May 24, 2009
Career Couch
Please, No Board Shorts in the Boardroom
By PHYLLIS KORKKI
Q. You’re a recent college graduate getting ready for the working world. Can your college wardrobe make the transition with you?
A. If you dressed casually throughout college, you may need to rethink your approach and invest in some new clothes. But it will be worth it. In interviews and in the office, dressing appropriately may be a simple way to gain an edge.
Some young people aren’t aware of the importance of work clothing, said Barbara Pachter, an author and business etiquette lecturer. Unlike more experienced workers, they may not have enough work history to realize that they need to follow new rules, or they think the rules don’t apply to them, she said.
Fairly or not, you are judged to some extent on the visual impression you make. Managers are more likely to hire and promote people who dress in a neat, professional way that shows they fit in with the organization.
“When you’re moving from college into the work force, you need to dress for where you’re going, not from where you came,” said Alison Doyle, job search expert for About.com.
Q. You have an interview coming up. What should you wear?
A. For an interview, it rarely hurts to err on the side of conservatism. “When in doubt, wear a suit,” Ms. Pachter said.
In some cases, business casual can work, but don’t assume that. Ask your recruiter, a department manager or a college career adviser for guidance, said Annie Shanklin Jones, who manages United States recruitment for I.B.M.
Many managers and recruiters can recall wildly inappropriate clothes that people have to worn to interviews. Ms. Shanklin Jones says she has seen people dressed as if they were going to the beach or the gym. She cites men wearing acid-wash jeans with holes in them, along with sandals or flip-flops, and women wearing revealing sundresses or very short skirts.
This does not go over well because “we’re looking for people who can assume the role of a business professional,” she said.
For a man, this could mean a suit and tie and leather shoes with dressy socks; for a woman it could be a blazer and a blouse with a skirt or slacks, along with low heels and hosiery, among several possibilities.
Many young women today have never worn pantyhose in their lives, but the consensus among human resources managers is that you should wear hosiery to an interview, Ms. Doyle said. (Once you have the job, you may be able to go back to bare legs, depending on the office.)
Q. Should you get dressed up for a career fair?
Wearing a business suit, or at least a business casual outfit (like a polo shirt and khakis or a blouse and skirt), is an excellent way to make a good impression at a career fair. Ms. Pachter said a human resources manager told her that she would not have hired anyone at a recent career fair because of how casually they were dressed.
Q. How should you dress once you get a job?
A. You have more leeway once you are hired, but tread carefully at first. Ask if the company has a dress code, but don’t stop there. Observe the people around you before you decide whether it’s O.K. to wear, say, jeans or casual shoes.
Q. What are some clothing pitfalls to watch out for?
A. Be careful about revealing too much. Ms. Pachter said she had heard from some young women that “they thought they had to dress sexy to get noticed in the work world.” They’ll be noticed, yes, but for the wrong reason. She said this view might stem in part from TV shows that portray professional women in low-cut, tight shirts and super-short skirts.
Ms. Shanklin Jones agreed, saying, “It’s what they see on campus and what they see on TV and movies.”
In the real world, Ms. Pachter said, “My opinion is that cleavage is not a corporate look, and not what you want to be remembered for.” The same goes for very short skirts and extremely high heels, but many young people don’t know this, she said.
These aren’t the only danger zones. “Make sure the top of your thong, if you wear one, doesn’t show above your pants,” Ms. Doyle says on her Web site.
Q. You can’t afford to buy a whole new wardrobe. What should you do?
A. A few basic pieces in a few matching and muted colors, perhaps bought at a discount, can go a long way and last a long time. “A classic interview suit that will last for years is a better investment than the latest trendy attire that will only last a season,” Ms. Pachter said.
Q. All this talk about what not to wear is cramping your sense of style. Shouldn’t you have some freedom to express yourself through your clothing?
A. Once you get the job, there’s nothing wrong with showing some individual style. A 23-year-old certainly doesn’t have to dress like someone in his or her 40s, Ms. Pachter said. You may even reach a point where you feel you can break some of the rules, she said, but first you need to know what they are.
Some people are so supremely talented and confident that they can get away with wearing all the wrong things, Ms. Pachter said. But still, for most of us, why take that risk?
