[saulpw]

As the parent comment said, he stood out for dressing nicely those years ago. Wearing jeans in the 2000s was not just tolerated or accepted, it was expected. I remember feeling wary of engineers who dressed up for interviews then, like they were trying too hard.

[Sohcahtoa82]

My general belief for interviews is to dress one step up from what you'd be wearing on a day-to-day basis at that job.

I wear shorts and a t-shirt (often a DEFCON or BSidesPDX shirt) usually, so I'd wear jeans and a solid color t-shirt or possibly a polo to an interview, though I haven't done an in-person interview for a job since 2016. For remote interviews, I'm in sweatpants and a polo.

In the early 2000s, I wasn't a tech worker yet, but I always assumed engineers were wearing khakis and a polo, so I would have shown up to an interview with black slacks and a button-up shirt, maybe even a tie.

[seadan83]

My impression is dress-culture was (and still is somewhat) different on the US East vs West coast. The tech company I worked for in the mid 2000s on the East coast explicitly forbid jeans in the dress code.

[0xffff2]

Very much my impression too. I work for an org with sites scattered across the country. My colleagues in Virginia still regularly wear suits, while I in California haven't even owned a suit in many years. For no particular reason I can discern, the gradient seems to be pretty linear. Our Texas people are right in the middle formality wise.

[zeroCalories]

It entirely depends on the industry. Banks, government, defense, etc. will feel very stuffy even on the west coast, while web companies will have greasy unshaven slobs even in Manhattan.

[0xffff2]

I'm sure that's true, but the interesting thing to me is that it's the gradient exists within an industry too, at least for me in government R&D, we're not at all stuffy out here in the West.

[iknowSFR]

Ah, I interpreted as a reflection of general work cultures. My 2000s years were always formal.