts in New England or off-site work? I'm always looking ...

Sorry to hear about that. Just curious, why would you want to work as an intern? I've never heard of a programmer working as an intern. The only companies to be interning with would be the big software companies (Microsoft/Oracle/Google etc.) just so you have an in. If it was some smaller company, charge them!

I'm in the midst of changing careers. I am attending my first year as an evening part time program law school so I am trying to find an internship related to law. My interview was with the LA public defender's office.

WHAT DID YOU DO ABOUT YOUR BUTTONS?!?!  :-D

I didn't button them. Tell you the truth, they were very casual there, they didn't even wear coats. I guess they only wear them when they go to court.

did you send them a thank you note/email? Many managers tell me they are amazed how many people neglect to send a note after an interview . You can send a thank you and add a line pertinent to the interview to show you were paying attention.

No I didn't, but good suggestion. I can't remember if I have before in earlier interviews (been 10 years since I've been on one). When should I send them one?