Durkin’s Getting Hired at a Startup Series (4 of 10): Wear a Suit

January 25th, 2012

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#4 Prepare your Sunday’s Finest: Wear a suit / female equivalent.

I don’t know what it is about the jeans / tee-shirt infatuation in startup America. It blows my mind. I simply don’t understand it. A significant percentage of people I speak to about startups always seem to comment on the fact that entrepreneurs are “soooo lucky that they can wear jeans.” What the hell does that even mean?!?!

Now. I like jeans just as much as the next guy. They are definitely comfortable. If you wear them when falling off a motorcycle, apparently they’ll protect your entire shit from somewhat getting torn to pieces. They’re fairly difficult to light on fire. And you can wear them days, if not weeks, if not months (cough, cough Mike) in a row without washing them. But, for interviews, call me old fashioned, but I believe you should rock a suit. With a nice bold tie. And a white shirt. Women, same to you but in female words. Show me that you can carry yourself with confidence. Show me that someday I can see you on my executive team, LEADING the company. I don’t care if you’re interviewing for a position on the business side of startups, or on the technical side. Developers. Wear a suit. Designers. Wear a suit. Business gangsters. Wear a suit. Look good. Make all of the people at work that day look at you and say: “Damn. That gangster looks good. Kid looks like he runs the company. I wish I could look that god damn good.”

What a suit / female equivalent shows me:

1. You can take care of yourself and can exist with structure.

2. You feel comfortable with yourself in dressing up just as much as you do dressing down.

3. I can bring you to dinner parties with executives in Boston outside of the entrepreneurship world (most nonprofit events we sponsor are “suit required”, most military and political events I’ve gone to are “suits required”). Jeans are great in the office on a day-to-day. So are sweatpants. So are no pants. Errrrrr. Maybe scratch that last one.

4. I can see you leading as an executive in my company and commanding the respect of the United States.

I have been wearing white vnecks for the past 3+ years of my life. Every single day. And many days I rock jeans, dress pants, shorts, cargos, a snuggie, whathaveyou. But, when I go to weddings, I wear a nice white collared shirt, tie, and suit. When I go to funerals, I do the same thing. When I go to graduations, I do the same thing. When I go to nonprofit events in Boston, I do the same thing. And if I ever interview at another company again in my entire life, I will do the same thing. To me, interviews are in the same class as all of these events in terms of proper attire. One phenomenal interview can determine the next two, three, five, ten years of your life. Rock a suit. Look good. Feel confident. And put yourself in the best position to getting that job you want.