First day at work - wear a suit?

[Jonel]

Tomorrow is my first day at an engineering firm, where their dress code is business casual. This will be my first job in an office type environment, and I was just wondering for those of you who's been in the business for quite some time, Yes or No on wearing a suit on your first day of work?

[turbotrip]

no suit unless you are a manager

engineers wear dress shirts and dress pants, no tie

[Cos]

Dress shirt and nice pants. No jacket or tie

[Canucks3322]

Ohhh boyyy.......one of the things they DO NOT teach you in school is that nobody in the real working world (doesn't matter what environment) likes a fucking keener...you wear a suit on the first day after they specifically tell you it's business casual dress code, I guarentee you you will rub everyone, including your superiors, the wrong way.

[CaptainReboot]

Yeah, no suit.

The only people that should be wearing them are people who are in sales that regularly meet with clients, or executives. Even the senior managers and VP's at my work don't wear suits.

[ZorroAMG]

Wear what you want...ignore the sheep here.

Dress for the job you want, not the one you have.

[googe]

Haha, hell no do not wear a suit. Even wearing a suit to an interview is a terrible idea. You just give yourself away as being completely out of touch.


Originally posted by ZorroAMG
Wear what you want...ignore the sheep here.
Dress for the job you want, not the one you have.

You're in sales, not engineering :) Bad advice in engineering.

[Jonel]

Thanks for the quick reply guys. I'll be going in with just a nice dress shirt and pants.

[in*10*se]

don't forget your pocket protector and calculator

[The_Rural_Juror]

Pants optional in most engineering firms.

[kvg]

suit?Don't most engineers dress like this?
http://www.trainparty.com/pictures/ADULT-TRAIN-ENGINEER-COSTUME.JPG

[duaner]

^ :thumbsup:


Originally posted by The_Rural_Juror
Pants optional in most engineering firms.
But undies are a must.


+1 to dressing how they told you. I've worked as a mechanical drafter/designer for 6 years in the Foothills Industrial area and it's quite causal--jeans and a t-shirt. Not all in that area are like that but it's not like working downtown or something like that.

[Canucks3322]

Originally posted by in*10*se
don't forget your pocket protector and calculator

Best post so far haha :rofl:

[msommers]

You can wear a tie if you want. No suit though.

[Lex350]

Originally posted by ZorroAMG
Wear what you want...ignore the sheep here.

Dress for the job you want, not the one you have.


this!

[Cos]

Originally posted by ZorroAMG
Wear what you want...ignore the sheep here.

Dress for the job you want, not the one you have.

I 100% agree. Just not on your first day. I wear a suit now and then. A buddy, the owner, and I are the only ones who dress up now and then. But you do need to learn when it is appropriate and when it isnt first. Then you can dress for success.

Plus our office used to be downtown so it wasnt strange to wear a suit. We still do it once and a while but it is much less frequent.

[J-hop]

.

[flipstah]

Suits are VITAL in interviews. PERIOD. It shows that you want the job that bad.

And if they told you their dress code, follow it on day one. After that, the world's your oyster!

Suit up when you want to but you WILL get asked questions like, "job interview later?"

[Stephen81]

Originally posted by flipstah
Suits are VITAL in interviews. PERIOD. It shows that you want the job that bad.

And if they told you their dress code, follow it on day one. After that, the world's your oyster!

Suit up when you want to but you WILL get asked questions like, "job interview later?"

^ this aha, my work is business casual but i enjoy wearing ties. constantly get asked if i've got an interview later

[BigMass]

Nobody likes a keener. Don’t work too hard either. The old timers that are comfortable in their positions don’t appreciates the raised expectations because some newbie thinks they’re a hero.

[GQBalla]

make sure you just wear clean pressed clothes.

make sure your clothes fit you.

look sharp and clean guaranteed, i personally would not be wearing a suit unless i was in upper management.

Even at my work place, only the VPs and higher wear suits.

make sure your shirts and pants are pressed, clean and look good is what i do. I still get compliments on how i dress/

[swak]

This thread reminded me of this....
But good luck with your first day of work.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v646/magishn/200412085ph.gif

[Godfuader]

Wear a jacket! A key thing to remember is that on your first day, there will be introductions, so jackets make you look professional without trying too hard. Business casual could mean ties or clean cargo pants. Besides, you can always ditch the jacket later in the day.

[Chandler_Racing]

Originally posted by flipstah
Suits are VITAL in interviews. PERIOD. It shows that you want the job that bad.


I disagree. Unless you're looking into investment banking or something to that effect.

[Aleks]

Clean ironed well fitting dress pants, nice polished dress shoes, and dress shirt, tucked in, nice belt (no batman belt buckles). No need for a suit if the dress code doesn't require it and no one else in the workplace wears them.

Typically you might see in the Code of Conduct something about wearing a suit only to partner meetings or whenever you're representing your company to ouside clients.

[sneek]

I think you should wear a suit on the first day although I do work/interview for investment banking. Maybe wear a grey suit, white dress shirt with cufflinks and a slim/skinny tie. Worst case is that you leave the jacket behind when you are taking a tour.

[bituerbo]

I wear a suit a few days a week when raise/review times are coming up.

[Sugarphreak]

...

[JBreaks]

I would agree with the DO NOT GIVE 100% WHEN YOU GET THERE idea...

not so much that you will rub someone the wrong way by being a keener, but because its better to keep an "ace up your sleeve" if you will... Its more of a 'disappointment' and more obvious when you start to feel like you deserve more respect/pay and trim the effort just a little bit. Instead of being that all the time superstar you were initially, they see that your starting to slack.

manage expectations and progressively build up your efforts in a manner that demonstrates that more compensation will derive more efficiency.

[turbotrip]

OP, you should consider how much experience at engg firms the posters saying to wear suits have. I would wager little to none.

[l/l/rX]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak

Personally my last interview I went to I wore a golf shirt and jeans... best interview I have ever had.

just out of curiosity, what kind of job did you land after>?

[Mitsu3000gt]

My experience? Nobody gives a fuck what you wear, as long as it meets minimum requirements and you're dressed appropriately if/when you meet with clients.

[Sugarphreak]

....

[flipstah]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak


Becides another reason is if you are well experienced and you get an inverview based on a reccomendation, then show up for an interview in a suit with your hair slicked back, it reaks of desperation instead of confidence.

With a cold interview, yeah I can see dressing up nice in a suit. That is all you have to rely on initially.

QFT. The suit is applicable if there's no recommendation involved.

My boss actually wore jeans during my interview. He's awesome lol

[Jry_79]

Originally posted by turbotrip
OP, you should consider how much experience at engg firms the posters saying to wear suits have. I would wager little to none.

+1, one poster mentioned to wear a suit but he was doing work in investment banking. Just wear dress pants, dress shirt and dress shoes.

[boosted_Z]

Make sure that you're comfortable in whatever you choose to wear on a daily basis. If you feel awkward people will notice.

You've already got the job, this part should be easy.

[ZorroAMG]

Are you working in an office? How far fetched is it to say suits are ok? Who gives a shit what everyone else wears, as long as you aren't underdressed, rock what YOU want.

Engineers making fun of someone cause of their clothes is a HUGE oxymoron by the way.

[J-hop]

.

[Sugarphreak]

...

[dimi]

Originally posted by J-hop

So don't let people fool you into being the bozo in the corner showing no drive or initiative to better themselves, who applies for a raise but has never accomplished anything but what was required.

Wow.

He was trying to say something along the lines of give 90% of your effort, so that you can ramp up later on and people notice that you are getting increasingly better with time.

If you go all out on the first day people will then expect you to be like that every single day. And lets not shit ourselves and be idealistic here, no one can always give 100%. Everyone has ups and downs. But if you set the bar extremely high the first couple of days, when you have a down day people will think you're doing fuck all.

"Bozo in the corner showing no drive and initiative." Give me a fucking break. :rofl:

[J-hop]

.

[KandabashiDevil]

Originally posted by BigMass
Don’t work too hard either.

LOL

Another reminder of why nobody should ever ask for any advice on beyond.ca :rofl:

[googe]

Originally posted by J-hop


I was referring to bigmass's comment about "don't work to hard, no one likes a keener".

Maybe you guys don't enjoy your jobs? that 4 months working over the summer was absolutely amazing and I can't wait to get back, even though I did work 27 days straight (10hr days) for a month, to pull my project together.

giving 100% every day doesn't mean crunching numbers non stop for 8 hrs straight. It means working hard, networking with people in the company (which some people find hard), and giving it your all to make those connections and get noticed as a hard worker. Not sitting at your desk in the morning gauging the level of work or productivity you should turn out that day, that is absolutely ridiculous.

If you have a bad day, you have a bad day, its not a huge deal, people won't think you are a slacker if you've been a solid worker 95+% of the time, heck with me the harder I worked the more lenient they were on me during my internship.

This is pretty much the only attitude that will get you anywhere. The 90% theory doesn't work. It's not even possible to do that really, you either do your best or you don't.

You should do something you like and go until you burn out, because it'll be those years that you build a track record, and as you rightly point out, they'll cut you slack later when you need it, because you're already a rockstar and they feel like they owe it to you.

The other side of this is you're going to be rightly pissed when your company screws you, because you've made a personal investment, and they will keep things as just business and won't be afraid to forget all about the times you did the company a favor. It will happen eventually, but you'll have left a good impression on people, and you'll go on to the next thing.

It's usually good to bail at the first sign of them not giving you what you are worth (this doesn't mean salary), otherwise you'll end up rotting away in a cubicle, a jaded bastard, telling everyone to not work too hard on forums.

[Cos]

Originally posted by J-hop



I definitely was NOT arguing for wearing a suit, I don't think you need to do that. I was referring to bigmass's comment about "don't work to hard, no one likes a keener".

Maybe you guys don't enjoy your jobs? that 4 months working over the summer was absolutely amazing and I can't wait to get back, even though I did work 27 days straight (10hr days) for a month, to pull my project together.

giving 100% every day doesn't mean crunching numbers non stop for 8 hrs straight. It means working hard, networking with people in the company (which some people find hard), and giving it your all to make those connections and get noticed as a hard worker. Not sitting at your desk in the morning gauging the level of work or productivity you should turn out that day, that is absolutely ridiculous.

If you have a bad day, you have a bad day, its not a huge deal, people won't think you are a slacker if you've been a solid worker 95+% of the time, heck with me the harder I worked the more lenient they were on me during my internship.

I was going to make fun of you for not having a clue being a new grad, or coop student, but I have to say I am impressed. Good work. You will do well for yourself.

What industry in if you dont mind me asking? If you are in electrical send me your info through PM.

[J-hop]

.

[bjstare]

Originally posted by J-hop
I definitely was NOT arguing for wearing a suit, I don't think you need to do that. I was referring to bigmass's comment about "don't work to hard, no one likes a keener".

Maybe you guys don't enjoy your jobs? that 4 months working over the summer was absolutely amazing and I can't wait to get back, even though I did work 27 days straight (10hr days) for a month, to pull my project together.

giving 100% every day doesn't mean crunching numbers non stop for 8 hrs straight. It means working hard, networking with people in the company (which some people find hard), and giving it your all to make those connections and get noticed as a hard worker. Not sitting at your desk in the morning gauging the level of work or productivity you should turn out that day, that is absolutely ridiculous.

If you have a bad day, you have a bad day, its not a huge deal, people won't think you are a slacker if you've been a solid worker 95+% of the time, heck with me the harder I worked the more lenient they were on me during my internship.

I can relate to you haha.

When I read that comment about "not working too hard", I shook my head. Seriously, if you think you'll get ahead by sandbagging so you can look like a star on command, people will know your sandbagging. When you finally get to work and pull things together, the people you work with will be like, "Finally, that guy actually got something done! He's good when he decides to try." I know this, because I worked for a guy exactly like this at one time. As an intern, I was consistently working harder than my boss, and I was getting recognized by the people he reports to for working harder and getting more done than he did.

I'm currently on my fourth co-op, graduating in the spring... I'll have worked 116 hours in my last 11 days when this Co-op is over on Tuesday, and I'm lovin it.