Explain why I didn't wear tie in first round

I would start with the truth. Why didn't you wear a suit to an interview?

Seriously, wtf were you thinking? Unless you have a really good reason (you're Clark Kent and you left your jacket and tie in the telephone booth when you went off to stop a bank robbery), he's going to ride you on this.

Even if you got it dirty the day before and didn't have time to clean it, I still would have brought the jacket with me (maybe not wear it, hold it in your hand, explain when asked). And if it's because you don't own one - that's no excuse - you could at least get a cheap suit.

I know it was my mistake not wearing a suit to an interview. But I was trying to be more personal during interview (especially one of them is my friend), I know their dress code is business casual and was trying to dress like them and "fit" into them during interview. But I really took the interview seriously and prepared hard for it.

But I can't tell this crap to an MD, so should I just apologize?

Unless you're interviewing to be a janitor, you wear a freaking suit.

Good luck - if he asks be honest and hope he's having a good day

and please stop shitting on me, I know I made a mistake. I will never try to dress the same to "fit in" again. The question is, what should I say, apologize? or really explain? I just want to quickly fix and move on from the dress code topic during interview.

Unless you're interviewing with Google (where I have seen in some of their postings you can dress casually) always assume suit and tie, even if it's suppose to be business casual normally.

I guess you really can't say much else but be honest. And yeah, if he's a nice guy, maybe he'll understand it's a youthful mistake and let it pass. Or he'll think you lack any common sense and ding you.

Apologize and explain. I'd start the interview by saying you are sorry and take the interview and position very seriously; you were just trying to fit in.

But this is a stupid fucking thread - what would possess you to think being business casual makes you a "fit" for the company? Fit is personality based jackass. So if all the people there wore gucci shoes, would you go out and pay $500 to ensure you are a "fit" in the first round? (well you prob would, but you're clearly weird) This amateur shit is fucking pissing me off, no wonder there are still open spots. You should have consulted the entire fashion portion of WSO, it clearly states over and over wear a fucking suit, unless you are interviewing at a start up.

JD

If you got a second round interview I wouldn't sweat it. You've learned a valuable lesson and came out alive. If it was me I would say exactly what you told us. I would reiterate that you are very interested in the position and any mistake that was made was done in an attempt to cater to their firm culture. You want to go for "I am a humble, inexperienced student who is willing to learn" and not "I am a dumb college kid who wasn't taking the interview seriously."

Good luck in your final round interview!

I like your reason, just tell him that. It's true, it shows that you want to fit in, and that your perhaps overeagerness to be part of the firm may have caused you to do something that is questionable in other people's eyes. Don't make jokes to try to lighten the situation (I'm not saying you're a joking sort of guy, but if it were me, I would try to make a joke to try to lighten the mood, and that's the wrong thing to do here).

At the very least, he won't forget about you, and you're not just another person he's interviewing. Just make that into a positive, and you'll do great.

So wait- is this a business casual office? Was the OP told what to wear? Wearing b-cazsh to try and fit in when everyone is wearing business formal is not a very good excuse from the perspective of someone who's been in industry for a few years. It just doesn't make sense- sounds like a knee-jerk excuse made on the fly.

If this was a b-cazsh office and the OP was not specifically told to wear business formal, the MD is being totally unreasonable. If you have other offers that are roughly as good, I recommend refusing the 2nd-round interview. This is not a guy you want to be dealing with.

Thanks for helping out Drexel. So there you go. You knew the firm's dress code was business casual. You figured the interviewer was going to be wearing business casual. The last question- to hopefully tell me how ridiculous this guy is being- was the MD wearing a tie?

If the MD wasn't wearing business formal, he might just be too embarassed to even bring this up. What a ridiculous reason to ding someone. I can't imagine the Associate's exasperation over this if that were the case. If the MD asks, just say that you were aware the firm had a business casual dress code, you figured your interviewer would be wearing business casual, and you did not want to overdress in that case.

If someone specified that you were supposed to wear business formal, then of course this is a bad excuse. But it sounds like you were not told that you needed to wear business formal.

One thing that I always do these days if I'm not sure what the dress code is- is to ask either specifically- or just ask what my interviewer will be wearing when the interview gets scheduled.

So the real reason that you wore business casual is this:

"My understanding was that you guys have a business-casual dress code, so I assumed that both you and I would both be wearing a dress shirt and slacks. I've only had a few interviews under my belt- I made a bit of an assumption about the attire, but should have called and confirmed."

Done. No awkward discussion about "fit". In the absence of other information, you made a perfectly rational assumption. Your only mistake was in making that assumption rather than confirming it like few if any college students would be sophisticated enough to do.

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For all those attacking the OP, the typical rule of thumb is to dress to match your interviewer if nobody specifies a dress code. The OP's mistake was really quite minor- either assuming his interviewer would wear business casual or assuming that his interviewer knew the general rule of thumb- that you generally dress to match the interviewer's attire if nobody specifies a dress code. I assumed that folks must have been attacking the OP for wearing b-cazsh to a business formal firm and skimmed the OP, but before you attack someone, please do your homework.

Agree with IP, but also: your profile lists your industry as VC. Was this a VC interview? If so, making a big deal out of your not wearing a suit is completely ludicrous. The only VC guys I've ever seen in suits are obnoxious associates at networking events who have realised they are not on partner-track and won't stop talking long enough for you to get a drink.

You were driving to an interview with your window down, and as you were waiting at the red light, a car making a left turn from the road to your right drove over a puddle and splashed you with dirty water. Thankfully you had some dry-cleaning in the trunk, and so you were able to change into a shirt and khakis. You figured being a little underdressed was a lesser sin than showing up late, or covered in nasty stains.

(you are welcome)

Pull this move it might work ( My fav movie of all time) pursuit of happyness

LOL

Hey all, just want to update that I got the offer

The question DID come up at the end of interview. I followed IlliniProgrammer and brokencircle13's advice and the MD laughed, so everything was fine.

Thanks to everyone who provided constructive advice. and my advice to future interviewee - "always wear a suit to interview"

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Congrats! See guys; this was just a minor issue if the candidate accidentally dressed to match the dress code but otherwise had a great interview- bet some of the trolls feel pretty darned foolish now. Now the question is whether OP wants to work for a hard-ass or not. But at least he laughed, so he sounds reasonable at least on hindsight. I wouldn't hold it against him and if it's a nice place to work, I'd take the offer.

Best of luck this summer! :D

tell him you read on wso that black suits are a no-go.

I suit up for phone interviews.

lol first world problems

Con grats! It was a nice story.

I would have dinged an interviewee for not wearing a suit to an interview. You can do one of two things: 1) Tell the truth. You were naive and uninformed. And you learned your lesson. 2) Bend to truth. You have only one suit and [smth bad happened to it / got stolen / dry cleaner lost it].

I would show up at the final round with an absolutely perfect attire. Not too much though (no cuff-links, no pin stripes, no bright/pastel colors; just a plain dark grey or navy blue suit, two-buttons, ironed brand new white wso/">shirt. simple tie).

I would spin it, depending on how your initial few minutes of the interview are. If he seems friendly, self-deprecate a little. Say something about how I considered myself so good for the job that my resume would make the impression but then say I learn things all the time and how your adaptability is your greatest strength and here I am now, suited in my best suit and ready to impress. Key is to spin it somehow, but this all depends on how the person is and how the question why you didnt wear a suit is asked. He could potential ask it in a humorous way which is perfect.

Otherwise, tell him I was a jackass and here I am starting once again to make an impression. Stupid move whichever way it works out.