ATM9000 said:
AggieBaller98 said:
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.
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.