Dress for the job you have, not the job you want

People always say to dress for the job you want. Well, I did once and ended up out-dressing… People always say to dress for the job you want. Well, I did once and ended up out-dressing the boss.

It had been my first job interview, and beforehand, I had no clue what to wear, how to act or anything of the sort. All I knew was that I wanted to be a reporter, so I dressed like one – or what I thought one looked like – button-up shirt, knee-length skirt, with notepad in hand.

Following this logic, the managing editor who interviewed me apparently wanted to be a track coach, because there he was sitting across from me in jogging pants, a sweaty T-shirt and a baseball cap.

I couldn’t believe it. I was going to lose a job for dressing too well. Thank goodness that wasn’t the case, but at the time, I had panicked. He asked me question after question, all of which I had been prepared to answer before I saw that I had upstaged him. Being the laidback boss that he was, my first office faux pas was excused. We even had a laugh about it once.

Unfortunately, appearance isn’t a laughing matter in most job interviews. I got lucky. Countless teachers and interview coaches have told me that before even a single question is asked in an interview, employers make assumptions about the applicant based solely on appearance.

Sloppy clothes equal sloppy work.

Such a reality in the job market can be difficult for college job seekers. Sweatpants do make up a large part of my wardrobe. We live in a setting, the college campus, where trends, individual taste and finances determine our apparel. So often we’re faced with a job interview, and we’re not always prepared when it comes to clothing. Lord knows my mother helped me pick out my interview attire two years ago, and I’m not ashamed to admit it.

For everyone who does not have my mother as an assistant, Collegegrad.com offers advice on job interview attire. When in doubt over appearance, they recommend sticking with conservative clothing, a well-groomed hairstyle and clean shoes, among other things.

Rather than keeping a list of interview attire do’s and don’ts on hand, I rely on the grandparent test. Whenever I’ve chosen an outfit but still wonder about its appropriateness, I imagine wearing it in front of my grandmother. Though none of you have met her, just imagine a conservative, gray-haired lover of bingo, euchre and puzzles who I’ve never heard swear in my life. Many a time has the mere thought of her disapproval stopped my wearing of a slightly risque article of clothing to the wrong place.

With the right attire coupled with a confident, professional persona, acing a job interview is simple. It’s the workplace itself – after you’ve been hired – that can prove to be a challenge.

Workplace dress codes can vary from casual and business casual to traditional business or a mixture of the three. CNN actually cites five dress code categories, the most formal being “boardroom attire,” but I certainly won’t be taking a seat beside Donald Trump after graduation. So is it really necessary to know?

The casual workplace, which would seem like the easiest to dress for, is actually not. In such an environment anything, including jeans and flip-flops, can work. For a more defined answer, I say, ask the boss.

For a business casual space, Laura Morsch of Careerbuilder.com offers one overarching rule: no denim or flip-flops. After that, guys are suggested khakis and polo shirts, though not wildly patterned, while women should wear skirts or slacks and “appropriate” tops – refer to the grandmother test.

When moving up to the “traditional business” look, the dress code becomes ever more defined. In fact, it can be described in three words: suit and tie. Men should wear a dark-colored suit with a button-up shirt and tie and, of course, dress shoes. Women have more flexibility here, being able to opt for a suit, dress or sweater and dress pants combination.

In my office, the one the track coach hired me into, the khakis and polos of business casual ruled most weeks. But on a day when a senator was interviewed, everyone showed up in suits while I hid in my khakis.

So I guess it’s hard to ever really know what is right to wear. Just when I thought I knew, I looked better than the boss – and never heard the end of it.

If you’d like to know what to wear for your interview with Trump, contact Bethany at brd13@pitt.edu.