Job Interview Questions: If an employer at a job interview specifically tells you not to dress up for your interview, should you anyway?

I have an interview Friday with an employment agency for a position they are recruiting for for another company. In our email exchange the recruiter said not to dress up because they will be casual that day. Is this a test to see if I will/won't dress up? I don't want to offend the recruiter but usually I wear suits for interviews (and I currently do have a job as a professional). Any advice?

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Recommended Answer:
Do not dress up. Go in business casual. If you dress up you will stick out like a sore thumb and the interviewer will know instantly you don't listen well....

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• I would do business casual. Everybody has a different idea of what "casual" means, and based on something saying "don't dress up," I would say that usually means "don't wear a suit." Wearing something like khaki pants and a polo shirt or button up shirt should fall within the guidelines, since many people dress like that normally, so it's sort of a baseline for "business casual." You want to appear neatly dressed, but not like you are trying to make the people around you look bad. I wouldn't wear jeans, because that is usually too casual for anything other than a job like retail.


• A test, to see if you can follow instructions, is a real possibility. Leave your jacket in the car and apologize at the introduction, because you were instructed not to wear a suit. If this segues into an immediate second interview, you can ask about recovering the jacket. You don't want to continue making excuses as you advance to the ultimate decision maker.


• Follow what they say. Doing so will show them that you can follow directions. It is not a test. If I were you, I'd wear jeans (iron them so it looks crisp) and a nice shirt. That way you look good and comfortable. Don't wear a tshirt.