OT: What should a college senior wear to a job interview with a professional sports team?
Title is pretty self-explanatory, and I figured this might a good place to get some helpful information. My kid is interviewing with an MLB team for an entry level position in data analytics over Zoom. He's planning on wearing a button down shirt and slacks, with the expectation that he will be seated the whole time. A friend of his interviewed with same organization, different department (operations) and said it was casual. Should me kid wear a tie, or is a button down shirt enough?
November 8th, 2021 at 4:29 PM ^
It is always better to overdress than underdress, imo
November 8th, 2021 at 4:31 PM ^
Wear the tie. You never get a second chance to make a first impression.
November 8th, 2021 at 6:10 PM ^
Okay, but if you do the tie, a jacket/sports coat is required.
November 8th, 2021 at 6:17 PM ^
When I was interviewing out of college I had no idea what I was doing and dressed like an idiot. My shirts were too small and wouldn’t button, mismatched belt and shoes, tie to my belly button. It was bad.
For your son- Navy Suit, white or business blue shirt, conservative tie (red/navy with stripes). Hold back on the skinny ties, tie bars, black shirts, etc.. Def avoid the black suit, white shirt, black tie combo. Good luck!
November 8th, 2021 at 4:32 PM ^
Why slacks if it is over zoom? I wore shorts to all my video interviews during the pandemic.
November 8th, 2021 at 4:34 PM ^
Why not slacks? Is there some scenario where the shorts are more advantageous?
November 8th, 2021 at 4:37 PM ^
I recruited out of Ross this spring with my MBA and wore shorts for every video interview. I also had to wear a jacket and tie so shorts helped me not overheat.
November 8th, 2021 at 4:36 PM ^
His roommate interviewed for a job with a bank over Zoom and they asked him to stand up so they could see what he was wearing. Thankfully he was wearing suit pants that went with his suit coat. He got the job.
November 8th, 2021 at 4:57 PM ^
That's hilarious. Seriously, though, if you're going to wear a jacket and tie (which I recommend), you should at least wear pants that go with it - nice jeans minimum, if not slacks/khakis.
November 8th, 2021 at 4:59 PM ^
That’s an awkward request, but it does underscore an important point: the interviewee is not the home team in an interview. I am firmly in Camp Tie.
Overdressing for an interview is easily brushed off. Underdressing is not.
November 8th, 2021 at 5:09 PM ^
His roommate interviewed for a job with a bank over Zoom and they asked him to stand up so they could see what he was wearing
And this is why I could never work in a bank or any stuffy ass corporate environment. My mouth would have ended that interview just before they had a chance to judge me for my hoops shorts.
If the interview is over Zoom, who gives a shit what pants or shoes you're wearing. And if they're making their hiring decisions based on those factors, who wants to work there?
November 8th, 2021 at 5:26 PM ^
I wouldn't but the starting salary was around $85K so....there's something to be said for wearing pants to the interview.
November 8th, 2021 at 6:23 PM ^
Maybe they're making the decision based on whether you're actually a professional person, or just put on a veneer of professionalism when you know people are looking.
November 8th, 2021 at 7:55 PM ^
...who gives a shit...? A hiring person who wants to know if the applicant is willing to put in the effort to make a good impression, that's who.
November 8th, 2021 at 5:39 PM ^
Then he should do that. Seemed simple enough.
November 8th, 2021 at 5:57 PM ^
they asked him to stand up so they could see what he was wearing
Interesting way of finding out if the candidate is prepared for surprises, or authentic and "all in" or just doing enough to get the gig or get by.
November 8th, 2021 at 6:01 PM ^
Everyone has their own perspective, but this screams "company that cares more about looking professional than being professional" to me. The kind of place where all a manager cares about is if you're seen in your chair before 8 and after 5, regardless of whether anything productive is happening.
I'm not saying don't dress appropriately for the interview, but "let me see your pants" isn't a reasonable request from an interviewer IMO.
November 9th, 2021 at 12:20 PM ^
And also maybe borderline inappropriate? It would be interesting to know the genders of the participants. A male interviewer asking a female candidate to stand up to show what she was wearing would be a real problem. The whole thing seems unreasonable and misguided for a number of different reasons.
November 8th, 2021 at 10:06 PM ^
Do they also ask female interviewees to stand up so they can see what they are wearing? That would be highly inappropriate. And if it's inappropriate to ask female job applicants to do that, then it is equally inappropriate to ask male job applicants the same question.
On the other hand, if they only ask the male applicants to stand up so they can see what they are wearing, but they don't ask the female applicants to do likewise, then that is gender discrimination in hiring.
Or do they only interview male candidates?
Someone should alert the HR department of whatever company that was, because they are setting themselves up for some problems. There is so much wrong with an interviewer asking an applicant to show them their waistline that it gives me a headache thinking about it. I understand the intent, but in practice, it could be really misconstrued.
November 8th, 2021 at 5:55 PM ^
If you have something against slacks our head football coach would like a word with you…
November 8th, 2021 at 4:32 PM ^
Dress for the job you want.
November 8th, 2021 at 4:37 PM ^
Whatever he decides upon wearing, a pocket-protector will give him that distinctive "data nerd" look to make him stand out from all others.
November 8th, 2021 at 4:42 PM ^
The person who's interviewing him is a Stanford grad and data nerd so that might be a good idea.
November 8th, 2021 at 5:40 PM ^
NERDS!!! In Ogre's voice.
November 8th, 2021 at 4:37 PM ^
We wear caps and sleeves at this level son.
November 8th, 2021 at 4:37 PM ^
A nice, button-down shirt with a sport coat. Ties are out, but a nice jacket would be a good compromise. Still dressing up without looking like a dweeb wearing a tie.
November 8th, 2021 at 4:44 PM ^
This man gets it. I see zero ties in interviews these days.
November 8th, 2021 at 4:50 PM ^
Zero ties in interviews these days? Man, I’m getting old.
November 8th, 2021 at 4:55 PM ^
I feel you. I have 20-30 in the closet gathering dust
November 8th, 2021 at 5:12 PM ^
if a kid came to interview with me with no tie on, he wouldn't get the job.
November 8th, 2021 at 5:28 PM ^
I would say jacket no tie also.
Source - engineer who hasn't worn a tie for work in a long time
November 8th, 2021 at 5:41 PM ^
I would probably include the tie. Difference in dress up is negligible and there are still enough people out there who think the tie is mandatory for an interview. Those who don't care about a tie won't think twice if you're wearing one, but those who think you should have one on will definitely hold it against you. Not worth the risk, in my opinion.
Source: I work for a professional services firm where one partner wears a full suit and tie every day and expects his entire team to do the same while another partner wears jeans and a polo everyday they don't have a prescheduled meeting. They have very different expectations for an interview.
November 8th, 2021 at 4:38 PM ^
I would try my best to go full out for this interview. I'd wear the jersey of the team I'm interviewing for, eye black (just because), and even throw on some cleats.
In all seriousness, best of luck to your son. Whatever he ends up wearing, I'm sure will be fine.
November 8th, 2021 at 4:42 PM ^
Even if the organization is casual, I think it's worth dressing up for the interview. To me, it would help convey that (1) he's taking it seriously and (2) wants to make a good impression.
November 8th, 2021 at 6:01 PM ^
They can always tell him it isn't necessary.
November 8th, 2021 at 4:42 PM ^
Little league baseball uniform?
November 8th, 2021 at 4:46 PM ^
A tutu works.
No, I think the proper approach to attire is to contact HR and ask what is appropriate attire for the office/online interview.
November 8th, 2021 at 5:31 PM ^
Do people do this? It would never, ever occur to me to take up the time of an HR person at a company that hasn't hired me with a question like this.
November 8th, 2021 at 6:03 PM ^
Really?
I don't see how it could hurt. It would show them the candidate (who they may be working with shortly) is genuinely interested in the company, the job, and HR's input.
November 9th, 2021 at 4:39 AM ^
I mean, my interpretation would be that it demonstrates to them that the candidate will waste people's time by forcing them to deal with the applicant's inexperience and lack of self-confidence. But possibly I receive more stupid emails that didn't need to be sent than you do?
November 8th, 2021 at 8:16 PM ^
In my industry (pharma/biotech) HR is your main point of contact for interviews. Who else would you ask the question to?
I worn a suit and tie to everything until I stopped caring about being offered the job every time, and caring more about if it is a good fit and being comfortable. Most of the time I was overdressed (I’ve had senior vps interview me who ever wearing a sweatshirt and jeans) which feels as weird as being underdressed to me.
I would suggest wearing what you expect to wear to work every day and asking you contact person if there’s any doubt.
November 8th, 2021 at 4:46 PM ^
Always wear a suit (grey or navy) and tie. Your son can always take off the jacket (even over Zoom).
November 8th, 2021 at 4:48 PM ^
No one ever didn’t get a job for over dressing.
November 8th, 2021 at 5:32 PM ^
So many stripper jokes, so little time.
November 8th, 2021 at 4:52 PM ^
Jerseyz, plural.
November 8th, 2021 at 4:56 PM ^
Track suit or full baseball uni.
November 8th, 2021 at 5:01 PM ^
Put on a tie. It’s always best to over dress a little then nit look nice enough. Always dress for a position above what you are applying for
November 8th, 2021 at 5:02 PM ^
Their rival’s oversized jersey
November 8th, 2021 at 5:02 PM ^
Grow a mustache, wear a long sleeve shirt with a sweater over it with shirt and sweater sleeves folded up 3/4 length.
And, oh yeah, have a whistle around your neck with a soccer ball in the background.