"Business Casual" Advice?
 

I have an interview on Monday and the guy I know who works there told me the office super-casual so a suit would be over-the-top even for an interview. I'm thinking instead I'll wear dress pants and a button-down shirt.

I have a love/hate relationship with button-down shirts though. I'm always self-conscious about wearing them untucked because I think some say it looks "sloppy" but trust me, it looks far worse for me to tuck them in.

Is an untucked button-down shirt ok? I've heard if you make sure it has a straight-ish hem then it's meant to be worn untucked or tucked, but the hem that is cut up on the sides and lower in the front and back is meant to be tucked only.

I'm also thinking I'll go with a light blue shirt, grey dress pants, and black shoes. Should I wear heels? (I'll be doing a fair bit of walking and taking public transit). Do those colors match?

Oy, business casual gives me fits - I'm the worst at picking matching colors.

I also have this shirt in black that I've worn in business casual situations.. but I'm worried it's "lower-end" business casual and not dressy enough for an interview:

http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/c...knit?ID=470694

For the office you describe I think that shirt is too dressy. If you don't want to wear the button down shirt why not wear a knit top even a tee or tank with a cardigan sweater , maybe with khakis.I wouldn't wear heels but I wouldn't wear sneakers, either, do you have any loafers or ballet flats depending on the pants you wear. I am not going to work today but in a super-casual office I would wear what I am wearing right now, jeans, a tank top and a light weight fleece jacket and sneakers but for a job interview I would just dress it up a little bit. Khakis instead of jeans and no sneakers but some kind of a casual shoe, and a sweater in Iowa at this time of year is appropriate.

I don't think I'd be comfortable in a tee - since in some cases we would be working with clients who would expect "nice" business casual, so I think I need to show I can look "nice business casual" in the interview (and presumably dressdown from there to fit in).

I'm not uncomfortable in button downs (I wear them to work a fair bit now), but I just worry it's lower-end business casual again. Urg.

Now I'm thinking - grey dress pants, light blue or light pink shirt, and a blazer - but what color? grey? And if I have matching pants and blazer isn't that just a suit? :P Man, I am not good with fashion.

Of course with the tee you don't take your seater off. The outfit you describe sounds good but maybe a little too dressy for what the co worker describes.

Blazer is good. If pants are grey don't do grey blazer: unmatching looks weird, matching looks like you're trying to fake a suit.

What are your pants and blazer color options? What's in your closet that fits and looks good?

I'm more than happy to go shopping for any piece I don't have. My button-up shirts don't fit as well lately with the weight loss, but I have found a light blue and light pink at Macy's that were nice. I also have a dark navy one that still fits well. I just like to have some idea of what I'm looking for when I go shopping or it's incredibly overwhelming.

I have some dark brown / toffee pants that fit well, and medium-grey pants. Also black pants.

I don't really own any blazers that aren't part of a suit, so I would probably need to purchase that.


Yes, I guess I'm torn - I expect he knows (he is actually my former boss and I would be reporting to him for the job), but I don't want to give his boss or anyone else the impression I'm not taking the interview seriously by dressing down too much. That said, if it came up in the feedback after the interview I expect he would tell them he told me not to wear a suit.

The interview is also pretty far south so I expect the weather to be warmish - and if I'm walking I don't want to show up sweaty and gross, so maybe it is better to not wear a blazer if I don't need it..


Edited to add - I did actually tell him I was planning to wear dress pants / button-down shirt and he didn't say "don't" (or "do"), so... maybe that means that's good?

Most important, no matter what you decide to wear. This might be obvious but here goes, everything clean and pressed, no ripped seams or missing buttons, shoes polished, no dangling earrings, no perfume and absolutely do not chew gum. I have not only have been interviewd but have been the interviewer and I assure you people show up in all the things I said not to do.

Yes, absolutely. I appreciate the tips.

I typically do well in onsite interviews (I've only done 2, but I got offers from both), but I was wearing a suit.. so this situation is just a little out of my comfort zone.

Wear whatever you feel comfortable in and relax you are going to do fine.

If you've aced both in-person interviews you've done, you're probably good to go trusting your own instincts, you know.

That said, how would you feel about something like this (the whole look, just as a starting point)? http://www.anntaylor.com/ann/product...aultColor=6600 Or with blouse instead of shell? Would this kind of jacket be something you'd conceivably be comfortable wearing with jeans or more casually later as well?

Or how about this: http://www.anntaylor.com/ann/product...aultColor=3043 ? (I don't care for the colors together but I think the shapes are good.)

The 2nd one is a definite possibility - I'm not much of a "shimmer" kind of person (the 1st), but I like that the 2nd seems a little more casual and less suit-y while still dressing up.

I guess it's time to hit Macy's again and see what I can find. This way if I freak out and can't decide, I can talk through it with you guys tonight and go make the final purchase tomorrow. ;)

I'll let you know how it goes!


I'm also nervous because I'm sick, and super-hoarse today. Usually I don't stay hoarse more than 24-48 hours so I should be fine for Monday but, ug, how awful to go to an onsite for a full day of interviews and barely be able to talk! That can't help no matter how sympathetic they are. Though as a last ditch effort gargling saltwater usually gets me enough of a voice back so I can talk.

Shimmer? I totally didn't catch that--sorry. Yeah, no shimmer at an interview.

Whatever you wear-- good luck! It speaks well of you that a former boss wants you back.

Yes, he's great - and I would love working with him again, so I'm pretty excited for the opportunity. My only worry is that, since he's been talking me up, the other interviewers are going to have "too high" expectations...

But I know I can always find something to worry about. He's given me some tips about the kinds of projects to talk through and skills to emphasize, so it's definitely better than going in blind.

Ok, I got a pair of medium-gray (not quite charcoal) Jones New York dress pants today that I'm very happy with.

Tomorrow I'm going to look for a lightweight navy blazer, preferably not too bulky/blocky, and wear it over a crew neck white shirt. Preferably a blazer that falls/drapes well when left unbuttoned to keep it a little less formal.

Black shoes, probably a ~2inch chunky heel so I don't worry about falling all over myself.


It may be a little more formal, but given it's not a matching suit and not a button down under the jacket, I think it's informal enough that it won't seem stodgy or over-the-top. Also I'll be more comfortable in it than I would in just a button down, and I think that will matter more (how I talk and present myself) than someone judging me for what I'm wearing. I don't really mind if I end up talking to an interviewer in jeans - I've interviewed quite a few people for positions where I work now and I typically am in jeans and a sweatshirt, but I would expect them to dress more nicely.

And last, we do work with clients in this field who expect you to look nice - and this is something I could easily wear to a client site (depending on the client), so I don't think it's too far out of the ball park.


Sooo fingers crossed I find a navy blazer tomorrow that I like. :D