<p>Yes, so I know this topic has been posted a thousand times over, but none of the situations I've seen matches mine just right (plus all of them are by girls).
Tomorrow I will be meeting with a Yale grad at Starbucks in San Diego. She gave me her graduation date, so I infer she is in her mid-50's. She is also a pediatrician.
She did not give me any indication of whether the interview will be formal or informal.
The fact that the interview is at Starbucks suggests a more informal atmosphere, but I'm definitely afraid of underdressing.</p>
<p>My options:
A. Full Suit and tie (probably not)</p>
<p>B. Slacks, button-down collared shirt and tie</p>
<p>C. Same as B but without tie</p>
<p>D. Khakis and a nice short-sleaved collared shirt</p>
<p>your first guess: Starbucks = informal is correct. C or D or E is fine. D is best choice, IMHO.</p>
<p>Want to know a funny coinicdence? I’m interviewing two people tomorrow at a Bagel/coffee shop. I’m wearing: slacks and polo shirt == the equivalent of your option D.</p>
<p>At all of my interviews so far I’ve just worn a nice sweater over a dress shirt and either dark jeans or slacks. It seems to have been fine. If you can throw in a touch of Yale blue (a tie or something), she may notice and be impressed. Who knows?</p>
<p>My son, a current freshman at Yale, had his interview in a Starbucks after school one day last year. He went to the interview in his school clothes – jeans, t-shirt and v-neck sweater. Don’t stress over what you wear!!!</p>
<p>Ok so I went with C. Discovered I was overdressed, lesson learned, but I’m glad I erred on that side. For an interview in the same sort of atmosphere, I’ll go with D next time. I can’t see how anyone would advocate E.
So I’ll use this as my base point. Coffee shop=D, anything slightly more formal=C</p>
<p>My son has been wearing nice khakis with a button down shirt and a charcoal or navy wool v-neck sweater to interviews. A few of the interviews have been in law or financial services offices, and this outfit is still dressy enough. A dark sweater is a nice substitute for a jacket, and a tie can be added if the environment is very formal. For the meetings in coffee shops, he’s worn more distressed looking khakis with a casual, untucked, button down shirt and a white tee shirt underneath (his normal go to school outfit). Jeans and a tee shirt are always too casual, and a suit usually looks awkward on high schoolers.</p>
<p>Funny you say that, he’s adamant that his shirt be “untucked” for casual interviews - he says that “no one tucks in their shirt” unless they want to look “ridiculous.” I’m talking about box hemmed shirts, not those with a tail. It actually looks okay with a tee shirt underneath.</p>
<p>If his interviewer is a man my age (i.e., over 50), then he won’t look ridiculous with a tucked-in button-down shirt. I can’t speak for younger people, of course. But to me, a shirt that isn’t tucked in is too casual for an interview.</p>
<p>None of this probably makes a big difference, but if people really want to know what impression their clothes give to adults, they should pay attention to what adults say, and not what other teens do.</p>