Is a suit a must for an interview?

Originally Posted by ckprax 

Take a sick day

Originally Posted by msulinski 

Taking the whole day is the best advice.

If you don't want to do that, bring it with you in a garment bag. Hang it in the coat closet along with your coat. Change at the end of the day in the bathroom, preferably on a different floor than where you work. If you are really paranoid, most NYC hotels allow (I believe, by law) anyone to use their restrooms on the lobby level or sometimes one level up. You could always change in one of these.

Originally Posted by VinnyMac 

^^^^

Either that, or wear a suit and make up an excuse.

Originally Posted by southbound35 

It really depends on the job you're applying for. If it's a similar position (or hopefully a step up) with a similar company:

1. I don't think a suit is necessary; and
2. As a prospective employer, I would understand an interviewee letting their contact know in advance your office is very casual and that, short of taking a half day off of work, it would be too noticeable to wear a suit to your office and/or too time-consuming to change clothes twice and complete an interview over a long lunch hour.

I think you could probably wear pressed chinos and an oxford shirt to work without looking like a guy who obviously has an interview (or parole hearing) that day. Neatly fold a sport coat in your bag and no one will be the wiser.

Originally Posted by J.B 

Your question was if it is a MUST. The answer to that is no. For and interview you should generally wear you would be expected to wear on your dressiest day at work (think important meeting).

Originally Posted by ter1413 

People sometimes wonder how they should dress. The most important thing is that you feel comfortable. If you still want a recommendation, I say a button-down shirt or even a T-shirt. A suit can come off as too formal in some companies (e.g. Google).

This point is not as important, because people won't really care. You should ask your recruiter about what to wear, since this differs by country and East Coast / West Coast. A company like Google is more casual, so if you come in a three-piece suit, your interviewers may raise an eyebrow. If you've got the goods in terms of engineering skills, it's not a dealbreaker though. One candidate came to an interview wearing a gothic mesh shirt with holes through which his nipples were clearly visible. He still got the job. (I don't recommend taking this risk.)

Originally Posted by J.B 

?

A suit is not appropriate for every job interview. If you showed up wearing a suit for an interview to be a lumberjack it would be akin to wearing sandals. Either outfit would get you laughed off the job site. That is an extreme example but it illustrates the importance of dressing for the job.

This article is a little old but still has some good reference information.
Niniane Wang (author) was the engineering manager for Google at the time.

Living in New York it is definitely going to be a little more formal than here in the Bay Area. I'm not saying don't wear a suit, just trying to help you make a more informed decision.

Originally Posted by ter1413 

Th OP realizes that a suit is what should be worn.