Situation: You work downtown - a very concentrated, crowded downtown of a big city. Your wear business casual to worky daily. You have an interview 2 blocks from your office. You cant call in sick. Even if you do chances are you would bump into someone from work when you get to DT. How do you wear a suit? Is it appropriate to wear business casual attire?
Are there multiple entrances/exits? I faced the same situation. In fact, the buildings are on the same block and are literally 50 feet away from each other and they use the same parking structure. Luckily for me, there is a separate escalator going into each building from the parking structure. One time a co-worker did see me but she’s a cool girl so I wasn’t worried. I say go for it and good luck.
Any chance you can do early in the AM so that when you arrive it could be early enough for no one to see you, then go to restroom and change when done (depending on floor setupp, etc)?
- Do you have a briefcase? Can you neatly fold your jacket and tie up into the briefcase and then put them in once inside the lobby of the building you are interviewing in? 2) This is kind of ridiculous, but depending on your situation / location, you could pick up your jacket and tie from some other nearby location (your apt, your friend’s office, etc.) and then take a cab directly to the building where you have your interview.
Not sure if this is applicable to you but heres my situation/solution: I work in downtown NYC. I have a membership to the NYSC gym for all NYC locations. I stop by the NYSC that is 3 blocks from work in the morning, leave my suit in a locked locker and head to work. Head out for the interview, go to NYSC to change, after interview change back at NYSC Return to work. You must wear a suit – do not wear biz casual.
My friend could do any of the above but I think that he is too lazy. he is thinking they should like him in business casual, otherwise too bad for them. my friend is contemplating whether he should let the interviewers know in advance of his plan to wear business casual.
He shouldnt bother going if he is wearing B casual…
r u serious? he is seious about the job. is it that bad?
if someone has the b**ls to explain upfront the reason WHY they are in bus casual would accept that as an interviewer and not let it affect their chances. best thing to do is phone HR (or whoever is organising the interview) and explain this fact. it might even be an ice breaker!
Wow – I would relish the opportunity to have an interview so close to my own office! That means you don’t even have to take time off from work. First of all, you must wear a suit. On another note, if you are that concerned about getting caught by someone since your interview is close to work, here is what I would do (and have done): (1) Carry your suit in a shopping bag. I suggest one of the large Duane Reade, Food Emporium, or CVS shopping bags. People will probably just think that you were loading up on tissue boxes or bottled beverages for your cube and won’t even think twice. To prevent your suit from being visible, make sure you either double-bag your belongings or drape some other stuff, like other smaller bags, over it. (2) For convenience of storage, fold your suit pants and your jacket on the same hanger, and leave your tie in your jacket’s inner pocket. You’ll be wearing your dress suit and your interview shoes and socks on the day of your interview. (3) You are probably best off changing at your interview site. Some places have bathrooms in the lobby, so check there first. Otherwise, try to stop by another floor besides your own first to change there, before taking the elevator to the floor where your interview is. (4) Share your positive experiences on AnalystForum. Good luck!
I told HR I’d be in b-casual when I interviewed. I had to sprint across LA for a 6PM interview after I left work. It was no problem at all because they knew I’d be in b-casual. Actually I’m not sure what I was wearing even qualifies as b-casual. I got the job anyway.
P.S. If the place you’re interviewing with knows that your company is business casual, it might make for a good story. There was one unique instance in my job search experience that fits the bill: Interviewer: “Hi, nice to meet you Numi and thanks for coming in today. By the way, isn’t your company business casual? I guess it’s been a while since I’ve been on the sell side.” Me: “Yeah, it is, but I’m here for a job interview and I’m pretty pumped up about the opportunity to work for you. I didn’t want to show any disrespect by showing up under-dressed, and fortunately the security guard downstairs let me change in the washroom lobby.” In the meantime, the interviewer saw my Duane Reade bag containing my khakis next to my briefcase, and just smiled to himself. I think he understood what was going on, and my willingness to make a good first impression and quite literally “stepping out of my comfort zone” (and into a lobby bathroom) definitely helped the interview start off on a good note.
yeah - change at your gym. or you could take a suit to the dry cleaners, tie included, then pickup the suit from the dry cleaners, (near your office) change in a bathroom (there, or at a restaurant)
thems Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Not sure if this is applicable to you but heres my > situation/solution: > > I work in downtown NYC. > I have a membership to the NYSC gym for all NYC > locations. > I stop by the NYSC that is 3 blocks from work in > the morning, leave my suit in a locked locker and > head to work. > Head out for the interview, go to NYSC to change, > after interview change back at NYSC > Return to work. > > You must wear a suit – do not wear biz casual. I do this too. It works very well.
Id wear the suit regardless. it is always better to over impress than other way around… also silly question – SELL SIDE is business casual???