I’m an upper middle manager at my current company. The office environment is on the professional end of startup casual. Jeans are the norm, but men’s shirt should have a collar. I usually wear a dress shirt or oxford with jeans and loafers, or a polo with jeans and nicer sneakers.
I have an interview tomorrow for a lateral move to a smaller company where the norm appears to skew more toward the casual side. I’m hoping for a slight salary bump and better work life balance.
The meeting is over the lunch hour, and I made very clear to the internal recruiter that I would be sneaking out of my current office for a long lunch and will be on a pretty tight schedule.
I got a confirmation email from the recruiter’s assistant. It looked like a form email (with directions to the office, entry procedures, and such), but it was stated that dressing business professional is recommended.
It would be aggressively odd for me to show up to my current job in a suit, or even chinos.
I’m thinking I’ll wear my usual dress shirt, jeans, and loafers, and stash a navy sport coat in the car. The look I’m shooting for is Outside Sales Guy On An Early Evening Flight.
Am I aiming too low here? I’ve interviewed plenty of people in my current role (and my role at the even more casual company before that) and stressed that we were super casual, and people still came in wearing suits and ties.
For what it’s worth, they got my resume on Sunday, emailed me to arrange the phone screen on Monday, held the phone screen on Tuesday, and tomorrow I’m meeting with the CIO and a couple of tech leads. So I guess I look good on paper.
There are middle aged men in shorts and t-shirts in their recruitment videos.
The confirmation email looked 100% like a form letter. I imagine they send it to the new grad recruits for the sales bullpen so they don’t come in for their interviews dressed like they’re going to Coachella or whatever kids do these days.
A raise would be nice, but what I really want to do is average less than 60 hours a week and not be expected to take calls when I’m on PTO or at the doctor.
I’d say wear chinos and an oxford cloth shirt. Keep tie and jacket in the car. If anyone asks, tell them you need to do laundry, or that you’re meeting someone after work.
I think the “always wear a suit” advice is outdated. At many companies, even quite large ones, that would make you the most dressed-up person in the building.
Yeah, but you are the one guy being interviewed for a job. I have never seen a (male) job candidate show up to an interview anywhere I have worked not wearing a suit, even though everyone else already employed there was “business casual”.
I have. Its actually been uncommon here for some time to show up in a suit for certain jobs (many of them in IT) at certain companies. People - especially young men - don’t always own suits. Pants that are not jeans and an oxford or button down - maybe a tie - all tidy and neat - is usually sufficient for those types of jobs.
Oh, and people aren’t stupid, or you don’t want to work for the stupid people…they know you are interviewing on your lunch hour and that you probably don’t want your current employer to know. Its different if you are flying to a company for a day of interviews - but since many people don’t even wear a suit to a funeral any longer - much less the easier “I’m applying for a loan” excuse that worked 30 years ago - interviews have to adjust for the reality. They aren’t going to be stupid enough to turn down a guy who is doing a good job currently and is qualified for a less qualified guy who has been unable to find a job for six months in this economy because one of them can wear a suit without raising questions and the other can’t.
The next time I get changed in the “Scottish Lockerroom” aka the McDonald’s bathroom won’t be the first time. Just sayin’
If you really wanted to wear nicer pants, the fitting rooms of a store are a good place to change. Just make sure you have the ‘to’ pants draped over your arm or on a hanger when you walk in (so security cams cam pick you up coming in w/ them) or make them a brand they don’t sell (Land’s End or LL Bean). Conversely, they’re not selling the obviously used/worn/ripped jeans that you’re walking out with.
The remote part of a large (shopping center?) parking lot or a restaurant bathroom works to change as well.
I once drove up to western Massachusetts on a brutally hot and humid day in an un-airconditioned car for a job interview. I changed (into a suit) in the far reaches of a mall parking lot while sitting in the driver’s seat.
If you are uncertain as to the level of dress, I suggest dressing UP is better than dressing DOWN. A Jeffrey Lubowski outfit might be OK once you get the job, but it isn’t going to impress your future employer much.