Question regarding how to dress for a lunch meeting. I've been interviewing for a position, and have basically completed that process (screening, interview with executive team, interview with President and board members). Pretty much everybody is sold on me for the job, but one board member wants a second look at me, so we are having lunch. Normally, people in Boston tend to dress business casual, so a lunch meeting would be slacks and an open collar dress shirt. But this is sort of like an interview, so do I wear a suit? Have about an hour to figure this out!
Since you're not in the same culture as me, I'm going to recommend a turban. I hear turbans are big abroad.
Ended up going with a tie but no jacket. Should have gone with the open collar, that's what the board member did. Anyway, I've come to the conclusion that these people aren't sure what they want, and are therefore not able to make a decision. Looks like I will be having lunch with another board member as the next step.
I hate the guessing game in dress codes and because of this, I usually overdress. It's almost like it's cyclical. Going on a "typical" large corporate make up, you can dress down if you're close to the bottom or close to the top. But, you have to dress up in the large and nebulous gray area in the middle of the company. I've seen the CEO's if Fortune 500 Companies show up in blue jeans/shorts and t-shirts/golf shirts. But, that Junior VP better be in a well tailored suit.
I'm a little late to the game but this is what I did on Tuesday (and do). I had a lunch date with a potential client. When setting things up I called his administrative assistant and asked her a couple of questions like "where would he like to eat." I also asked her what he wears. Then on the day of the luncheon I called her again and asked what he was wearing. Khakis and an open collared shirt. That way I knew what to wear which was slacks and a long sleeved shirt with no tie. The rule I follow is to never out dress whom ever I am meeting but make what ever I am wearing look sharp.
I would have gone with cargo shorts (plaid), a checkered short sleeve button up shirt, and a bolo tie. But I don't hold EVERYONE to my ridiculously high standards.
I'm sure the next guy will be wearing a suit. He's a VP at State Street Bank, such people were born with ties around their necks.
I wore a suit to my interview today even though it's waaay dressier than most people wear (interviewing for a new position at the same organization). I was the classiest-looking guy in the room. Also: The Sartorialist (as I will call him) of the building came in to watch my talk, and I'm pretty sure I watched him take off a cardigan that he was wearing over another cardigan.
