#AskDoug "Do you suggest a suit and tie for Zoom/video interviews?"

​"Do you suggest a suit and tie for Zoom/video interviews?"

Part 2: "Thus far I've leaned towards staying casual, but I'm curious as to your opinion based on your suggestion to try to make it as close to in-person as possible."

> This question was asked in response to a LinkedIn post about Zoom etiquette. My answer:

If you notice in my post I said it should not be "much" different on Zoom compared to in person. So in general I would say to at least try to make it close. I think its a mistake to go totally casual on a zoom interview, because there's a chance that it might not look good to your interviewer.

So my final answer is - go with a jacket and dress shirt at minimum, and consider wearing a tie as well - i.e. at least close to what you would do in person.

I know of someone who wore a jacket and tie to a zoom interview where everyone was dressed very casually. That may be a little awkward, but it's not a mark against you. Way better to have that than the other way around.

I think if you went with jacket and dress shirt and no tie, you would still be formal enough without the risk of WAY out-dressing everyone else and feeling awkward.

Good luck!

​DC

*Send me your question on the contact page about communication or social skills for any situation and I may answer it in a future post. I would love to hear from you