So I just accepted a job offer im pretty excited about at a place that has business casual attire. I want to ask a couple of questions about it so i am prepared. (must i say im young(ish) and do not have much experience in these types of things?) i know business casual attire means no tshirts, tee shoes or jeans. thats basically all i know about it. i have done some google searches on the subject and know very generally what to get. 1. shirt. does it have to be long sleeved? can a short sleeve like a polo shirt or even the kind of shirt that buttons all the way down but short sleeved? do they have to be tucked in? assuming the shirt is not real long and not designed to be tucked in. 2. shoes. i need to get some leather shoes with rubber soles, preferably with no heel on it. what are some brands i should look for? does a business casual shoe with no heel even exist? (male) dark "dress" socks. 3. pants. no jeans. i pretty much know what pants to get. "dress pants". belt? any others tips or info on the subject would be appreciated.
khaki or dark blue or black pants (no jeans) leather belt & leather shoes (no tennis shoes, sandals, basketball shoes, etc) if you know it's very casual, an ironed, solid colored polo will suffice (no bright/neon colours) if you're not sure how casual it is, wear an ironed solid colour dress button down shirt. after your first day, you should get a feel of what they consider work appropriate. I hope I helped!
I always start out over dressed to get a feel for what they mean. I have had employers tell me it's casual, and be nothing of the sort, I have had others tell me to dress however i want and after 3 months of coming dressed professional I dressed business casual once and got told to dress better Shirt- Long sleeves are always more professional, if the place truly is business casual, button up short sleeves and polo's shouldent be a issue, untucked might be bit too casual For your shoes there is all kinds of stuff out there, you shouldent have a hard time finding something. My bf destroyes his shoes at work in about a month so he buys them at payless, all rubber soled, leather or leather like, and no or not much of a heel, all professional looking. Dockers khakis are great for pants, Id go with a belt too, it looks a bit unfinished without one.
You've probably already started your job, so this is no doubt a bit late. I'll post anyhow in the hope it helps someone down the road. For the first day on the job, I've always dressed more conservatively. Being a guy, this usually means a collared, button-up shirt, dress slacks, socks, and dress shoes. Depending on the job an even higher level of dress may be appropriate. In Finance/Business, a jacket and tie would be appropriate and perhaps even a full-blown suit. Anyhow, I've always over-dressed a bit the first few days until I've gotten a better feel for what is considered acceptable/appropriate. In the last couple of office jobs I had, it was standard and acceptable to wear a collared shirt, jeans, socks, and sneakers. I didn't start doing that until I figured out from watching others that such attire was okay. Better to over-dress than under-dress. For women, I'd take the same approach. Sleaved blouses, conservative skirts or slacks, and closed-toe shoes. It won't take long, especially in summer, to determine if sleeveless blouses or sandals are acceptable, but you don't want to be the one "rocking the boat" as a new hire.
