Ok, going for an interview for a professional - directors level - job tomorrow.

HR Director says it will be a "casual" interview. I'm assuming they do casual Fridays.

Do I dress business formal (skirt/jacket/heels) - or take that as a suggestion to wear business casual (slacks/blouse/closed toe shoes)?

I always just over dress and when they say you didn't need to dress up, I just say I feel more comfortable in these clothes. Which is true for me.

Aggie09Derek said:

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Unless she specifically told you to dress casual I would dress more formal.

She may have been talking about the interview being casual in nature - just getting to know you and one on one....not multiple people grilling you throughout the day.

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That's what I was thinking when I read the OP. Just a casual convo...

So, was the advice correct?

AggieBaller98 said:

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Business Casual; if they went out of their way to tell you it would be "casual" then I'd abide by their wishes.

Being overdressed when you don't know the formality of the interview is different than when you are specified the type of interview.

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This is bad advice because frankly it is just a really risky move in my opinion with no upside. Casual can mean a lot of things... I don't care if the interviewers are in jeans, they aren't going to penalize you formally or subconsciously if you come Dressed business formal and your competitors casual... in fact it will probably be the other way around subconsciously.

The only time Id advise somebody to potentially dress under business formal is if their business formal wear fits really poorly.

ATM9000 said:

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AggieBaller98 said:

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Business Casual; if they went out of their way to tell you it would be "casual" then I'd abide by their wishes.

Being overdressed when you don't know the formality of the interview is different than when you are specified the type of interview.

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This is bad advice because frankly it is just a really risky move in my opinion with no upside. Casual can mean a lot of things... I don't care if the interviewers are in jeans, they aren't going to penalize you formally or subconsciously if you come Dressed business formal and your competitors casual... in fact it will probably be the other way around subconsciously.

The only time Id advise somebody to potentially dress under business formal is if their business formal wear fits really poorly.

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I guess you could say it's a risky move, but I also think there are times when an interview panel is looking to get a glimpse of a person beyond a formal interview setting. Stating that an interview is going to be casual implies that they are wanting to get past the common interview format and see more what a person is like on a day to day basis.

Side story: I was invited to interview with a major oil company after an on-campus recruiting event during my senior year. HR sent a note and let everyone know that the interview would consist of a walking tour, lunch, and several rounds of interviews. They recommended that everyone dress casual and wear comfortable shoes as we'd be doing a lot of walking and it was likely to be hot and humid while walking about the corporate campus. This was also reiterated during a follow-up call with the recruiter.

The morning of the interviews myself and one other guy were the only ones who dressed in business casual out of a group of 20 interviewees. We both ended up with offers after it was all said and done. At the very least, we showed that we could follow instruction and not walk into the interview rounds looking like a sweaty mess like the rest of the guys in formal suits.

Good luck! And glad you followed the good advice.

ATM9000 said:

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TommyGun said:

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ATM9000 said:

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AggieBaller98 said:

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Business Casual; if they went out of their way to tell you it would be "casual" then I'd abide by their wishes.

Being overdressed when you don't know the formality of the interview is different than when you are specified the type of interview.

---

This is bad advice because frankly it is just a really risky move in my opinion with no upside. Casual can mean a lot of things... I don't care if the interviewers are in jeans, they aren't going to penalize you formally or subconsciously if you come Dressed business formal and your competitors casual... in fact it will probably be the other way around subconsciously.

The only time Id advise somebody to potentially dress under business formal is if their business formal wear fits really poorly.

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I guess you could say it's a risky move, but I also think there are times when an interview panel is looking to get a glimpse of a person beyond a formal interview setting. Stating that an interview is going to be casual implies that they are wanting to get past the common interview format and see more what a person is like on a day to day basis.

Side story: I was invited to interview with a major oil company after an on-campus recruiting event during my senior year. HR sent a note and let everyone know that the interview would consist of a walking tour, lunch, and several rounds of interviews. They recommended that everyone dress casual and wear comfortable shoes as we'd be doing a lot of walking and it was likely to be hot and humid while walking about the corporate campus. This was also reiterated during a follow-up call with the recruiter.

The morning of the interviews myself and one other guy were the only ones who dressed in business casual out of a group of 20 interviewees. We both ended up with offers after it was all said and done. At the very least, we showed that we could follow instruction and not walk into the interview rounds looking like a sweaty mess like the rest of the guys in formal suits.

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Well you were explicitly told to dress casual... 'casual interview' doesn't necessarily mean casual dress.

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Exactly! Casual interview to me means that the interview itself will be more casual (having a conversation with one or two people with no explicit time constraint) rather than sitting in a conference room or office being asked questions, presenting a portfolio, etc, or even being part of a group interview with set time frames.

You still dress business professional to it, you can just be prepared to be a little more relaxed in your responses, rather than trying to craft the "perfect" response to some nonsensical questions that they ask 10 other people all in under 20 minutes each.

ATM9000 said:

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AggieBaller98 said:

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Business Casual; if they went out of their way to tell you it would be "casual" then I'd abide by their wishes.

Being overdressed when you don't know the formality of the interview is different than when you are specified the type of interview.

---

This is bad advice because frankly it is just a really risky move in my opinion with no upside. Casual can mean a lot of things... I don't care if the interviewers are in jeans, they aren't going to penalize you formally or subconsciously if you come Dressed business formal and your competitors casual... in fact it will probably be the other way around subconsciously.

The only time Id advise somebody to potentially dress under business formal is if their business formal wear fits really poorly.

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Or if they work in an industry where business formal would look odd.

It's not difficult to casually check out a place and see what their employees wear, then dress a level or two above that. Or even just call the receptionist and ask.

fig96 said:

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ATM9000 said:

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AggieBaller98 said:

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Business Casual; if they went out of their way to tell you it would be "casual" then I'd abide by their wishes.

Being overdressed when you don't know the formality of the interview is different than when you are specified the type of interview.

---

This is bad advice because frankly it is just a really risky move in my opinion with no upside. Casual can mean a lot of things... I don't care if the interviewers are in jeans, they aren't going to penalize you formally or subconsciously if you come Dressed business formal and your competitors casual... in fact it will probably be the other way around subconsciously.

The only time Id advise somebody to potentially dress under business formal is if their business formal wear fits really poorly.

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Or if they work in an industry where business formal would look odd.

It's not difficult to casually check out a place and see what their employees wear, then dress a level or two above that. Or even just call the receptionist and ask.

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Now i just picture someone on here taking this advice and calling some receptionist "hi. What are you wearing?" Or peeking through windows of an office

Suit up. Then if they press the issue saying that they told you it was supposed to be casual then have an excuse at the ready for needing to be dressed more formal for something immediately before or after the meeting.

I saw someone interview once in jeans, a polo and tennis shoes at an office where a tie was required M-Th.

Apparently he didn't want to tip off his current employer.

Maybe phone it in that day? Or leave work with enough time to change...