Why you should wear a bow tie. | Hacker News Reader

Why you should wear a bow tie.

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12 pointsmasukomi55 comments

I consider that article flawed.

1) If I wear something 'odd', that doesn't mean that I spent extra time for this interview. If you care about that, ask me how I prefer to dress and I'll tell you an anecdote about me getting married in a Star Wars tee. That I wear a suit to your interview is a big change.

2) A skill to tie a bow tie doesn't translate to anything valuable (except to tie a bow tie)..

3) Being different just for the sake of standing out can be archived in a number of ways and the opposite of coming with a bow tie (? Maybe wearing the a short of your favorite sports team?) would archive _that_ just as easily.

My prejudices?

Suit is already a little over the top. Suit + tie is for old men or greasy sales people. Bow ties are only allowed if you were already a grown-up during WW II.

The skill to tie a bow tie is indicative of ones willingness to learn skills that are not necessarily "essential" but are still useful. You're right that odd does not translate into spending extra time for an interview, but it does translate into caring more (assuming that the "odd" thing is something akin to a bow tie which indicates an attempt to look more refined and / or valuable within the context of social norms). 3 of course there are other ways of standing out. That doesn't mean that bow tie's aren't one. Regarding suits... I never mentioned suits. Bow ties can look quite good without a suit. Just like a well chosen standard tie.

I don't want to be mean or anything. But that argument is still really, really weak.

First of all that's very superficial. Maybe we're talking about the first impression here?

Second, it's a matter of taste. You think it indicates ones willingness to learn to use that thing, people might very well think you're a show-off, stuck in the past or a weirdo.

Third: Again, your argument can be reduced to 'standing out' (as you acknowledged). Maybe a pair of laces with LEDs inside are just as good to show that you're interested in - well - uncommon stuff.

By all means, wear bow ties wherever you want and tell all your friends to do just that. In my universe it makes no sense though and the arguments so far seem unconvincing. Non-existing (ignoring 'I like the idea to wear bow ties').

So, final words: An article about bow ties is fine. An article with anecdotes about how bow ties got you a job might be okay. An article about how people should wear bow ties, because that totally sets them apart and shows their dedication to ~something~ is just plain false in the way it's set up here.

(P.S.: '.. still useful' is actually quite debatable here, unless you buy into the whole idea of bow ties being useful/nice to wear)

I find that any skill that provides me with additional option when performing common tasks is "useful" to some degree.

re LEDs for standing out: i did say "within the context of social norms"

re "dedication to ~something~" I never said, or implied dedication. I said "willingness". This is VERY different. I don't want employees who are "dedicated" to finding alternative ways to do things. I want employees who are "willing" to find alternative ways to do things.

If you think a suit is "over the top" for a job interview, consider if you're applying for a position with Brogrammers. If you are a brogrammer, ignore this comment.

Not that I wouldn't take fashion advice from HN, but I would never take fashion advice from HN. I can guarantee there are more important things you can do to change your appearance and 'have an effect' than wearing a bow-tie. An example would be having a proper fitting suit, which most men can't seem to understand. This can show attention to detail.

I'm not going to go on because frankly there is probably a threshold for interviewers - if you look like shit, its a bad thing, if you are passable then that is status quo. It won't matter how well you dress beyond that unless you're being hired as a stylist.

Well fitting clothes--suit or not--that are clean, a hygienic personal appearance and good posture will go a long way. If you add in some basic manners and tact you're ahead of the game.

at no point was it suggested that the bow tie was the most important thing you could do. As @troutwine suggested, being clean and hygenic, and having manners goes a long way, and I would argue are all far more important than what tie (if any) you are wearing. You are absolutely correct in your implication that a well fitting suit trumps a bow tie. This does not mean that a bow tie would not ALSO be a good thing.

As someone who consults people about proper business attire (a side business of mine), let me tell you that this advice is dangerous. The idea of wearing "boring" standard stuff (like a tie) is that clothes shouldn't get in your way and IF you intend to emphasize aspects of your personality THEN you should do it more subtle.

Most people (especially IT) wear their business clothes wrong and it takes me less than 1 second to spot the major errors and around 2 seconds to see more sartorial disasters. And then such a fella puts on a bow tie and looks like a wannabe, a fake. And it shows me that--considering his other sartorial flaws--he doesn't care about detail enough to get the whole thing right.

tl;dr: If you don't know how to dress and wear a bow tie, it probably backfires. If you know how to dress, you don't need people telling you to put on a bow tie.

At least in the US, a bow tie often means, "young republican / political conservative," although I guess the article indirectly makes the case that wearing a bow tie can also mean, "I like to talk about and defend bow ties." So, be aware that you're giving off those vibes if you follow this advice.

You'd also be taking style advice from someone who thinks you need a definition of "de rigueur" and writes parenthetical asides like "(can't forget the ladies)." And generally, if someone tells you, "you should wear this so people will know you're a freethinker," reconsider.

"you should wear this so people will know you're a freethinker"

Made me chuckle :-)

Why you shouldn't wear a bow tie: You'll look like a tool.

Sorry - but in general any "wacky" clothing generally misfires drastically.

I am reminded of this internet gem:

http://www.lolwithme.org/wp-content/uploads/FedoraSucks.jpg

:-) Someone should do similar for the leather trench coats people started wearing after The Matrix.

I did that. But it got stolen. I'm never getting into Zion now.

So, you're suggesting that Sir Winston Churchill looked "like a tool"? There are many individuals over the years, who have looked very stylish in a bow tie. As @mberning points out with his image, the fact that some people look like tools wearing an item does not mean that all people look like tools wearing one.

I think Winston was sporting them 50 years ago.

But what if it spins around like a propeller? I mean come on.

Depends if you're a children's entertainer or not.

Not sure why this is here, but it should be pointed out that the reason why this author is saying this is because bowties are trendy, and people always try to rationalize something that is trendy.

Actually, no. Your mind reading skills need improvement. It was posted because I happen to like bow ties and find that they are neither trendy, nor something anyone particularly wants to wear here in Boston. As such I felt it might be beneficial to geekdom if my comrades were presented with a set of considered reasons why the bow tie is something worth possibly adding to their wardrobe. If you knew anything about me you'd know that I don't really give two @#$! about fashion trends. My favorite suits are heavily armored, and regularly coated with dirt. They are considered excessive, and decidedly unfashionable by others, but I say fashion can sit and spin. I'd rather keep my skin.

I must say this is a really interesting conversation.

It seems to have two camps, people who have not considered what they are wearing, and those who have.

I reminds me of foodie arguments where arguments over frying potato chips and baking potato chips break out.

A very useful technique for creating recognition and 'mind share' is to wear something credible but unusual. You go to a bar and remember the gal who had the low cut blouse and ample cleavage but not the dozen who dressed more modestly. You remember the person in college who wore a cape but not the folks who lived in your dorm and you shared a couple of years with, you remember the person who always wore a red shirt and red sneakers, or all purple, or always something leather. The list goes on.

For what ever reason our brains tend to 'note' those folks who stand out a bit through their clothing choices. You may have experienced it personally, or you may not. If you haven't, consider the advice of the OP or something like it and pick some 'thing' to make your brand stand out. Then use it regularly and at the same time try to track your personal 'visibility' in the conversations around you. You may be surprised (if you choose badly you may be horrified) but you will be noticed.

Bashing the idea that you wear a bow tie is silly unless you've done it and can relate how it ruined your life. Its perfectly reasonable to wonder how effective it would be but since bow ties are relatively cheap you could satisfy your curiosity if there was any truth to this by wearing one and seeing the results. You might be surprised at what you find.

professions where a bowtie is suitable for a job interview:

- clown

- english professor

- that is all

- bowtie retail clerk

Though if I found myself wanting to sell bowties I'd rock an ascot to the interview

I've met a number of doctors (UK: "Consultant" / US: "Attending physician") who wear bow ties.

Many surgeons have a certain personality. I find this is also true of people who wear bow ties.

Am I missing the trend?

These days, long neckties are banned in hospitals because they transfer infections. Your bow tie-wearing doctors likely figured this out for themselves years ago, and settled on a bow tie as an alternative way of looking presentable. For a certain generation of doctor, it'd be unforgivable to appear in front of a patient in an open-necked shirt. (A cravat, of course, being suitable only for confidence artists, gigolos and Europeans.)

Continental tie would be acceptable, no? Or do only 50's band members and western outfits get those?

Heh :) Permissible by the regulations perhaps, but definitely not acceptable (at least not in the UK).

What is one of them?

//edit//I have googled those. Good grief.

As a programmer I can't think of a single job interview I went through where it would have conceivably put me at a disadvantage.

It would have at worse been taken as a harmless eccentricity.

That's preposterous. You've neglected:

- English professor at clown school

- and old-school physics professors at Harvard

You might as well wear spats as well.

Because bowties are cool.

Damn you. I came here specifically to say the same thing.

> Pee-wee Herman, PSY, The 11th Doctor ... and the classic Playboy Bunny outfit

These are not the mental associations I want an interviewer to make when I walk into an interview.

I'll take those associations over "yet another developer" any day of the week. A developer who reminds me of [anyone in that list] is going to stick out in the interviewers mind. Hopefully the interviee demonstrate the skills and decorum to make that a positive memory.

"Never trust a man wearing a bowtie"

My aunt used to tell me that her mother gave her some advice: "Don't wear pearls before five, diamonds before dinner, or date men who drive Jaguars." She'd likely approve of this piece of advice too.

"Never trust a man who doesn't shine his own shoes."

"Never brown in town."

i.e. do not wear brown shoes with a work suit. Unless your an italian or something.

I had a trader friend who rejected someone at interview by just writing "BROWN SHOES" across his c.v.

Your friend is an idiot.

They also wrote into a fat intern's contract that he had to do star jumps on the steps of St Paul's Cathedral every Friday morning.

Their management style is... unique.

You're saying this like it's a joke, but it's not funny.

I doubt whether they followed through on it more than once or twice.

It's a niche brokerage company. All of the above would be firing offences in a major bank.

Other random items from their company:

- The CEO insists on being called "The Captain", and once told potential investors that he gets his secretary to roll his spliffs for him

- Traders who fall asleep at the desk after a night on the town are normally awoken via having their bin or chair set on fire etc etc

Consider that the most formal/regal of outfits, the Tuxedo, requires the use of a bowtie. A white shirt with red bowtie is a classic, though there's plenty of different colors and styles to mix and match. A friend of mine instituted Bow Tie Tuesday at his job and i'm totally shopping for ties now.

> Consider that the most formal/regal of outfits, the Tuxedo, requires the use of a bowtie.

Consider that you will not wear a tuxedo to a job interview.

And never wear a white dinner jacket unless you wish to be mistaken for a waiter.

There are exceptions for warm weather outdoor events, assuming of course a peak or shawl lapel. But definitely not for a job interview.

I don't think I'd go full bow tie, but I'd conider one of these: http://agreeordie.com/blog/musings/553-how-to-tie-a-necktie-...

Might just be the circles I hang out with, but there hasn't been anything distinctive about a geek in a bowtie since Doctor Who said "bowties are cool".

I do like the ties in the shop they linked to, though.

If you're under age 70, and you wear a bow tie, you might be Tucker Carlson.

I recommend suspenders.

Please provide reasons why I should consider suspenders. To date I have seen little evidence of suspenders being fashionable, or particularly good looking. I am open to the possibility.

I can't really tell. I just like them a lot.

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