Business casual?

Hi,

I am starting with a consultancy firm in a few weeks and they have told us that the dress code for the first three weeks whilst training (i.e not in home office or on client site) will be 'business casual.'

Does this basically mean not a full suit? Any suggestions as to what is/isn't appropriate would be very helpful,

Thanks,

Sorry to highjack your message here with a naive question, but would 'business casual' (which hopefully will be defined rather soon), be suitable for careers fairs, such as the one coming up next month?

Business casual means different things to different people. I usually interpret it to mean a dressing gown and slippers, but then I'm a bit eccentric.

Others will interpret it across a wide range of formality. It's easiest to describe these in terms of men's clothing -- adapt for a woman as appropriate:

- In Big 4 firms, quite a few people will wear a suit without a tie as business casual.

- In other firms, business casual is a pair of smart trowsers and a collared shirt.

- Particularly at American firms, business casual can mean chinos and a polo shirt.

As a rule of thumb, a man wants a shirt with a collar, trousers with a crease, and shoes that will hold a shine. That means no T-shirts, blue jeans, or trainers. Each firm is slightly different, but follow these guidelines and you shouldn't go far wrong.

Good luck and congratulations on your new job!

Anon, business-casual at the smarter end would be appropriate for a careers fair, but since it's your first chance to make an impression on a potential recruiter, why not make the effort and put on a suit?

As above, interpretations differ, but generally in the UK I'd say it's the smart trousers (and shoes) plus shirt option. At grad training, you should be OK to wear a smart polo shirt though, just don't carry it over to office work.

As for the careers fair at grad level, wear what you like I'd say. The companies are meeting hundreds of people every day, anyone in smart casual or a suit is just going to blend in to the masses asking questions anyway (most companies send grads with 2-3 years experience to man their stalls, so they're not the people who have the hiring decision and as such it doesn't matter).