I would always wear a shirt and tie to an interview, I prefer to hold off wearing suit jackets, as it gives the wrong impression - like it might give the impression that I would remotely consider wearing a tie every day, or shaving every day - but it has to match the job.
For instance, my first interview was at a quarry, doing product tests, sampling and reporting. Money would have been pretty nice for my age, but I didn't get it because I had no transport
. Anyhoo, there I am in a suit, tie, polished black shoes... in the middle of a damn quarry. 30 seconds was all it took for my shoes to be wrecked. I'm good at interviews, but I think it would have gone better if I was wearing jeans and some mucky old boots.
If you don't wear a suit to work, and don't want to, then I say avoid wearing a suit jacket, wear a smart jacket instead, with shirt and tie. It's more relaxed, and easier to go into your own routine - I wear shirt, jeans or casual trousers, and casual boots. If anyone asks, I say that I'm in IT, and if I drop a PC on my foot, or get my tie caught then it's a health risk
. Very few people here wear ties, it's much more the norm for engineers to wear a horrible shirt, trousers that are too small, and Man-Onion cologne (that's what they smell like, sweaty onions).
