CIOs Are Traditional When it Comes to Interview Attire
Nearly half prefer suits to more casual attire.
Top companies like Facebook are setting the trend for more casual attire at work, but that doesn’t mean that chief information officers across the board think that jeans and a t-shirt are the most appropriate dress, at least for an interview.
A new survey of 2,300 CIOs by Robert Half Technology found that nearly half (46 percent) of CIOs believe a business suit is the most appropriate attire for someone interviewing for an IT position. Thirty-four percent of respondents favored khakis and a collared shirt, while only 4 percent said jeans and a polo shirt was the most appropriate attire for someone interviewing for an IT job.
Geography was a factor in the way CIOs viewed proper interview attire, the study found. For example, CIOs in San Francisco and Raleigh, N.C., were less formal in their expectations, while CIOs in Philadelphia and Denver were among the cities with the most traditional expectations, with the majority favoring business suits as the outfit of choice for IT job candidates.
My guess is that most federal CIOs prefer the traditional, professional dress when interviewing IT candidates. What’s the most appropriate interview attire for an IT job at your agency?