It's the same as wearing a suit to an interview.
If you are dismissing candidates because "They didn't turn up smart enough" you are hiring another for the skill of brushing up for an interview.
It's the same because, when a product has little intrinsic value, marketing has to polish the packaging. Jargon and suits, these are just packaging.
And it reflects that the person hiring is also internalizing the same substitutes for self worth.
Sure how we dress goes BOTH ways.
I have attended interviews where the interviewer is wearing casual clothing compared to me wearing trousers(well walking trousers) a shirt, tie and plain top. So I then feel better dressed.
There was a jobs fair at my local job centre, people to told to dress smart, we make that effort only to find potential employers dressed casually, does not give the right impression from the employer and makes potential interviews rather awkward
If I am paying you to write a website for me, when we meet you need to look professional even if this is smart / casual, when writing that website you could be wearing anythinng from naked to a full dinner suit, I don't care as I have set you a task, set a time scale and set a payment method. Does it matter what you wear when actually coding, esp if you are working from home, it is summer and 30Celcius in temperature or hotter.
There is (or was) an advert in the UK for a personal injury lawyer firm, the person in the advert is wearing a shirt, not done up fully. I would be wary of such a dress code for this context of work, this person needs to represent me in a court so would need to dress far better when appearing before a judge or magistrate. Granted apply common sense here and they would, However it is first impressions from that advert that would suggest otherwise.
When it comes to interviews it goes both ways interviewer is assessing the interviewee and vice versa.
Interiews are designed to look at not only your competence, experience but also your behaviour and attitude, making a good effort to dress in a way that is smart is a good thing, I agree we can't always get it perfect but if everything else goes well then perhaps that is the better candidae, there is no such thing as the perfoect candidate anyway.
Dressing in a way that looks perfect can also be a red flag as you look too perfect and well groomed for the interview.
Re. Professional casual dress in an advert
Have you considered that court attire would be different to what a solicitor wears to meet a client?
Dress codes are confusing though. I found the phrase 'white tie' for an Oxford event stressful to understand. Eventually I skipped the event in preference to getting my outfit wrong.
😄
@srfirehorseart An interesting tale. “Posh” people encountering such as situation would simply have had the confidence to ask what ‘white tie’ meant. That’s the edge that a lifetime of privilege gives them.
I don't know about "posh" people but it does make a difference who you regularly hang out or work with.
My dilemma was how to dress as an enby at a formal event. I didn't have a reference point for that at the time.
@srfirehorseart Ah. That does complicate things. Though these days, ‘male’ white tie seems to be acceptable for all genders. I’m sorry you got to miss out because of society’s weird rules. At least you saved the expense of hiring a ‘penguin suit’. 😁
@zleap @drandrewv2
Why is a tie "smart" and a nice sweatshirt "less smart"?
The uniforms are a predefined packaging "secret handshake" much the same as jargon.