I wish I could choose what to wear!

Suit couldn't fit into my luggage (and I don't have money to buy/rent one, since I don't have a job), so I have to go to interviews in farmer-pullover, even if I apply for National Bank Customer Servicer/Whatever (which I certainly won't).

Quote: Original post by ktuluorion
Man, I don't know if you guys are a bunch of crazy code nerds, or my experience has been a little different than some of the rest of the world's.

I went to Merrill Lynch out of school, and EVERYONE had a suit to interview with them. I realize that is a bank, and not a more "nerdy, loose" culture, but every interview i've ever had (except for when I was young and interviewed at pizza hut and a video store) I wore a suit to.

I can't believe that people think it would be a detriment -- let's look at it from Dave's point of view.

Dave - "This guy cares. He made the effort to have everything in place, wear a suit, have his hair done well. He obviously puts the effort into what he does to make sure that every detail is in place. On the other hand, person B has hair standing up, and didn't have the attention to detail to put it down."

Not that i'm making fun of the guy with the hair, but I just feel like in the real world(tm) being able to be attentive to detail and being a good business person is more important than being a brilliant programmer savant.

Once again, the hole in my theory is that half of my interviews have been in tech at wall st. firms, and the others have all been other fairly professional places.

On an unrelated note, I would love to be able to wear shorts, t-shirt, and bare feet to work. That would rock.

Hi. You got the wrong impression. Personally, I'm apparently in the minority here, but I would've preferred to wear a suit. I was specifically asked not to, because it would be considered weird in their environment. As far as the hair, you make a valid point, it was a stupid oversight, but something I normally don't obsess about because I hadn't had that problem before. I was on two hours sleep and missed it. Oh well, you learn.

I mentioned it because it was amusing, in retrospect, but you seem to have taken it further than it was intended. So, if it helps you, ignore my initial post. As for being a good business person, like you said, it's highly dependent on where you work.

Also, I didn't meet anyone named Dave. [smile]

Quote: Original post by Sirisian
I think it would all depend on the place. I'd probably wear a suit though since I've never had a reason to wear my nice suit yet.

">Nothing suits me like a suit >_>

Yeah, I have to admit, I like the suit standard also just because I enjoy dressing up.

Quote: Original post by ktuluorion
Man, I don't know if you guys are a bunch of crazy code nerds, or my experience has been a little different than some of the rest of the world's.

I went to Merrill Lynch out of school, and EVERYONE had a suit to interview with them. I realize that is a bank, and not a more "nerdy, loose" culture, but every interview i've ever had (except for when I was young and interviewed at pizza hut and a video store) I wore a suit to.

I can't believe that people think it would be a detriment -- let's look at it from Dave's point of view.

Dave - "This guy cares. He made the effort to have everything in place, wear a suit, have his hair done well. He obviously puts the effort into what he does to make sure that every detail is in place. On the other hand, person B has hair standing up, and didn't have the attention to detail to put it down."

Not that i'm making fun of the guy with the hair, but I just feel like in the real world(tm) being able to be attentive to detail and being a good business person is more important than being a brilliant programmer savant.

Once again, the hole in my theory is that half of my interviews have been in tech at wall st. firms, and the others have all been other fairly professional places.

On an unrelated note, I would love to be able to wear shorts, t-shirt, and bare feet to work. That would rock.

Wall Street definitely has a different environment. I interviewed at a few Wall Street places (including Merrill Lynch) and they all expected a suit. A notable exception is Bloomberg, who made it clear that casual dress was acceptable (and to an extent expected).

In general I feel that the attitude towards suits is synonymous with the attitude toward risk. Banks prefer suits because they are traditional and conservative. It sends a clear message that they will stick to what has worked and won't try anything radical. They want to send a message that they won't try anything risky with your money (regardless of if it's true). In a business where customer confidence is critical, that's an important message to convey.

Companies like Google reject suits because they are traditional. It sends a clear message that they are not afraid to try something radical and different. In a business where innovation is key, that's the more important message to send.

As always, I recommend you buy (its well worth the money) and read "Programming Interviews Exposed", which I believe is now in its 3rd edition.

As far as content, I know a Google engineer that was hired last year or so. We didn't discuss details, but he said that the interview had a heavy focus on algorithms (knowing big-O complexities), and also being able to get your head around how that works within the staggeringly huge datasets that google works with.

In many cases, google works with so much data that the typical approach of "put a bunch of stuff in memory and sort it there" simply doesn't work. Its something to keep in mind that most positions at google require you to think in terms where "N" is 4+ orders of magnitude larger than anything you've ever thought of before.

Also, Map-Reduce is their baby and its used everywhere, so be sure you understand that concept, and perhaps study an open-source implimentation like HaDoop.

Quote: Original post by Rydinare

Quote: Original post by ktuluorion
Man, I don't know if you guys are a bunch of crazy code nerds, or my experience has been a little different than some of the rest of the world's.

I went to Merrill Lynch out of school, and EVERYONE had a suit to interview with them. I realize that is a bank, and not a more "nerdy, loose" culture, but every interview i've ever had (except for when I was young and interviewed at pizza hut and a video store) I wore a suit to.

I can't believe that people think it would be a detriment -- let's look at it from Dave's point of view.

Dave - "This guy cares. He made the effort to have everything in place, wear a suit, have his hair done well. He obviously puts the effort into what he does to make sure that every detail is in place. On the other hand, person B has hair standing up, and didn't have the attention to detail to put it down."

Not that i'm making fun of the guy with the hair, but I just feel like in the real world(tm) being able to be attentive to detail and being a good business person is more important than being a brilliant programmer savant.

Once again, the hole in my theory is that half of my interviews have been in tech at wall st. firms, and the others have all been other fairly professional places.

On an unrelated note, I would love to be able to wear shorts, t-shirt, and bare feet to work. That would rock.

Hi. You got the wrong impression. Personally, I'm apparently in the minority here, but I would've preferred to wear a suit. I was specifically asked not to, because it would be considered weird in their environment. As far as the hair, you make a valid point, it was a stupid oversight, but something I normally don't obsess about because I hadn't had that problem before. I was on two hours sleep and missed it. Oh well, you learn.

I mentioned it because it was amusing, in retrospect, but you seem to have taken it further than it was intended. So, if it helps you, ignore my initial post. As for being a good business person, like you said, it's highly dependent on where you work.

Also, I didn't meet anyone named Dave. [smile]

Don't get the wrong impression -- I wasn't being critical of you. I definitely understand the lack of sleep thing and oversights.

I was more just commenting on the (mindblowing to me) concept that there are interviews for professional jobs where you wouldn't wear a suit. I understand that maybe i'm wrong, but I always just viewed it as a given.

As an aside, i've probably mentioned IRL to about 3 people this thread, particularly the jedi knight interview.

Thx Gamedev!

I don't think a suit would be a detriment to you in most places, as long as you don't come off as a "suit type". Don't be surprised to receive some kind-hearted ribbing over it though.

The best advice I've always gotten is to dress one level above daily attire -- If its casual dress day-to-day, then business-casual is interview appropriate. If Business casual is the norm, then business formal is appropriate for an interview. If formal is the norm, put on your best suit and tie, and get your haircut freshened up -- its likely you're going into a role where appearances matter.

Google is a pretty casual affair from what I've seen, so I'd go in business casual -- A nice pair of dark jeans or slacks, and a shirt with a collar and buttons.