Interview dress code... "smart casual"?
Discussion
I have my first face-to-face job interview in 7 years next week. I'm coming from a London media agency where the dress code has been "no football shirts, and make sure your flies are done up". When I interviewed for my current job, the first thing my incoming boss said to me was "take off your jacket and tie, nobody wears that here".
When I first started working in central London in the mid-2000s (energy sector), we wore a suit and tie to the office. We were expected to sit there at our desks wearing our jackets. If we weren't meeting clients that day, we could take off our ties after lunch. I remember the stir I once caused when I turned up wearing a blazer, tie and chinos.
Shortly before this pandemic nonsense kicked off, I remember commuting to work on the Tube wearing my overdressed-for-media jeans and a smartish jumper, looking at my fellow sardines and thinking how office suit wearing had dropped off a cliff over the previous 10-15 years. Granted, things may be different in the heart of the City, but in the West End, you wore mufti.
Since then, we've worked from home for a solid two years, and my colleagues are lucky if I wear a jockstrap to meetings.
My wife is a hiring manager in media - she has rejected a candidate specifically because he turned up to an interview wearing a full suit and tie, sweating and nervous as hell, and the decision was that he "just wouldn't fit in".
Interview is for a decent middle manager position at a fairly large tech firm. Suggested dress code is "smart casual" - whatever the hell that means. I fully expect nobody has ever worn a suit to work there, ever.
What on earth do I wear? Full suit, on the expectation that I can ditch the jacket/tie if need be? Suit without tie? Smartish shirt, jumper, dark trousers?
When I first started working in central London in the mid-2000s (energy sector), we wore a suit and tie to the office. We were expected to sit there at our desks wearing our jackets. If we weren't meeting clients that day, we could take off our ties after lunch. I remember the stir I once caused when I turned up wearing a blazer, tie and chinos.
Shortly before this pandemic nonsense kicked off, I remember commuting to work on the Tube wearing my overdressed-for-media jeans and a smartish jumper, looking at my fellow sardines and thinking how office suit wearing had dropped off a cliff over the previous 10-15 years. Granted, things may be different in the heart of the City, but in the West End, you wore mufti.
Since then, we've worked from home for a solid two years, and my colleagues are lucky if I wear a jockstrap to meetings.
My wife is a hiring manager in media - she has rejected a candidate specifically because he turned up to an interview wearing a full suit and tie, sweating and nervous as hell, and the decision was that he "just wouldn't fit in".
Interview is for a decent middle manager position at a fairly large tech firm. Suggested dress code is "smart casual" - whatever the hell that means. I fully expect nobody has ever worn a suit to work there, ever.
What on earth do I wear? Full suit, on the expectation that I can ditch the jacket/tie if need be? Suit without tie? Smartish shirt, jumper, dark trousers?
I think it depends on industry.
I wouldn’t have an issue if you dressed smart casual but some industries are more formal and suit would be good. I think go with what you think the employees would be expected to wear at work.
If it’s a suit kind of environment go with that otherwise smart casual, no jeans, proper shoes, shirt and jacket
I wouldn’t have an issue if you dressed smart casual but some industries are more formal and suit would be good. I think go with what you think the employees would be expected to wear at work.
If it’s a suit kind of environment go with that otherwise smart casual, no jeans, proper shoes, shirt and jacket
I was helping to host a fair few external visitors to our site last week, and I think every one of us was wearing smart dark jeans, brown shoes (with a couple of smart white-soled trainers in the mix, open-necked shirt and a blazer of some description.
Suits and ties other than for weddings and funerals are done for I think
Suits and ties other than for weddings and funerals are done for I think
In my work environment, this would mean Jacket and non matching (but not clashing or Portillo style) trousers, shirt with collar, proper shoes in brown or black. The Jacket and trousers wouldn't be either a suit or looking like they were parts of a suit.
A suit and tie would be too smart.
Polo and chinos would be too casual
A suit and tie would be too smart.
Polo and chinos would be too casual
I'd go chinos, brown shoes and an open neck shirt and a jacket of some sort, with a view to taking the jacket off in the interview room.
If you really want to be cautious though and if practical go and park outside the building where the company is based at their normal start time and see what people wear as they go in.
If you really want to be cautious though and if practical go and park outside the building where the company is based at their normal start time and see what people wear as they go in.
lobster940 said:
My wife is a hiring manager in media - she has rejected a candidate specifically because he turned up to an interview wearing a full suit and tie, sweating and nervous as hell, and the decision was that he "just wouldn't fit in".
That seems a bit OTT to me. It's something that can be changed with just a few quiet words and you could potentially be losing a great candidate 
We're also a media company. We don't have a dress code and expect people to use their common sense. As far as Ima ware there have only been two sartorial "incidents; once when a member of the Finance team turned up in a pair of shorts so tight "it was like looking at two boiled eggs" and the other time when one of the younger HR staff was wearing a sundress without a bra.
I work in Finance so "smart casual" would be jacket, trousers, shoes, shirt. However we really wouldn't mark anybody down if they were in a suit.
There's a dress code for an interview?!
If they're that concerned as to the relationship between clothes and capability, they're better off letting you decide and then they'll get a more natural opinion of you.
I'd be interested to know if employers actual tell candidates the truth afterwards i.e. you were brilliant but I didn't like your clothes so you're not hired!
If they're that concerned as to the relationship between clothes and capability, they're better off letting you decide and then they'll get a more natural opinion of you.
I'd be interested to know if employers actual tell candidates the truth afterwards i.e. you were brilliant but I didn't like your clothes so you're not hired!
xx99xx said:
There's a dress code for an interview?!
If they're that concerned as to the relationship between clothes and capability, they're better off letting you decide and then they'll get a more natural opinion of you.
I'd be interested to know if employers actual tell candidates the truth afterwards i.e. you were brilliant but I didn't like your clothes so you're not hired!
In theory it saves candidates having to worry about what to wear. If they're that concerned as to the relationship between clothes and capability, they're better off letting you decide and then they'll get a more natural opinion of you.
I'd be interested to know if employers actual tell candidates the truth afterwards i.e. you were brilliant but I didn't like your clothes so you're not hired!
I think smart casual is a fairly broad spectrum, easiest to think what it isn't.
Smart means no trainers, no torn jeans, probably a collar of some sort. Casual means no suits, no ties.
If you can, have a look at what your interviewers are wearing in their LinkedIn pictures, or any corporate pictures on their website. If you're not sure, you're unlikely to go wrong by leaning more to the smart end, and if you wear a jacket and the panel are all in shirts you can take it off.
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