Business attire

[Allenberg]

I've been informed that I begin in-office training for my new job on Monday, and that I should be in business attire. Keep in mind, I've been in the military nearly since high school (6 years), so I'm not too hip on what's what. I'm short on funds, but I have a nice collection of slacks, dress shirts, ties, and sport coats. Would these be suffice, or should I be out trying on suits?

EDIT: Got the typo :D

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

1. Slacks and dress shirt

tie optional

[Texasgal]

2. What type of job is it?

That depends on suits or just sportcoats.

[Allenberg]

5. I'm an insurance agent.

[Texasgal]

Ties and dress shirts

with slacks should suffice, I would think!

[cajones_II]

21. Suits will be on sale as well, wool ones

This time of year...eventually someone will want to see you in a suit. I used to work as a consultant to insurance companies, and my rule of thumb is "dress like the boss"

[Sannum]

3. That is such a wide definition.

:shrug:

[hippiechick]

4. it's summer ... you should be fine

in slacks and a nice shirt ... bring a tie just in case.

:hi: Good luck !!

[NewJeffCT]

6. It can't hurt to ask

I'm sure they know your situation & background, so ask them if business attire means suits or dress pants & button down shirt with a collar or something different.

[MissMillie]

7. slacks & shirt w/ a tie

is quite enough.

[Lannes]

8. I would overdress instead of wearing something that might be too casual

If you overdress they probably will appreciate the fact that you are taking your job seriously if you wear clothes that are too casual it might look like you arent taking it seriously enough IMO.Good luck.

[Rabrrrrrr]

12. Best advice on this thread! Go with the suit,

or at least a sports jacket and tie.

You need to look professional, not like someone who is going to try to get away with as little as possible.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

18. That's the way to do it

When I got my first office job a couple years back, I wasn't sure how formal or how casual to be, so I decided to go with the full suit -- tie everything.

At the end of the first day, my boss pulled me aside as I was leaving and told me that I didn't need to wear a suit or tie. Slacks and collared shirt were fine.

Better to be overly prepared than to be underly prepared.

[livetohike]

9. Slacks, dress shirt and nice tie

and bring your sportscoat. On your first day, see what everyone else is wearing and you can tone down from there if you have to.

Congrats and good luck! :-)

[eyesroll]

10. Those should be fine.

I don't know of any industries that consider a sport coat inappropriate business attire for day-to-day work. (I suppose your individual employer might be different, but I think the HR person or your new supervisor probably would say something if the dress code was super-strict.)

Coat and tie, absolutely. You can take them off later (or not wear one or both the next day) if you find people dressed a little more informally.

[Gormy Cuss]

11. wear slacks, dress shirt, tie and sport coat

You can always remove the sport coat and tie when you get there if you're feeling overdressed, and if everyone is in suits, you won't look as out of place as you would with no tie or jacket.

[On the Road]

13. In My Experience,

"Business attire" means suits and ties for men. Sport coat and tie should be OK. "Business casual" is khakis and golf shirts (in warm weather).

Things may have changed, though, or it might be a more casual industry than mine. It might be worth calling your contact since they went to the trouble of specifying.

In general, if there's doubt, dress more conservatively.

[crispini]

14. Ooo, tough call.

Business casual or business formal? IIRC, business formal means suit with tie. Business casual could be anything from slacks & dress shirt (no tie) to slacks and a golf shirt. What is the final job going to be? If you're going to be doing anything customer-facing, they probably mean business formal. It can't hurt to ask....

[XemaSab]

15. My office is hyper-casual

Jeans, tee shirt, old doc martins.

Neener neener neener.

[GOPisEvil]

20. Yeah, yeah, rub it in.

*straightens tie*

[XemaSab]

22. I just kicked off my shoes

so now I am in my socks.

:P

[GOPisEvil]

23. Yeah, well, now I'm home.

:)

[leftofthedial]

16. a thong, cowboy boots and one of those tall chef hats should work!

depending on your business, of course.

[quisp]

17. suits and ties always...

sports coat, slacks, tie, occasionally.

You've been in the military so you know undershirts, trimmed nails and hair, shirt tucked.

dress as well (or even a little better) than your boss if you want to move up.

[evlbstrd]

19. Still have your combat boots? Wear 'em.

[Allenberg]

25. I still have all my battle dress uniforms,

and a kevlar jacket and helmet. Perhaps I should wear that as well. :D

[evlbstrd]

26. Especially to sell insurance.

[silverpatronus]

24. i wish that people would say what they mean...

with regards to attire. 'business attire' tells me nothing. tell me a skirt suit, or pantsuits are ok, or i don't need a jacket, or i need pantyhose (at which point i'll quit).

it's like here in trinidad, the buzzword for certain events has become 'elegantly casual'. now you tell me what the fuck that means. i can look elegant in jeans, and casual in a dress. WHICH DO YOU WANT ME TO WEAR!

[Allenberg]

27. Office managers need to be more specific.

I got ahold of the office manager/secretary for my boss. Here's her response:

"Oh, shirt and tie are alright. Don't worry much about the jacket."