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Onboard or Onward: Ensuring the Success of Your New Executive Hire

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“About 40% of executives who change jobs or get promoted fail in the first 18 months.”

Fortune Magazine

Where does it all go wrong? Too often, the onboarding process is where things fall apart. I am not talking about “orientation”, which often is done day one and generally involves the basics of assigning a building pass, conducting a benefits overviews, meeting the team and reading a few policies. Onboarding is a longer process, and if done well (typically in partnership with Human Resources and managed by the new executive’s manager, or the Board Chair if they report to the Board of Directors) can almost guarantee fit. It is holistic and gradual. It is also very deliberate, and will require constant check-ins and open communication.  Here are five key activities that will help to ensure that your new executive will be successful in their new role:

Start to Onboard Before They are Actually ON BOARD!

The time between an offer being accepted and the executive starting is sensitive. They may be dealing with a counteroffer, having to say goodbye to much-loved colleagues, and are nervous about this new venture. Keep in touch. Reiterate your excitement to have them joining the team, and have a few people in the organization reach out. If there are organizational overviews, annual reports, strategic plans or other things that that they can read up on ahead of time, get those to them during this time so that they start to feel like part of the team.

Send an announcement out to the staff and the board a few days before their start date explaining their background and the job they are filling. This will help make them seem more familiar to the team when they come through the door, and as an added benefit they will not have to review their resume and background with absolutely everyone in their first week or so.

Relationship Before Task 

Ideally, new executives will meet with their team and people across the organization. One-on-one meetings are great, but remind those who will be meeting with the executive to get to know them before delving into the inner workings of their role or the issues they face. Building rapport with new colleagues and direct reports is critical in the early days.

Learn By Doing 

Too often, in an effort to get all the information to a new hire as soon as possible, they are introduced to processes way too soon. Guess what? They will not remember how to do an expense report or change their password or complete a sales report 30 to 60 days in when they actually need to do it if they are taught how to do it their first week. Have the right people meet with them at the start to review the process at a high level, and then have them set up a time to do it later when they can sit down with real data and learn from it real-time.

The Buddy System 

What we learned in grade school still applies: the buddy system works when the new kid starts. This should not be the executive’s manager, but a peer or high-performing direct report who has longevity and the personality to be an effective buddy. The buddy can manage the nicety of taking them to lunch on day one and being available to explain the intricacies of culture, relationship dynamics, and certain pitfalls to avoid, which are things that the executive may not be comfortable asking of higher-ups.

Check In Early & Often

I too often hear that executives join, get a ton of attention the first day or two, and then are largely left on their own. It does not feel welcoming, and it runs the risk of them going in a direction that is difficult to course-correct later on. Meet with them daily, even for 10-15 minutes, in the first few weeks. Move on to twice weekly, weekly….you get the point. Let them know where they are doing a great job. Let them know where they need to take a different approach. But LET THEM KNOW. Being clear on what is a success will lead to more success.

While by no means a complete onboarding process, following the steps above will help to ensure that your new executive hire is one of the 60% who will be a success in the first 18 months.

Cindy Joyce is an Executive Recruiter and the Founder of Pillar Search, an Executive Search and HR Consulting firm located in Boston that works with clients nationwide. She can be reached here.

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Executive Search Success! Announcing the New President of Yestermorrow Design/Build School

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Pillar's Search Success

Pillar Search is proud to have successfully partnered with Yestermorrow Design/Build School on the search for their new President.

Yestermorrow Design/Build School welcomes Mike Crowley as its new President. Yestermorrow Design/Build School is a 501(c)3 non-profit educational organization located in the Mad River Valley of Vermont offering workshops, certificate programs and semester programs for adult students from around the country. Yestermorrow’s mission is to inspire people to create a better, more sustainable world by providing hands-on education that integrates design and craft as a creative, interactive process.  The intensive and experiential curriculum includes a wide variety of topics related to sustainable design, green building, architectural craft, and furniture making.

As President, Mike will be responsible for the fiscal, programmatic and functional health of the Yestermorrow, in addition to serving as the primary advocate for its mission and steward of its reputation.  As a school known for innovation, Mike will foster a culture of thinking outside the box and creative experimentation to help Yestermorrow continue to be a place of cutting-edge design education.

Mike joins Yestermorrow from the Institute for Sustainable Communities, where he held the role of Program Director, Resilient Regions Initiative. Prior roles included Climate and Sustainability Manager with Environmental Health & Engineering and Assistant Director of Harvard University’s Office for Sustainability. In addition, Mike was a professor of Planning for Carbon Neutrality at Harvard University Extension School. Mike holds a graduate degree in Environmental Science from Schumacher College/University of Plymouthand an undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies from University of Vermont.

With personalized service and proven results, Pillar is your partner in executive search and human resources consulting. With over 20 years of experience, Pillar provides national retained search services for exceptional non-profits and foundations and early-stage or rapid growth for-profit firms. All share the characteristic of desiring top talent who want an occupassion, not just an occupation.     In addition, Pillar offers human resources consulting services, which was born of clients requesting help on projects beyond executive search, and includes human resources audits, creating a handbook, assessing organizational design, training, team building, and employee communications.    A woman-owned business, Pillar is based in Boston, MA, and works on retained searches both a local and national level. To learn more about how Pillar can assist with your search needs, email cindy@pillarsearch.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Lights…Cameras…Your LinkedIn Profile Picture!

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In the acting world, headshots are a must for actors and actresses, whether they are just starting out or have reached “celebrity” status.  Headshots are their calling cards.

Treat your LinkedIn profile picture as if you were in Los Angeles or New York chasing a big acting job and as if that picture were your calling card. It is often the first impression that you will make on potential clients, employers, and vendors.  Make sure that the impression you leave is a positive one.  Plus, you may not be actively looking for a new job, but you never know when a hiring manager or executive recruiter will be looking around on LinkedIn and come across your profile.

I recently updated my own profile picture, and in the process did my research asked some friends who are photographers and in the image business to give their suggestions for a great headshot.  Here are some tips for a winning profile picture:

  • Hire a professional, or ask a friend who takes good pictures to help out
  • Thou shalt not take a selfie.  Deb Liljegren, NYC-based photographer, tells me that your outstretched arms may not be visible, but you are not fooling anyone.  Selfie sticks do not help, either. There is a clear difference between a DIY picture and one taken by someone else
  • Susan Tran, a photographer in Boston who did my recent photo, suggests that people smile big but not TOO big.  According to her, too big a smile can look forced.  Think of someone who makes you happy so that you capture your most natural smile
  • Boston photographer Stephanie Olsen says to BREATHE! Stephanie points out that everyone holds their breath when being photographed. This makes their shoulders rise up a bit and does not let their true smile come through. Stephanie guides people by telling them to exhale a smile. This also make them a laugh a bit and the smiles that follow are the most natural.
  • Wear professional attire suitable to your industry.  Dark colors work well so long as you do not have a dark background, in which case you would want lighter attire.  Contrast will make the picture “pop”.  Avoid prints, which can be too busy and could blend into the background
  • According to Brad Duncan, Boston’s top skincare guru, you should exfoliate your face a few days prior to the photo and drink tons of water in the days leading up to the photo being taken.  This will help skin look smoother and more even in the photo
  • If you wear makeup, go for a lighter hand for a soft effect.  Pretend you are going for that soft, fuzzy, super-forgiving Barbara Walters interview lighting
  • Speaking of lighting, Deb Liljegren also suggests shooting outside or near a window with filtered lighting

 

Remember, LinkedIn is a professional networking site and your photo should reflect that and portray your best you.

 

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New Search Announcement! WildAid’s Managing Director of U.S. Operations

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Pillar's New Search

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Pillar Search is pleased to have been selected to partner with WildAid on their search for the new role of Managing Director, U.S. Operations.

 

ABOUT WILDAID

Founded in 1999, WildAid is an international organization based in San Francisco, CA. WildAid’s mission is to end the illegal wildlife trade in our lifetimes. WildAid envisions a world where people no longer buy wildlife products such as shark fin, elephant ivory and rhino horn.

While most wildlife conservation groups focus on protecting animals from poaching, WildAid works to reduce global consumption of wildlife products by persuading consumers and strengthening enforcement.

With an unrivaled portfolio of celebrity ambassadors and global network of media partners, WildAid leverages nearly $200 million in annual pro-bono media support. Their message reaches up to 1 billion people every week.

WildAid’s strategy for achieving this goal is to reduce demand for these products using their slogan When the Buying Stops, the Killing Can Too.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and the Managing Director – Programs (MDP) in his absence, the Managing Director – US Operations (MDUS) will primarily be a manager, overseeing all US staff. The MDUS will assess and ensure organizational performance in areas both internal and external: non-programmatic fundraising, finance/accounting, human resources, information technology and organizational communication, against the annual budget, work plan, and strategic plan.

The MDUS will be responsible for recruiting and hiring all US staff and managing their well being. S/he will bring her/his experience and talent to bear on improving the global organization infrastructure to accommodate continued growth and geographic expansion. S/he will plan and lead the organizations non-programmatic fundraising and non-programmatic organizational communications strategy and should have extensive experience in both areas. Currently funding is mainly foundation and high net worth individual driven. The organization raises approximately $10 million annually.

The MDUS serves as counsel on short- and long-term fundraising, financial, staffing, and administrative decisions. S/he will set goals, monitor work, and evaluate results to meet departmental and cross organizational objectives. The role also includes oversight of WildAid’s headquarter operations and international administration and fundraising, as well as maintaining close professional relationships with staff in all locations to facilitate innovative and effective policies and procedures. They will negotiate and manage external vendor relationships such as legal counsel, insurance, technology providers, and facilities.

The MDUS will have the depth of financial experience to ensure compliance with audits, as well as regulatory and government requirements. This individual will collaborate with the Controller to oversee investment and asset management, the annual budgeting process, and ensure that multi-year financial modeling is consistent with strategic plans.

Finally, the MDUS will oversee HR strategies for recruiting, retaining, and training WildAid’s global workforce. The strategies will ensure the alignment of HR systems, compensation and benefits, and implementing a performance management system with the goals of the organization. S/he will also play a key role as champion of WildAid’s values-based positive culture.

 

KEY PRIORITIES 

The MDUS will examine the current operational systems in place, apply global best practices and strategize with the CEO to improve efficiency and implement solutions to support the organization as it continues to scale. They will build a cohesive team that includes necessary expertise in donor relations and fundraising, finance and accounting, technology, human resource and administrative support services that work collaboratively to advance WildAid’s mission. Specific duties within key areas include:

Fundraising/Donor Relations

  • Development: Work closely with the CEO and the MDP to meet aggressive fundraising goals; drive the execution of annual development plans for foundations, high net worth individuals, special events & other alternative sources of income.
  • Coordination: working internally and externally to ensure that all program, development, and communication initiatives are aligned and well-coordinated.

Human Resources

Manage and oversee the human resource function for WildAid, including:

  • Recruitment, hiring, compensation, benefits administration and performance management.
  • Design an execution of systems to develop, motivate, and retain top talent.
  • Create a more unified team across departments and offices.

Management

  • Work plans and operations: Together with the CEO and MDP, develop and implement coordinated country and program strategies and work plans for non-programmatic staff, and monitor progress against metrics and milestones.
  • Board of Directors: working with the CEO, provide staff support and guidance to WildAid’s Board and act as staff liaison to relevant board committees.
  • Office leadership: Effectively execute standardized policies and procedures across regional offices in the San Francisco headquarters and country offices.
  • Risk management and legal activities: implement letters of agreement, contracts, leases, and other legal documents.
  • Information technology: ensure the ongoing 
maintenance and updating of information systems and infrastructure, including hardware, software, and necessary applications.
  • S/he will manage the non-programmatic budget and the following direct reports: Major Gifts and Events Planner, Development Assistant, Controller, Communications Manager, Administrator Associate, and Social Media Manager.  SF-based Video Editor, Video Producer, Climate Campaigner, US Campaigner (open), US Media Manager (open) will also be managed as well from a human resources aspect, but these positions will fall under the Managing Director – Programs in terms of direction.

Financial Management and Oversight

Working with the Controller, manage and oversee all financial and business planning activities, including:

  • Lead and support organizational budgeting process, including development of an annual operating plan with programmatic milestones and targets/deliverables linked to budgets.
  • Direct and administer all financial planning and provide overall financial oversight and monitoring.
  • Support and advise the CEO in decision-making and review and analyze financial reports and ensure that relevant financial data is presented to the CEO and Board of Directors.

 

KEY COMPETENCIES AND IDEAL PROFILE

WildAid seeks a passionate, experienced team player, who is deeply committed to WildAid’s mission to end the illegal wildlife trade. This individual will have senior management experience in fundraising, human resources, operations, and finance/accounting and have an understanding of nonprofit budget models. The successful candidate will have worked with senior-level stakeholders, such as a Board of Directors, leadership teams, and country directors, to secure commitments and manage execution against shared objectives

Since WildAid is a global organization undergoing rapid growth, the ideal candidate will share best practices for creating the proper infrastructure, systems, and processes to allow for sustainable expansion. Ideally, candidates will have spent part of their career working in the area of international conservation.

The successful candidate will be a pragmatic, action-oriented leader who will enjoys working in an entrepreneurial environment. The MDUS will think strategically and creatively; this leader will need experience identifying problems and implementing solutions and best practices. S/he will be a big picture thinker, but will also possess a strong work ethic and ability to act as a hands-on manager when necessary. This individual will show sensitivity and the ability to establish respect, credibility and trust with regional office staff and in multicultural settings. The successful candidate will be comfortable with ambiguity and excited by the opportunity to work in a dynamic, nimble, start-up-like environment. The MDUS will need to remain organized and calm when under pressure.

 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS 

The candidate should have a minimum of 15 years related work experience in relevant positions of increasing scope and responsibility and possess excellent management and people skills, and personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and a commitment to WildAid’s mission. An ability to fundraise on a large scale is required. Proven experience working for an international and/or nonprofit organization in a similar capacity is highly desired. A Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, business administration, or a related field is required. An advanced degree in business, finance, or a related field is preferred.

 

APPLICATION PROCEDURE 

WildAid is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified candidates are encouraged to apply. For immediate consideration, please address a cover letter and resume to Cindy Joyce, Pillar Search, at cindyjoyce@pillarsearch.com.

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Keep It Clean: Tips for Sprucing Up Your Personal Social Media in the Job Search

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When you embark on a job search, you likely will immediately update your resume and spruce up your cover letter template. These are all incredibly important to do, but you may want to go further into your social media. Potential employers may Google you, so go ahead, do a search on yourself and see what comes up. They may do this search prior to interview selection, so you will want to ensure that you are making a good online impression and setting a positive tone.

Privacy, please: Set your Facebook and Instagram to private. Click here for instructions on changing your Facebook settings, and here for instructions on your Instagram settings.

Keep it clean: Make sure that any photos that you have posted or that are posted of you are not in questionable taste. You know which ones I mean. If you would not want your grandmother seeing it, you should not want it out there for potential employers to see. Going forward, when posting photos on Facebook, select the option of photos only being viewable by “Friends”.

Remove any rants: Twitter, by nature, is where you can spout off in 160 characters or less. If you tend to tweet, scroll through and remove anything that could be construed as a negative sound-off, especially if it has to do with your frustrations related to your job, organization, boss or colleagues.

Learn to leverage LinkedIn: LinkedIn is probably the first place that a potential employer will look. Make sure that your LinkedIn profile is impeccable. Here’s how:

  • Start with a polished photo. Ideally, use a professional headshot. If this is not feasible, we all have that friend who takes amazing photos. Ask them to take one.
  • Look professional.  Avoid photos that obviously have cropped someone else out, or where you are wearing your favorite sports team gear. Ladies, I love a strapless dress or spaghetti strap as much as anyone, but in a headshot it will make you look underdressed or, even worse, not dressed at all, and that is not the impression you want to make as a professional.
  • You know where you have worked. Others may not. Take the time to write up a blurb about what each company you have worked at does. It helps the profile to flow better, and tells a more complete story.
  • Similarly, do not just list your job titles. Explain, even briefly, what you did in each job. This is your chance to shine and give a narrative of your work history.
  • List accomplishments, awards, volunteer efforts and anything that will demonstrate how talented and passionate you are. Do not be shy. This is the time to showcase what sets you apart.
  • Ask people for recommendations. It helps build confidence in both your work abilities and your relationship building skills.
  • Network, network, network. Some people are better at networking than others. If you are not one of them, take a deep breath, click on the “People You May Know”, and proactively reach out. Not only do higher numbers look better (as stated earlier, it shows that you are adept at building relationships) but some hiring managers that I have worked with will not even look at candidates with less than 500 contacts.
  • Ask people whose professional opinion you trust to give you feedback on your LinkedIn profile. This could include trusted colleagues, former managers, mentors, or a recruiter that you may be working with. They may see things that need improvement or accomplishments that you would be well-served by highlighting.

Your resume is just one piece of the puzzle. Make sure that your social media fits the brand that you are building or have built professionally to ensure that prospective employers view you in the best light.

executive search, hiring, job, job seeker, Opportunities

Announcing the Search for the President of Yestermorrow Design/Build School in Waitsfield, VT

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Pillar's New Search

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Pillar Search is pleased to announce the search for Yestermorrow Design/Build School in Vermont.

With personalized service and proven results, Pillar is your partner in executive search and human resources consulting. With over 20 years of experience, Pillar provides national retained search services for exceptional non-profits and foundations and early-stage or rapid growth for-profit firms. All share the characteristic of desiring top talent who want an occupassion, not just an occupation.     In addition, Pillar offers human resources consulting services, which was born of clients requesting help on projects beyond executive search, and includes human resources audits, creating a handbook, assessing organizational design, training, team building, and employee communications.    A woman-owned business, Pillar is based in Boston, MA, and works on both a local and national level.

To contact Pillar, please click here.

 

YESTER_logo_3

 

President

Overview:

Yestermorrow Design/Build School is a 501(c)3 non-profit educational organization located in the Mad River Valley of Vermont offering workshops, certificate programs and semester programs for adult students from around the country.

Yestermorrow’s mission is to inspire people to create a better, more sustainable world by providing hands-on education that integrates design and craft as a creative, interactive process.  The intensive and experiential curriculum includes a wide variety of topics related to sustainable design, green building, architectural craft, and furniture making.

This is an exciting opportunity for a strong leader with a deep familiarity with and passion for architecture, design/build, sustainable and energy-conscious construction methods and experiential education. Positive, dynamic, and high energy, the President will be able to look at the big picture and identify future opportunities while managing the day-to-day activities and operations of Yestermorrow Design/Build School.

As an employer, Yestermorrow offers a supportive, collegial, entrepreneurial and inclusive working environment that fosters creativity of students, faculty and staff.

For more information about Yestermorrow, please visit www.yestermorrow.org.

Location:

Yestermorrow is located in Waitsfield, VT, which has been named “Best Town” and “Best Ski Town” by Outside Magazine. According to the New York Times, “”Well known as a winter skiing destination — it is home to the sprawling Sugarbush resort and ‘ski it if you can’ Mad River Glen — the valley reveals itself in warmer weather, when history, culture and a hyperlocal food scene come to the fore.”

Situated between the Sugarbush and Mad River Glen mountain resorts, Waitsfield is welcoming, easy going and breathtaking. For more information on Mad River Valley, please visit http://www.madrivervalley.com/.

The Opportunity:

The President is responsible for the fiscal, programmatic and functional health of the organization, in addition to serving as the primary advocate for its mission and steward of its reputation.  As a school known for innovation, the President will foster a culture of thinking outside the box and creative experimentation to help Yestermorrow continue to be a place of cutting-edge design education.

The President will report to the Board of Directors through its Executive Committee.

Specifically, the President is responsible for all aspects of the school’s operations, including:

  • Spearhead all fundraising activities for the school, including diversifying fundraising efforts to include major gifts, corporate and foundation giving, events, and planned giving
  • Supervise the ongoing, phased implementation of the new comprehensive master plan for the school’s campus, including the construction of new shop and studio spaces, residences and other site improvements.
  • Provide strong leadership and management to staff and faculty
  • Raise regional, national, and international visibility
  • Expand programs and outreach while maintaining the high quality of current programs
  • Develop, implement, and oversee a strategic plan for Yestermorrow

Please note that this is a year-round position.

Primary Duties & Responsibilities:

 Leadership, Management and Mentoring:

  • Inspire and motivate staff, the board, faculty, donors and others to advance and achieve Yestermorrow’s mission.
  • Hire, manage and leads Yestermorrow’s diverse administrative staff of seven (7) including individual staff managers for curriculum, enrollment, operations, facilities, development and communications, and semester programs.
  • Serve as the public face and chief spokesperson for Yestermorrow, and advocate for its mission and goals within the greater community served by the school.
  • Liaise with Board of Directors and work closely with all committees and working groups to ensure that board and committee meetings run smoothly and board efforts are coordinated and effectively targeted.
  • Develop a consensus-based strategic vision of the next phase of Yestermorrow’s growth, and build enduring support and relationships among diverse audiences and communities around it.
  • Manage with an inclusive and flexible style, combined with appropriate decisiveness, emphasis on accountability and ability to delegate.
  • Clearly define goals with each staff member and develop results-focused performance metrics to ensure that goals and expectations are clearly communicated and that each employee is given opportunities to grow and be challenged in their roles.
  • Regularly communicate with school’s faculty and incorporate their vision, interests and concerns into organizational planning.
  • Create and implement effective operating systems to achieve the goal of organizational excellence.

Development, Fundraising, Community Relations and Outreach:

  • Implement and complete an estimated $3 million capital campaign. This important fundraising effort will support the expansion of Yestermorrow’s campus, including new studio space, dormitories, and the restoration of existing buildings. The President will work closely with the Board of Directors, Development Manager, staff and faculty to carry out a broad-based fundraising plan targeting individuals, corporations, foundations and government agencies to support this initiative.
  • Establish fundraising priorities to reach new audiences by directing marketing and outreach strategy (including alumni, parents, and “friends of Yestermorrow”).
  • Develop and lead the fundraising efforts and identify ways to diversifying fundraising to include, in addition to annual giving, a major donor effort, special events, planned giving, grant research and writing, annual appeals, and endowment stewardship.
  • Initiate, develop and support strategic initiatives, partnerships, alliances and collaborations with relevant institutions.
  • Travel will be required to present to diverse audiences about Yestermorrow’s programs and impacts.

Administration & Finance:

  • Facilitate and manage Yestermorrow’s financial and administrative work, including overseeing the preparation, monitoring and reporting of annual budgets and work plans.

Qualifications, Skills & Abilities:

The President will be a strategic thinker, a decisive manager, a proven team builder, a compelling communicator, and an effective and enthusiastic fundraiser.

He/she must be capable of managing a complex organization during a time of significant growth and change. He/she must have demonstrated experience as an Executive Director, President or equivalent, managing comparable staff and budgets, contracts, fiscal reporting, fundraising, outreach and marketing, and organizational development, as well as liaising with the board.

The position demands an entrepreneurial spirit – someone with a talent for articulating new opportunities, and a track record of implementing them.

The successful candidate will have the following:

Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree. Advanced degree is strongly preferred.

  • At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience with private non-profit or public sector organizations.
  • Experience professionally, or passion personally, for design.
  • Proven experience in leadership roles, including the management of comparably sized staff and budget.
  • Strong fundraising experience is essential, including experience across the spectrum of development.
  • Experience either running a capital campaign or having participated in a significant manner in the successful completion of a capital campaign.
  • A track record with the outreach, community building, and public relations side of running a mission-driven institution.
  • Experience managing an institution during a time of major growth.
  • Excellent speaking, writing and presentation skills.
  • Computer literacy, Internet savvy, and comfort communicating in a variety of digital and other media.
  • Occasional travel and evening and weekend work is required.

The salary for this opportunity is competitive and commensurate with experience.

For Immediate Consideration:

This search is being managed by Pillar Search. To apply, please send your cover letter and resume, including salary requirements, to Cindy Joyce at cindy@pillarsearch.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Interview Tips: Are We Dressing for Interviews Like it is still the 1980s?

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I entered the job market in the early 1990s, when hair was high, shoulders were padded, and hemlines were not to be more than an inch above the knee. There was someone at my first “real” job who actually went around with a ruler to enforce that last rule. At first, dressing up for work was fun. Given that one of my favorite movies from the 1980s had been Baby Boom, starring Diane Keaton as the high-powered New York executive who takes on the city in her skirted suits and sensible heels, I felt like I was channeling her and I was, as a result, all grown up.

Despite our job being in a call center at an investment firm where we never saw a client in person, my colleagues and I were expected to be in professional attire every day. Back then, that meant a suit and tie for the gents and a skirted suit or dress with stockings for the ladies. But good news – the dress code stated that women were permitted to wear a suit with pants one day per week. Such progress!

Times, thankfully, have changed. A mere seven years later, the even stodgier investment firm at which I was working had adopted a business casual dress policy. Today, nearly all firms have a relaxed or downright super casual dress code and will ask that people use their judgment and wear suits when visiting with clients.

As an Executive Recruiter, part of my job is to help candidates prep for the interview. Know the ins and outs of the job requirements? Check. Understand the company’s culture? Check. Get a read on the styles of those with whom you will be interviewing? Check. Dressing for the interview? Yes, that too.

Many search firms will tell candidates to wear a full suit for interviews, specifying a skirted suit for the ladies. At previous firms, we were instructed to tell every candidate to “channel their inner Brooks Brothers” when dressing for interviews. Don’t get me wrong, I am a huge fan of the Brooks Brothers vibe, but it did make me think: Is interviewing in a suit still required?

If I look at my current clients, it would be about 50/50. One client is a retailer of accessories that promotes the preppy lifestyle. They have told me that if someone comes in looking “too corporate”, they will not be a fit. One client is a bit more traditional, and while the dress code is business casual, the President and CAO wear suits every day, so any candidate would want to be dressed for that. Another client would say that for sales interviews they would definitely expect someone to “suit up”, but otherwise would not balk if someone came in looking less formal so long as they looked really professional.

While there is no hard and fast rule, my advice is this: Figure out what the interviewer(s) will want.

  • Don’t be shy about asking! It shows an interest in making a good impression and respect for the company culture.
  • Who to ask? If you are dealing directly with the firm, ask HR. If you know someone who works there (this is where LinkedIn can come in really handy), reach out to him or her.
  • If you are working with an Executive Recruiter, he or she should be able to give you the lay of the land.

Be sure to be on the dressier end of whatever you ascertain. If it is a truly casual atmosphere and you are told that jeans are fine, make them dark jeans as they come across as far more polished. Pair them with a jacket and a crisp white button down. Business casual? For men, this could mean a sports jacket with no tie, and for women this could mean pants or a skirt with a cardigan. Need to channel your inner Brooks Brothers still? Maybe channel all of their sections, not just the suits.   When in doubt, wear a black suit. For women, this can be a pantsuit. Men, wear a subtle tie. This is not the time to use the tie to show your individuality.   Regardless of dress code expectations, and this may be the daughter of a former Air Force pilot speaking, shine your shoes before heading out the door for the interview. Literally, it puts your best foot forward. People may not notice a shined shoe, but they will definitely notice an unkempt one.

While dressing for interviews can be a daunting task, doing it right can show that you have an innate understanding of the organization’s culture. Just be thankful that the 1980s are behind us. Those shoulder pads were a lot to pull off.

For more tips on how to make an impact, be sure to check out my earlier article, Interview Impact: The Art of the Thank You Letter.