Business Finance

Sounds like common sense to some, but many of us twenty somethings don’t know what type of clothing is work appropriate. One thing that our parents didn’t focus on was teaching the millennial generation how to dress for work. For instance, my first professional interview back in 2005 was for a part time office position. I went to Charlotte Russe and purchased a $25 capri pant grey suit set, a low-cut party top, chandelier earrings and a pair of strappy sandals. I set out to my interview with my face full of makeup looking very cute, but far from conservative. I walked in to meet my interviewer, watched her look me up and down and sat down for a 5 minute interview from which I received no call back. I didn’t figure out that there was a problem until a year later when I sat down with the career services office at my college to learn interview tips. Now that I’ve learned the err in my ways I’d like to take the time to teach other women my age what they could be doing to miss out on job opportunities.

How to dress for an interview: Unless you have specific instructions on how to dress for this particular company you should always dress in a business suit just to be safe. Wear a pantsuit or skirt with jacket. If the mood is more dress-casual you can remove the jacket during the interview to match the interviewer’s dress. Make sure that you wear a button down shirt or nice sweater underneath your jacket so that if you take it off your outfit is still appropriate. Always keep everything covered! No shoulders or cleavage revealed. Also, stick with the traditional skirt or pants. Until you know if capris are accepted by the office executives don’t wear them. Capris are still on the iffy list for now. For your accessories try to stick with either no jewelry or minimal jewelry. This includes post earrings (no chandeliers or large hoops), necklaces with small pendants, and stick with a 2 ring maximum. Wear your hair in a soft, professional style without much hairspray. Stay away from styles that are high or overly attention grabbing. You want your talents and personality to get the attention, not your hair.

After you get the job: On your first week of the job you want to stick with a similar look to what you interviewed in until you get a good idea of what is acceptable or not. If they say business casual stick with slacks, with button downs or sweaters. Watch around the office at the general appearance of the crowd and you can eventually start mimicking their style of dress. It is generally appropriate to ask your supervisors about specific articles of clothing such as wearing capris or strappy sandals. Cleavage is never acceptable in an office. Stay away from low-cut blouses and anything that you would feel comfortable wearing to a party. Also make sure that any skirts you wear to work are almost touching the knee. Anything too high above the knee is inappropriate. 1 inch above the knee is best. Large earrings are only appropriate if you see your bosses wearing them. Otherwise, stick with small earrings that aren’t too flashy.

Attitude: Your attitude is one of the biggest things that employers notice about you. If you are a hard worker with an excellent attitude and take every opportunity given to you, they will be less likely to critique what you are wearing and more likely to accept you for who you are. If you’re not doing your job or showing a negative attitude you can be sure that they will notice every big pair of earrings, every peak of cleavage and any skirt above the knee and hold it against you. Make sure that you cover all of your bases and you will be sure to be a prized employee at your job.