There are some industries that would expect a full business suit, but most often you’re safe in business casual. The only industry where overdressing might leave a negative impression is tech because they tend to skew more casual.

For masculine presenting folks, business casual usually means:

• Buttoned shirt

• Khakis, dress pants, basically not jeans/joggers/sweatpants

• Closed toed shoes that are not sneakers

Depending on the weather, you can usually layer with a quarter zip sweater or a blazer. For business casual, a tie is not expected.

For feminine presenting folks, business casual usually means:

• Dress pants or skirt (the most common length would be just above the knee)

• Blouse

• Low heels or flats that are not sneakers

Similarly, you can layer with a sweater or blazer. You can also accent your outfit with jewelry, but keep the pieces fairly standard with either all silver or all gold. If you’re ever in doubt, lean more conservative.

Industries that would expect a full suit usually include law, consulting, and financial services. A good way to gut-check if your job will expect this is to see what your recruiter and hiring manager are wearing. If they’re wearing a tie, then you probably should too.

Remember, first impressions last. Your future workplace may have casual days where jeans/t-shirts are more common, but you don’t want to show up to your interview like that.

The last thing to note is for feminine presenting folks. If a workplace criticizes your outfit for not being “serious” or other types of comments on your body, this is a red flag. As long as you are professionally dressed, there is no reason for a manager to critique your outfit.