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The day of the job interview I went in a suit. The recruiter (whom is the boss there) complimented me on my professional look, but said that generally they dress casual at the office, and that they would suit-up only when meeting clients or going to conferences, big meetings, etc.

Tomorrow I'm gonna start my first day: from what I read online, it's a good idea to go a bit overdressed (I will probably ditch the tie, but still wearing a suit). Some of these websites advised to keep this overdressed look even for 2 months. In my opinion this would harm me more than do good. It would give the impression that I'm not trying to blend in, that I do not care about fitting or even that I think they are not professional enough.

The way I see it, the first day is more than enough. Do you agree?

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marked as duplicate by David K, JB King, Joe Strazzere, Dawny33, paparazzo Dec 9 '15 at 17:34

This question has been asked before and already has an answer. If those answers do not fully address your question, please ask a new question.

  • Also New Job, Casual Attire, First Impression – David K Dec 9 '15 at 16:57
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    It's not whether we agree or what some website says. It's what your boss and team thinks, and the boss has already said the team dresses casual except for special events. – Chan-Ho Suh Dec 9 '15 at 16:57
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    To translate to match yours, if you were specifically told that they don't wear suits, then don't wear a suit. You can still dress nicely and adjust to as you get a better feel for the environment. – David K Dec 9 '15 at 16:58
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I would suggest to dress to your first day as formally as you did to the interview, if that makes you feel confident and you think the occasion of meeting everyone at the office warrants this. Your boss will probably joke/comment that you are again looking well (too well?) dressed.

In which case you can tell the truth: it's a big day for you since you are meeting everyone for the first time, so you wanted to dress professionally.

This should make sense to any boss and they should secretly feel fine about your over-dressing since it indicates you are not taking this job for granted.

Starting day two, you probably should dress casual, same as everyone else. It should be enough to make sure your shirt/pants are freshly washed and ironed and look neat overall. This will set a tone for your personal dress from this point forward.

Generally, find the dress style that works best for you and is still within the 'casual' bounds of the office, and go with it consistently. Everyone does their thing: some go with jeans and polos, some with slacks and silk polos, some with khakis and short-sleeved or long-sleeved (in my case) dress shirts... And there will always be that one guy who wears baggy jeans and a t-shirt no matter what.

Do what feels right, convenient, and non-embarrassing to you when you look in the mirror before heading to work in the morning, and you'll have it made. Good luck!

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Depends on your industry. But, since your boss said they dress casual, I'd say that wearing a suit will do no harm nor good.

I, as a software developer, have never cared about over/under dressing. I've worked in start-ups, small companies(50~150 people) and big companies (2000+) and in none of them someone said anything about the way I dress.

In all of them it was casual. I always go to work with jeans trousers and a T-shirt. But in all interviews I keep the jeans trousers and change the tee for a polo.

I noticed that anytime someone overdresses, people make light jokes about that.

But, if you work for a bank, for example, you might have to wear a suit and tie.

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  • @JoeStrazzere Since OP wants to overdress a little, I think it wouldn't be a problem. If OP wanted to show up with a tuxedo, that would be a problem, or if the boss asked to wear a suit and OP showed up in a tee. – undefined Dec 9 '15 at 17:14
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If your boss said come in casual, come in casual. There is really nothing wrong with following the eqiquette you've been told. If you're unsure, just ask your boss.

Coming in overdressed after he told you not to will do more harm then good.

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but said that generally they dress casual at the office, and that they would suit-up only when meeting clients or going to conferences, big meetings, etc.

In that case you are an exception to that rule since you're going to have a "big meeting" which is meeting everyone at the office and going around. So wearing casual sounds like a good second day idea. See what others are wearing and then go with that. Go with your gut feeling on this. If you feel you should dress, I recommend doing that.

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