Business Casual or Smart Casual?

Hello all,

I've been invited to a brief informational sit-down with a well established portfolio manager (oversees >1B$ AUM) - after the initial excitement waned I began wondering how I should dress for the meeting. My instinctive thought is to go with a more business casual look, however, I do not wish to be perceived as presumptuous or entitled. My business causal look will be composed of a conservative white shirt and grey pants - black shoes.

What do you guys think - should I stroll on in the office with dark denim or play it safe? Also I was wondering if anyone else experienced a similar sentiment; did you ever feel it was presumptuous to "suit up" when not asked to? (really geared towards a younger less experience demo; think undergrad and networking)

5 Comments
 
Most Helpful

Est consectetur laudantium nesciunt exercitationem eligendi. Officiis provident quis vero quaerat cupiditate. Quaerat eligendi sunt commodi id vitae. Qui eveniet temporibus eaque non tempora. Ratione ut sequi molestiae non placeat doloremque qui.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (29) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (77) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”