I agree with this. Hiring is not just about "can they do the job?", but also about "will they fit in with the rest of the team?", and phone interviews will not give you the answer to the second question - only meeting the rest of the team will.

i was told the office was casual and there was no need to wear a suit, but i wore a suit.

wear a suit.

/thread

i try to evaluate 3 things:

can he do the job?

will he do the job?

will he drive me nuts?

I don't understand your post.

What happens when the next interviewer comes in and is wearing a tie? Do you put your tie back on?

Sounds like brown-nosing to me.

Why did I get a groan for this when I am just trying to help the fellow out?

Well this thread was asking about what to wear during an interview. I assumed this was referring to a face-to-face interview. Perhaps I was mistaken, but I don't think the OP was asking for clothing advice for writing their resume or answering technical questions on the phone.

If the hiring process requires an employee who visually fits in with the team, then yes, this is a main function of the face-to-face interview.

I was just bringing up the situations I have experienced, where candidates have had to tier resumes, and have passed through all the previous stages of the application, but arrive at the interview over dressed, over done up, and absolutely useless when it comes to interviewing. Technical questioning is long finished.

If you want to be the boss, dress like the boss. End of story...

Or is that GNU/Linux T-Shirt?

I thought you preferred to don a kilt and a Who T-shirt Mr McR

Actually Joking with Phil aside, Im actually stunned about the stupidity of the initial question especially if it's not a trade job and is based in a corporate type structure and I was wondering earlier if i should wipe my ahrse after a visit to the toilet....

1. This is not the UK. You cannot project your experiences in the UK to Switzerland. Telling the OP what you have done or heard applying for a job abroad is not helpful as he is applying for a job in Switzerland.

2. It is best to know in advance how both employees and your future boss/interviewer dress. If they are in a shirt and jeans you'll look out of place with your suit and tie. It is still better to over- than underdress. A safe bet in Switzerland is a good shirt (light blue/white, or other, conservative colors) and suit trousers. That way you're neither informal nor overdressed and is at the same time the most typical office wear (in Zürich).

3. I have been to a job interview yesterday, dressed exactly the way described above, my (future) boss wore a short-sleeved shirt and jeans, none of the employees wore a suit (consultants) as they weren't meeting clients that day. Wearing a suit would have been massive overkill and I'm glad I didn't, I would have been uncomfortable being the only guy in a suit that day.

edit: Oh and my profile picture shows me in exceptionally formal wear, I don't usually go to work like that.

Exact same thing happened with me for a interview in Zurich. I decided not to wear suit but formal shirt,trousers and a tie. By the time I reached the office it was so hot that I dropped the tie idea and was very comfortable with the interviewers. All three of them were in casuals.

That is a very simplified model of life and neglects thousands of other factors. Wonder if you could boss around M.K Gandhi in your bossy dress.

PS: Before you say "But you are not Gandhi", I would like to remind you of "thousand other factors".

1. As a chief of division for Zurich, in Zürich i'm sure I know this is not the UK.

2. Of course. One should know all about a company including it's dress code before turning up to an interview, hence why it is a ridiculous question and thank you for telling me what I should wear to my offices lest I forget where I am.

3. Good for you, I hope you get it and glad you did the research first As you stated you were wearing SUIT trousers did you also take the Jacket too incase the need arose for it? Two looks with one outfit and all that...

Always overdress rather than underdress. This goes for any occasion really. You can always take things off, but cant conjure them up if you didnt bring them. If the weather is heatwave still wear the jacket and the interviewer will doubtless suggest you take it off anyway.

It depends where your nuts want to go.

What if it is a phone interview? Do you still have to wear a suit?

Cheers,
Nick

Better be safe and be in the 'confident' state of mine. Heck, when I'm fine tuning my resume for a specific job application, I always suit up in my favorite tailored Hickey. The benefits to the end product are fabulous!