General Counsel Responses:
- Wear a suit and tie. 1000%.
Counsel Responses:
- I don’t think a suit hurts you. A lot of commentators here are right, many in-house rules are just looking to see if you fit with their vibe and are probably more laid back. You can get away with a nice sweater, button up without a tie, but even in my current role I dressed suit and tie. They were laid back and said “you can dress down for your other interviews, we’re pretty casual”. Still got the job despite dressing formal. If it’s not a super formal industry (finance, insurance), I think you’re okay with the nice sweater and button down.
- I'd suggest wearing an open-collar shirt, no tie, jacket.
- I would wear a suit and just respond well whenever my interviewers would jokingly make fun of me for it.
- Long sleeve shirt with a Patagonia vest 😎.
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Associate and Attorney Responses:
- I just did multiple in-house interviews, I wore a blazer in my final round but even then I was over dressed. By no means look like a slob but I think if you wear a nice sweater and are well-groomed it’ll be fine. To some extent a lot of in-house is making sure you vibe with the other team members/business so I would caution against going full firm interview on them (unless it’s a huge department). Confidence is everything, just don’t look like a slob.
- What’s the company culture?
- Can you ask your HR contact? I know when we’ve had equal candidates after early rounds people have been cut for wearing suits because it was assumed they were going to be too formal for company culture. I don’t read that much into clothing, but others definitely do.
- Why is it virtual? If the interviewer is WFH then I don’t think you should wear a suit or tie. Maybe not even a blazer. If the interviewer is at the office, then I think wearing a blazer or jacket would be safe but a full suit would still seem too formal.
- I wore a suit for my Zoom interviews. It’s always better to be overdressed than underdressed, especially as a lawyer. Some of my interviewers had full 5 o’clock shadows and old sweatshirts, but didn’t mind my suit.
In-house? Join the conversation on Fishbowl (anonymous).
