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Best bet? Call his secretary and ask. Then be sure to thank her both on the phone and when you see her.
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<p>And here is why: I am also with the group that says, treat this like a job interview and dress up. The only problem is, you don't know if the company has "gone casual" as many have, or if the interview is on a Friday many companies have casual Friday. Wearing a suit would be great if you are visiting an office where everyone is wearing suits. But if you walk in wearing a suit and everyone is wearing polo shirts and chinos you will feel like a dork!! Good luck! :)</p>
<p>1) ones that have been dreaming of being rich since the 6th grade, and have been working ruthlessly to climb the corporate ladder. Wear a suit.</p>
<p>2) guys with a great idea that happened to take off (the google founders). Wear jeans and a collared shirt. Search his name on google and find out the company he is CEO of.</p>
<p>or simply follow the good advice to call his secretary and ask. S/he, of all people, will be able to tell you what would work best, afterall - s/he works with CEO every day!</p>
<p>Personally, I would dress up: nice shirt/jacket, dress pants, etc. Weigh the possible outcomes. If you dress "as you normally would" with t-shirt and jeans, you will look like you don't care (it won't look like you are trying to be an individual). However, if you dress up, it will look impressive and you will look like you care a lot about the time the interviewer is taking to talk with you.</p>
<p>As a parent, i would advise you not to wear jeans/shirt, but don't go for a suit/tie either. You are obviously 17 or 18 years old, wear something nice, pressed khakis, dress shoes, and maybe a blazer . Be comfortable and natural in what you wear. I doubt that people got in because of their formal attire, nor that others did not make it because of casual attire. Be very polite, speak clearly, show confidence and interest.
My D wore black pants, or skirts, with nice shirts and blouses. Always pay attention to the shoes. She owns 2 suits, but neither of us felt it was necessary. She did great in all her interviews/</p>
<p>As a person who interviewed h.s. students in a Fortune 500 corporate office, my advice is to wear a suit. Certainly, you don't have to wear a suit, and depending on the office, the executives may not be wearing suits. However, execs are used to interviewing job candidates, and it's typical for job candidates to wear suits. Thus, execs view suit-wearing students as being serious about the opportunity.</p>
<p>If the exec is interviewing you in the office on a weekend, there's a good chance the exec will be dressed more casually. However, you still would be appropriate to show up in a suit. While suits may seem dorky to h.s. students, they impress most adults who are in executive positions.</p>
<p>As for the students who have suggested that jeans would be fine, I think not. Once when I was working in a major company, a h.s. student called and asked for an appointment to get career advice. I made time during the work day, and scheduled her for an appointment.</p>
<p>She showed up wearing jeans, bringing her mom, and carrying shopping bags. She didn't bother to bring a resume, and had not bothered to get any info about the field or the company. I was embarassed. It looked like I was allowing friends to come by for a social engagement. </p>
<p>Anyway, my advice is to dress and act as if you are there for a job interview. Yes, most students would dress casually and seem more like typical h.s. students. You don't want to seem typical. You want to seem atypical in an impressive way.</p>
<p>What would you all suggest wearing if the interview were in a law firm? Would a suit still be appropriate even if it isn't quite a corporate setting?</p>
<p>In any kind of firm, one will stand out in a good way by wearing a suit.</p>
<p>If one is meeting in a coffee shop, it would be appropriate to wear something like a polo shirt or nice sweater and slacks or a skirt. It's very possible that the interviewer won't be as dressed up as you are, but that's because they have the power position. They have no need for them to impress you. Some interviewers even dress down a little so as to be less intimidating. </p>
<p>If one is dressed more formally than is one's interviewer, there's no reason to feel embarassed. You are taking a serious occasion seriously. That's appropriate. No interviewer would think less of you for doing that.</p>
<p>Don't go to extremes, though, and feel you must buy new clothes for the interview. It's not a fashion show. Unless you do something like wear dirty, rumpled clothes, your clothes will not be something that will break your interview. I have heard interviewers comment about students showing up who looked like they hadn't combed their hair, brushed their teeth or bothered to put on clean, ironed clothes. That's because the interviewers assumed the students had applied because their parents made them, and the students' attire reflected the students' hostility about the possibility of being admitted to a college that they didn't want to attend.</p>
<p>There really are students who apply to Harvard because their parents force them to, and some such students even send Harvard letters asking Harvard to reject them. (If anyone is in this kind of bind, do send that kind of letter!)</p>
<p>I agreen with Northstarmom, the interviewer does not have to impress you, and a student must remember they re giving of their time....I tell my daughters that respect is so important, and dress for where to want to be, not for where you were....that can be done with style and class....and individuality....</p>
<p>i agree w/ CGM, especially about the "individuality". and remember that the CEO, no matter how "important" is still a human. so respect him as you would any other human and dont treat him like some demi-god (such as telling him/her you searched him/her on google...which usually makes an interview really awkward).</p>
<p>I'm a high school student so I don't have the benefit or the handicaps of experience but I would probably wear khakis and a nice shirt (not that I necessarily suggest this for you). Here's why: </p>
<p>1) It's what I normally wear, so I'd feel much more comfortable in it.</p>
<p>2) Being a little under-dressed will probably not sink the interview.</p>
<p>3) A bit of a lackluster interview will probably not sink your application.</p>
<p>Above all, be relaxed (if wearing a suit would freak you out, then definitely don't wear it). Being reasonably relaxed is the best way to make a good impression.</p>
<p>Whatever makes you relaxed is the best advice. Suits can be uncomfortable because they're so thick, and the shoulders are squared which might make you feel like a square. Can't go wrong with a nice button down shirt and khakis.</p>
<p>I don't know where students are getting the idea that one dresses for comfort when one is going to something like an interview. When one is going for an interview, one dresses in a way that will make one stand out in a good way to the interviewer.</p>
<p>As for the idea that suits are uncomfortable, too bad. Heck, flipflops are more comfortable than are dress shoes, but there still are times and places in which dress shoes are appropriate. The same goes for suits. When one is a senior in high school is definitely time to get used to wearing a suit on some occasions.</p>
<p>It is important to be yourself but it is equally important to show respect for the institution and the people you are meeting with.</p>
<p>Would you attend a funeral dressed in anything other than respectful attire? I should think not. Likewise, you should remember what it is you are trying to accomplish. You will have ample opportunity to display your unique personality during the course of the interview.</p>
<p>Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.</p>
<p>This is a very amusing thread! It has turned into one of the classic parent/child arguments. The parents are saying, more or less, dress up, look your best, wear a suit, clothes make the man, and the kids are mostly saying, please yourself, get comfortable, it doesn't really matter what you wear... this all sounds sooooo familiar!! LOL :)</p>
<p>My advice is to go for a polo shirt, khakis, and dress shoes. Not 'overdressed' nor underdressed(hmm now that I think about it, that makes it sound like you're naked, oh well)</p>