Dress code

Author
Discussion

CAPP0

Original Poster:

19,532 posts

202 months

Friday 23rd January 2015
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I've been invited to go and see someone next week for an "informal meeting" to discuss a possible new role which they are looking to create. The company is separate from my current employer, although they own a significant portion of it. It's a reasonably senior role.

I have very (very) little information to go on other than that the role may interest me given my skills/experience/background, and I'm meeting just one person, who I've never met before.

So, to the topic title. I'm thinking business casual, i.e. suit & shirt, no tie (which is generally the culture in my current organisation) rather than interview-formal.

Whaddya say?

illmonkey

18,112 posts

197 months

Friday 23rd January 2015
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Shirt, trousers, no tie, smart shoes.


oldnbold

1,280 posts

145 months

Friday 23rd January 2015
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I wouldn't have thought anyone will get a negative impresion of you wearing a tie, but they just might if you're not wearing one.

Foliage

3,861 posts

121 months

Friday 23rd January 2015
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Always better to be over dressed than underdressed. So full suit, 3 piece if you have one wink, if you wear the right suit with the right accessories you can give of a casual & smart vibe at the same time, something like blue 3 piece with brown accessories and a nice plain tie.

Edited by Foliage on Friday 23 January 09:33

CAPP0

Original Poster:

19,532 posts

202 months

Friday 23rd January 2015
quotequote all
oldnbold said:
I wouldn't have thought anyone will get a negative impresion of you wearing a tie, but they just might if you're not wearing one.
Very interesting take on it, thanks!

GarryDK

5,670 posts

157 months

Friday 23rd January 2015
quotequote all
I was always told, dress up, you can always dress down after (wear it all, if situations change you can take a tie, jacket off etc). If you go in under dressed you cant then smarten up.

blueg33

35,580 posts

223 months

Friday 23rd January 2015
quotequote all
oldnbold said:
I wouldn't have thought anyone will get a negative impresion of you wearing a tie, but they just might if you're not wearing one.
This would be my view too. We are business casual in all our offices, but if I was seeing someone about a senior role even in the same company, I would wear a tie.

Martin_M

2,071 posts

226 months

Saturday 24th January 2015
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Personally, I think ties are a bit old hat these days. I tend to buy high collar dress shirts, (Hawes and Curtis - recommended!) which are smart enough with a suit imo.


Ultuous

2,247 posts

190 months

Saturday 24th January 2015
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blueg33 said:
oldnbold said:
I wouldn't have thought anyone will get a negative impresion of you wearing a tie, but they just might if you're not wearing one.
This would be my view too. We are business casual in all our offices, but if I was seeing someone about a senior role even in the same company, I would wear a tie.
Absolutely this - I'm in an organisation where wearing a tie's no longer the norm for many; when I'm interviewing I always feel the candidate's showing that little extra enthusiasm for the role if they've made more of an effort to be well presented (particularly in the case of internals who I know normally dress more casually)... I give it very little weight in my considerations, but all else being equal it could make that vital difference!

rdjohn

6,135 posts

194 months

Saturday 24th January 2015
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Smart dress - smart mind.

Plus you only get one chance to make a good first impression!

My wife has recruited many top professionals and she tended to be swayed by shoes (cleanliness as well as style) by a lot more than you might think reasonable. But she was rarely wrong either

GT03ROB

13,207 posts

220 months

Saturday 24th January 2015
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Better to be smarter. You won;t be worrying what they think of your appearance & can focus on what you are saying not what you look like

otherman

2,190 posts

164 months

Saturday 24th January 2015
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I'd think 'informal meeting' suggests more of a chat than an interview, but doesn't really tell you anything about dress code. Where is it being held?

CAPP0

Original Poster:

19,532 posts

202 months

Saturday 24th January 2015
quotequote all
otherman said:
I'd think 'informal meeting' suggests more of a chat than an interview, but doesn't really tell you anything about dress code. Where is it being held?
Their premises.

SofaBear

167 posts

191 months

Saturday 24th January 2015
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Shirt and nice trousers is spot on, jacket if its cold.

To be honest, I go to job interviews like that and I still look overdressed compared to the interview panel! N

bint

4,664 posts

223 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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Overdress. It shows you're serious about the role, informal meeting as someone said does not mean informal dress.

Unless you're MOH who had his last interview in the pub wearing jeans *sigh*

Hoofy

76,253 posts

281 months

Sunday 25th January 2015
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Dress like you're middle-aged. jester

BMWBen

4,899 posts

200 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
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Even if they weren't expecting you to smarten up, the fact that you have will say that you've 1. thought about it 2. are taking this seriously.

I don't see how it could be taken negatively unless they're a bunch of aholes, in which case they'll be doing you a favour by eliminating you on this basis.

ChasW

2,135 posts

201 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
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Hoofy said:
Dress like you're middle-aged. jester
I know this was written partly in jest but a few years back I was visited by two senior businessmen from Manchester. They were very smartly dressed in sharp suits, shirts and ties, but looked liked footballers about to board the coach on their way to Wembley for the cup final. I struggled to take these 45+ gents seriously with their giant tie knots and slim fit trousers. They were a joke. The excessive use of hair gel did not help either. So it's one thing to be smart and another to be appropriately smart. Dress your age or older but not the other way around.

Also, as a colleague of mine always used to say, "never hire a man whose trousers are shinier than his shoes"!

oldnbold

1,280 posts

145 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
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ChasW said:
Also, as a colleague of mine always used to say, "never hire a man whose trousers are shinier than his shoes"!
Not heard that before, but one to remember. And sound advice. biglaugh

iphonedyou

9,234 posts

156 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
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Martin_M said:
Personally, I think ties are a bit old hat these days. I tend to buy high collar dress shirts, (Hawes and Curtis - recommended!) which are smart enough with a suit imo.
For an awful lot of people, they're really not old hat at all.