Ideal Job Ad: Business Casual Dress Encouraged

Ah yeah!! A relaxed informal environment that suits every person that works there is perfect. I imagine a place with colour, light, space & pets. Relaxed environment where there is trust, creativity and team playing. Perfection. I’m in!

Tim, I agree that business casual dress for an interview is something that should be encouraged if it fits the typical attire for that work environment. Job seekers who are in transition and don’t have an up-to-date suit would certainly feel relief at not having to make that kind of purchase at a time when budgets are tight.

“An ounce of image is worth a pound of good first impressions!” I have always suggested that job interview candidates do some advance research on the company dress code. Once you confirm the company dress code, I ALWAYS recommend taking it one level up! If they wear jeans, then you where khakis, if they where khakis, then you where dress pants with an oxford shirt or a new polo shirt and a blazer. Women are very lucky and can get away with wearing most anything i.e. a dress or pant suit. Bottom line: Always dress to impress and pretend you are entertaining a valuable client at a nice restaurant and dress the part!

Men
1. Suit if that is the dress code…in a neutral color dark suit or sport jacket with
light colored shirt
2. Natural Fabrics
3. Business shoes and over the calf dark socks.
4. When/if applicable; wear a matching silk tie in low-key colors
5. Very limited jewelry
6. Neat, professional hairstyle
7. If you have a beard or mustache, your facial hair should be neatly trimmed.
8. Shoes and belt should match. Leather, lace-up or slip-on business shoes,
preferably black or cordovan, cleaned and polished.

Women
1. Suit-tailored dress, simple blouse
2. Natural fabrics
3. Avoid loud and flashy styles, colors and prints
4. Use make-up sparingly
5. Low-heeled pumps, cleaned and polished.
6. Limited Jewelry
7. Purse should be small to medium sized and match shoes.

Other guidelines when interviewing…

1. Bring a extra copies of your resume in portfolio with note pad, reliable pen for
taking notes.
2. No gum chewing, candy or cigarettes.
3. Good hygiene
4. Avoid overpowering aftershave or perfume.
5. Nails should be neat and clean
5. Wear a dress watch, shoes and belt should match.
7. Clothes should be in good condition and fit properly.
8. Arrive early for a relaxed impression
9. Remove visible body piercings and cover tatoos

Last but not least….do a pre-interview dress rehearsal. Think about the message you want to send and make sure it is conveyed in your professional attire. The better you are dressed, the more confident you will feel and exude. Will dressing properly get you the job, of course not, but it certainly will give you the competitive edge.

I’ve noticed that most people who emphasize appearance over everything else actually have very little substance to offer. They just want to sell you something, to get your money, without caring much about whether you really want or need their product. They’re always scrambling to find new clients because they cannot generate repeat business from past clients. Image is not everything. You’ve got to deliver the goods that your image advertises.

Not to say that you should slack off your image to the point that it’s inappropriate or offensive. But unless your job will be to stand around and look pretty, stop all the posturing!

When I interviewed on-campus for my first, full-time job the IBM Global Services partner stood in front of the room and proudly announced, “Good news gentlemen: No need to wear a tie to the interview if you don’t want to. We rarely wear them on the job, blah blah blah…” Suit coat required though. Several of us were in such disbelief that we still wore ties.

Personally, I think it’s a matter of respect if you take the time to wear something formal to an interview. And a well made, tailored suit should be comfortable enough to spend the entire day in without an issue. But then what do I know? I went to B-school where our professors wore suits every day without question and told us that was why they did it. (“Because I respect you, I will dress appropriately.”) Unlike our liberal arts professors who showed up in purple suede track suits, or worse, tee shirts and jeans.

The IBM model needs to go, happy to hear people are finally embracing that. If we are all measured on what we know, how well we do our job and perform, then a suit shouldn’t be a part of that equation. Good for me I don’t own a suit and never will, it’s not my style and if I am going to do my job well, I need to be comfortable and not hampered by something that makes me uncomfortable or looks bad on me. I’ve met with so many levels of people in job interviews, meetings, etc that love I don’t wear a suit, why? Because I know what the hell I am talking about and don’t need a suit to convey professionalism. Many colleagues dislike it, but hey, I’d rather rock the boat and be who I am and accomplish my goals without taking away from my personality and abilities which a suit does nothing for.

It’s up there with expecting large amounts of hours from employees to get work done, who cares how long or how little it takes you to do your work, if I can get something that takes 40 hours to do in 20, so what? Good for me and the company, let me be and do what i need to do.

This is a great article, many companies please pay attention..

But did he get the job?

California is more relaxed than the East Coast. It is a “lack of respect” on the East Coast not to dress up. Unless the recruiter specifically requests that you dress down.

I wish! The last company I worked for considered Business Casual to be a suit without a tie.

Hi everyone. I’m not trying to argue that the only way to show respect is to wear a suit. Far from it in my belief. I’m saying that what most business students I know were trained to believe is that it’s proper attire, and we’re conditioned to dress up, rather than dress down when given the opportunity. As an IBM Consultant, you were told many conflicting beliefs (“Dress a step above the client…” or “dress half-a-step above the client…”) But eventually you learn, it’s absolute crap. It makes people uncomfortable (besides, what the heck is half-a-step?!) and you should match your attire to the environment around you to put people at ease. Great article, and very good discussion for job seekers to have!

This is the great blog, I’m reading them for a while, thanks for the new posts!