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I was wondering what the thoughts are on wearing a prominently company X branded shirt to an interview with company X. Is this tacky? Does it look like you care more about the workplace? Is it appropriate?

Assume that the interview is casual enough to wear a normal t-shirt with no issues.

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    If you walked into an interview with me like that, I would think that you were trying too hard. Just wear a plain shirt.
    – Jane S
    Commented Jun 2, 2015 at 4:02
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    Cheesey is how I would describe it, probably.
    – Kent A.
    Commented Jun 2, 2015 at 5:15
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    I say if you're going to wear company X's shirt, might as well get a hat with their logo on it, some wristbands, and maybe a small custom-made flag.
    – zfrisch
    Commented Jun 2, 2015 at 17:55
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    It comes off as trying too hard. You want to be seen as applying as their employee, not their mascot.
    – zfrisch
    Commented Jun 2, 2015 at 17:56
  • I agree with the comments above. However, wearing a company Y (obviously company X's main competitor) branded shirt and setting it on fire might get you some results
    – ero
    Commented Jun 3, 2015 at 12:01

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Even if it's a casual work environment you should still dress well. Appearances do affect somebodies perception of you. I usually do full business (suit, tie, etc.) because I want to make a positive and lasting impression. Dressing well and using a strong voice will give them the impression that you are confident and professional, which helps you sell yourself as somebody they want to work with.

That all being said, if they said to dress casually, feel free do so. Like Jane and Kent said though, keep all company gear in your closet. Wear something neutral or plain.

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  • We are a casual dress environment, and I think a suit/tie is a little much for our interview. While it certainly wouldn't be held against you, I think something like business casual would be seen more positively in our eyes. (Not that dress has a huge impact on our decision, unless it was something horrible)
    – さりげない告白
    Commented Aug 8, 2019 at 0:38
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    To be honnest, wearing a suit and a tie might be also considered "trying too hard", and the only thing I learn from an applicant dressed like that is that he owns a suit, which is hardly ever a quality I'm looking for.. It doesn't say anything about confidence (you would actually need more confidence to interview in a t-shirt and jeans than a suit) or how professional the candidate is.
    – Laurent S.
    Commented Aug 8, 2019 at 10:54
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I think for nearly all cases, it's better to dress at least a little more formally than a company branded shirt. Also, wearing the company branded shirt will be seen as a little weird most of the time since you don't already work for the company, and very few people would expect people to be that enthusiastic for their company.

The one possible exception I can think of is if you are applying to the kind of company that actually has "fans" of a sort, and is known to be super casual. Certain very well known video game companies, for example. Another example I can think of is wearing a Google Code Jam shirt to an interview at Google. In those cases, it may even be a plus to express such enthusiasm for their company.

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  • I think there is never a valid reason for wearing a same-branded shirt to an interview. You look desperate rather than enthusiastic.
    – Jane S
    Commented Jun 3, 2015 at 3:47
  • Well, think what you want, but I do know of someone who has gotten hired after doing so, though I can't say for sure whether the shirt helped, obviously it didn't hurt. But it of course like I said was at a big company that has "fans" and people will wear their shirts even if they haven't worked there.
    – Kai
    Commented Jun 3, 2015 at 15:23
  • @Kai It reflects more on the interviewer if wearing a T-shirt gets "brownie-points". I could image such an interviewer giving a young pretty or handsome applicant with a bubbly personality extra credit (or at least a pass) for wearing the T-shirt; while using the same as ammunition against an overweight unattractive person to not hire. We can't claim to be progressive thinking if what's deemed acceptable is solely up to the interviewer's imagination. Ultimately- no, you can't presume your interviewer's personality or how they will react to your T-shirt.
    – Zorkolot
    Commented Aug 7, 2019 at 20:22
  • @Zorkolot That would also depend on your ability to sell it as a positive rather than a negative.
    – さりげない告白
    Commented Aug 8, 2019 at 0:41
  • @さりげない告白 Sure, it is definitely up to the applicant to take that risk. I actually don't have a problem with wearing a T-shirt to an interview so long as it known in advance that wearing one is ok during the interview (confirmed over the phone or in an email for example). I'm all for that. I also think wearing one without knowing in advance is very naive behavior on the part of the applicant- and then the hope is that the interviewer has some relaxed morals or job standards- which is really presumptuous thinking.
    – Zorkolot
    Commented Aug 8, 2019 at 12:50
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For an interview, you probably want to dress up a little more than what you'd wear on an average day - a long-sleeved dress shirt and pants, and maybe even a tie - to show that you are interested in making a good first impression. It doesn't matter if that company or your department tend to dress down for the average workday - you're trying to impress them, so you should dress the part.

I've seen nice company shirts (short-sleeved Polo shirts with buttons) that would look fairly decent - if you like the shirt, and it fits the company dress code, it's okay to wear it on an average workday. But for an interview, you want to dress better than you'd dress on average.

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I don't think wearing company branded shirts to an interview is a good idea. Be safe and go with a suit and tie.

I once went to an interview where everyone else in the waiting area was wearing business casual or casual clothes. I'm convinced that dressing up and taking the time to show the company how important the opportunity was to me helped me get the job.

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  • Wouldn't this possibly create a negative impact? You could note from the company's website and such that they're very casual, thus dress this way? Of course if you don't know or couldn't know You could but I'd probably never go any higher than casual chique, it wouldn't be the place for me.
    – Mathijs
    Commented Jun 3, 2015 at 11:53
  • I truly hope that you got the job because you were the best candidate for the position, not because you wore a suit and a tie...
    – Laurent S.
    Commented Aug 8, 2019 at 10:57

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