Starting Work
comments powered by Disqus
Dress for Success
October 13, 2010
Throughout many of my program deliveries to interns, summer associates and new hires, I receive questions regarding appropriate office attire. Some program participants want to know whether they must wear a suit to an interview. Others wish to know what constitutes appropriate business casual attire. And at virtually every presentation, some young lady will ask what I refer to as “the pantyhose question”: “When I start work, do I really have to wear them?”
The reality is there is no one right answer to these questions. Attire expectations for the interviewing job candidate or new hire at a Wall Street law firm differ dramatically from those interviewing or starting work at a Silicon Valley operation like Google. At the former, suits are the expectation while pajamas may suffice at the latter.
To understand what constitutes appropriate attire, interviewees and new hires should go on-line and carefully study the appearance of employees shown on the company’s website. If virtually everyone wears a suit, a job candidate or new hire should show-up in similar attire, i.e., matching suit coat and slacks or skirt. If people appear in more relaxed attire, job candidates or new hires may arrive in blazers and pressed slacks. Ladies, make sure you pay special attention to the amount of make-up current employees of the firm appear to wear.
If you are uncertain whether a particular outfit works, try visiting www.GoTryItOn.com. The site allows you to upload a photo of you in a particular outfit, describe the event to which you plan to wear the outfit, and request feedback. A professed “fashion maven” will tell you whether a bow tie or metallic sweater works for you in a particular environment.
If you don’t have time to take and upload a photo, remember this general rule of thumb: If you’re wondering whether or not an outfit is appropriate, it’s probably not. Select outfits that always position you as a person on the way up.
comments powered by Disqus
