The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.
IT Business Casual?
vexxed13
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I just landed an IT job and I don't quite get the "IT Business Casual" dress code.
It's not exactly business casual because most IT people wear un-tucked polo shirts and get away with it. They can even wear "athletic" type shoes (provided they aren't old or beat up).
I want to impress people (managers, maybe even ladies) by dressing up, but so many of the IT guys around me are so laid back about fashion/style. I feel like I'd be looked down on for dressing up.
Any fashion-forward guys in IT have a work-around for this strange little dress code? How do I look cool and fashionable while dressing down?
It's not exactly business casual because most IT people wear un-tucked polo shirts and get away with it. They can even wear "athletic" type shoes (provided they aren't old or beat up).
I want to impress people (managers, maybe even ladies) by dressing up, but so many of the IT guys around me are so laid back about fashion/style. I feel like I'd be looked down on for dressing up.
Any fashion-forward guys in IT have a work-around for this strange little dress code? How do I look cool and fashionable while dressing down?
vexxed13 on
0
Posts
I don't see why you care what they think, really. If wearing a proper shirt looks good and the higher-ups notice that you present yourself better than everyone else, it can only help you as far as I can see.
Being "laid-back" about fashion and style doesn't affect how well you work, admittedly, but if you want to look good then don't let other people (who can't be bothered doing anything more than rolling out of bed and throwing on a crumpled polo) tell you that you can't
Webcomic Twitter Steam Wishlist SATAN
As DeShadowC said, it's expected of you. You can slowly dress more casual as you become more confident with the dress standards of the new work place etc... I don't know why you would tho.
Black dress shoes, matching belt
Decent plain-front slacks, lightweight wool, dark
Long sleeve dress shirt, no button-down collars, lighter colors, nice subtle stripe or texture in the fabric
Don't worry what others think. If you want to impress managers, dress like them. That's how they dress, except they're usually old and chubby and therefore prefer pleated pants.
I've been known to wear a blazer.
The west coast office is ridiculous even by my standards. I mean I would "probably" get in trouble for wearing a shirt that said "Moustache rides 5¢" but I wouldn't be surprised if no one cared. Normal attire is an untucked button down or polo shirt but I could easily wear a t-shirt if i wanted to as long as it wasn't offensive, old jeans or shorts doesn't matter, and i usually wear a pair of old comfortable running shoes i have. I mean it's seriously laid back. Sometimes I feel guilty about it but even our non-IT staff tend to really dress down too.
So it really depends on your office. If I was starting at a new office and wasn't sure on the dress code, I'd just wear the same attire that I listed for the midwest office.
Honestly, wear what you want as long as it meets the minimum requirements for the dress code. Wear a suit if you want... no one is going to give a shit and you definitely won't be "looked down on" for dressing nice.
It makes people think you believe you're better than them, or not one of them, or brown-nosing. All three are bad things to be. Dress the same way as everyone else.
You can also find shoes that aren't quite dress shoes (more comfortable) but are still look enough like them to be suitable. I'd wear something like that.
This is true. If you get friendly with a couple people there quickly, they'll probably jokingly give you shit if you over dress daily (button down shirt and tied when everyone else wears jeans and a polo shirt), but no one really cares.
When I start a new job, if I'm not 100% certain of the appropriate way to dress, I usually go with khakis and a button down shirt with a tie out in my car in case I need it for the first day or two. Then after I've seen how everyone dresses and possibly asked a couple people what the standard is, I shift over to that.
then our director just told us "I know you guys want to make a good impression, you did, but please dress normally. It makes us all feel like slackers." so my suggestion:
Wear black shoes, niec pants, and a tucked in button up shirt the first day. Then just wear what everyone else wears the second.
Which will probably be this rule:
No shorts
Collared shirt
No toes showing.
No, acting like a dick makes you look like a dick. Unless these people he's working with are idiots, they aren't going see nice clothes and think, "He must think he's better than us."
But they will be going
"Why does he always dress differently every day?"
Have you ever worked in an office of gossiping co-workers? Perhaps you were the guy that everyone gossiped about, huh?
It's a bad move to be acting that way from Day 1. If he wants to ingraciate himself with middle-management, he should do it through job performance.
For example, I worked in a school last year as the local tech. Most of the teachers dressed pretty casually, some jeans and a T-shirt, some a little bit nicer. Only the Principal and assistant Principals wore suits. So I was able to wear jeans, a tee and my chucks and not look horribly out of place or anything.
So I guess, dress a little differently, but don't stand out too much.
I've worked in an office environment for about 6 years now and have never heard someone say, "What's up with that guy? He must be a dick, being dressed like that." At the most, it's, "He always looks so nice."
Unless you're working at Cosmo or something, no one cares what you wear. Just wear a polo and slacks to start out (tucked is always safer), and adjust as you see fit. If you see everyone wears jeans and you want to wear jeans, wear jeans. If you see everyone wears jeans and you like wearing suits, wear a damn suit.
It's about a zillion times more comfortable than the standard business casual jobs I've worked in. But I'll admit, for the first month or so I wore button-downs, nice khakis or slacks, etc. I wanted to impress, but ultimately I figured out that we get cut a lot of slack.
Oh, and nobody's mentioned it yet, so I will... impress ladies at work, fine, just don't ask them out or anything. Whole different subject right there =P
Inquisitor77: Rius, you are Sisyphus and melee Wizard is your boulder
Tube: This must be what it felt like to be an Iraqi when Saddam was killed
Bookish Stickers - Mrs. Rius' Etsy shop with bumper stickers and vinyl decals.
Generally khakis/dockers/slacks, dress shoes, and a collared shirt are acceptable to tech jobs.
Did you not interview on site and see what everyone else is wearing?
I've worked at colleges, paper mill, state/provincial gov't, federal gov't and private companies. All have listed "Business Casual" and they all mean different things.
Everyone's suggestions are right. My view is that summer/fridays, you can get away with more (jeans, polos, maaaaybe plain/nonoffensive tshirt depending where you work). Currently I program in Java/PLSQL but still work for the "IT" side of my company. I wear Khakis/black pants and polo or collar shirt (long or short sleeved) very different than when I was crawling under desks and moving towers/monitors around at a different company (tshirt and jeans, even shorts during the summer).
Best advice, wear basically one step down from the interview and adjust to what you see your coworkers wearing.
Your coworkers wont care what you dress like unless you avoid working so as not to get your shirt dirty.
For me, I tended to dress up a bit, but stayed comfortable. I usually wore black or gray slacks and buttons down dress shirt (usually Van Hausen), a decent belt, and Rockport shoes, which are dressy enough but very comfortable. Note: I did not work in IT.
And I'm usually the one who's overdressed
You'll still look classy as hell, without looking like you're trying to show anybody up by dressing 'smart'. Some people just prefer shirts to t-shirts. I know I do. I don't even have a dress code at my job, and haven't worn a t-shirt that wasn't ultra-tight sports underwear or safety orientated flourescent yellow in years.
As long as you look comfortable in what you're wearing, no one should be able to complain. If they do, hell, that's their insecurity and they'll have to deal with it.